Tag Archives: Joseph Tacopina

Roundup: Dr. Clarence Jones, Taylor Swift, Joe Tacopina …

Posted on January 16, 2024 | 9 comments

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King famously said: “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

If you missed Sunday’s Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Westport Library, you should run, walk or crawl to this link:

 

Dr. Clarence Jones — King’s 93-year-old speechwriter, personal attorney and friend — delivered an emotional and inspirational master class in history, justice, and the power of one individual to change the world.

Many of those who were there Sunday will want to watch the video too.

And for all of us, Dr. Jones’ words will resonate for years to come.

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Calling all Swifties!

The Westport Country Playhouse hosts a special show, with songs from every Taylor Swift era.

Spoiler alert: The hottest entertainer on the planet won’t be there. But “powerhouse voices” will sing Swift’s songs.

The February 2 event (7 p.m.) is a benefit for the WCP’s Woodward Internship program. Tickets are $55, $65 and $75. Click here to purchase, and for more information.

She won’t appear at the Playhouse on February 2. But “powerhouse voices” singing her songs will be there.

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Donald Trump has lost another lawyer.

This one is our neighbor: Westporter Joe Tacopina.

The New York Times reported yesterday:

Joseph Tacopina, the trial lawyer on Donald J. Trump’s legal team with the most successes defending high-profile clients, will no longer represent the former president in his criminal trial in Manhattan, according to a notice sent to the court on Monday.

Mr. Tacopina also withdrew on Monday from another case in which he was still legally representing Mr. Trump: an appeal of the verdict in a lawsuit brought by the writer E. Jean Carroll. Mr. Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation last year and was ordered to pay Ms. Carroll $5 million.

It was not clear why Mr. Tacopina decided to withdraw, and he declined to comment.

Click here for the full story. (Hat tip: Bill Dedman)

Attorney Joseph Tacopina sat at former President Trump’s left hand, at an arraignment in April. (Photo/Curtis Means for EPA)

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Judy Michaelis of Coldwell Banker sends this real estate report:

“Across the board, 2023 was flat compared with 2022.

“Days on market, 68, is same as the last 2 years.

“The median sales price – $2,000,000 — is the same as last year.

“The list to sales price is just over 1% of asking price, same as last year.

“The only thing that has changed is that our sales are down 24%, and that is because we had a lack of inventory.”


This 6-bedroom, 6 1/2-bathroom, 6,585-square foot house, on 4 acres at 69 Beachside Avenue, is listed for $7,950,000.

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Village Pediatrics has just finished a major renovation.

Their rooms have an outdoor theme (skiing, camping, water activities, biking, outer space). A fun rainbow goes the entire length of the office; it’s an “all are welcome here” shoutout for everyone to see.

To show off their new space, Village Pediatrics hosts an open house this Thursday (January 18, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., 323 Riverside Avenue). Providers will be there to meet “new patients, and expecting patients.”

They’ll answer questions about their practice, which includes daily walk-in sick visits for acute issues, weekend availability for sick and well visits, late hours on Thursday evenings, Saturday check-ups, 24/7 on-call provider for emergencies, extended time at well visits, in-house lactation consults, ADHD and anxiety medication management, Accutane — and ear piercing.

Questions? Email office@villagepedi.com. Click below for a tour of their newly renovated space.

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Valentine’s Day is next month.

But the Westport Young Woman’s League Galentine’s Bingo is January 31 (7 p.m., Christ & Holy Trinity Church).

Tickets are $30, and include bingo (with prizes from local vendors), and light refreshments. Click here to purchase, and for more information. The event is BYOB.

Proceeds help fun WYWL’s Grants Program. Last year, the organization donated $90,000 to charities and nonprofits.

Questions? Email funddevelopment@wywl.com.

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We never tire of photos of clouds over Compo Beach. They constantly change; we never see the same scene twice.

Jim Hood took today’s “Westport … Naturally” shot a few days ago. It’s another winner.

(Photo/Jim Hood)

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Posted in Children, Entertainment, Library, Local business, Organizations, Politics, Real estate, Westport Country Playhouse

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Forza, Venezia!

Posted on November 3, 2015 | 1 comment

New Yorkers know Joe Tacopina as a famous attorney. He’s defended the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Michael Jackson and Bernard Kerik. The New York Times said, “Mr. Tacopina is to the defense bar what Donald Trump is to real estate.”

Westporters know him as a friend and neighbor.

Italians know Tacopina as the man who is bringing American sports business management to some of the top soccer clubs in the world.

Joe Tacopina

Joe Tacopina

Tacopina — whose parents were born in Rome, who has dual US and Italian citizenship, and who says “soccer is in my blood” — was a director of world-renowned AS Roma, the 1st foreign-owned club in Serie A (the Italian top division).

He spent 11 months as president of Bologna — another Serie A  team.

Now he’s working his magic at Venezia. Venice’s team is languishing in Serie D — Italy’s 4th division. But Tacopina hopes to drive the side to the top.

He’s not doing it alone. His fellow investors include several Westporters.

It’s no easy task. Italian soccer is notoriously cutthroat.

And Tacopina is keeping his day job. “I sacrifice sleep,” he says. When he’s in Venice, he Skypes at night with his New York law office.

Yet, he insists, “this is a labor of passion.”

When he first went to Italy for legal work, he stayed over on weekends so he could attend professional soccer matches.

“I was captivated by the emotional experience,” he says. “You can’t explain it to someone who has never been there. Huge crowds singing and chanting in unison for 2 hours — you feel the entire stadium move. You get goosebumps.”

A typical scene in Serie A.

A typical scene in Serie A.

However, he says, a decade ago “the game and fan experience was slipping. Stadiums were antiquated and dirty.”

He wrote some suggestions for the Italian soccer federation on the back of a napkin. A friend suggested a better idea: Buy a team and fix it.

That’s what Tacopina did, again and again.

RomaImporting a North  American sports business model, he helped triple Roma’s valuation to over $400 million. In less than a year, Bologna’s valuation tripled too.

In July, Tacopina became the 1st foreigner to win the Carlino D’Oro. The annual award is presented for contributions to Italian soccer.

Venice can be “the biggest success story yet,” Tacopina says. “There’s enormous upside.”

Westport businessman Jim Daniels — whose 2 sons play Staples High School soccer — and sports attorney John Goldman are fellow investors. Financial guru Mark Gudis — another Westporter, with one Staples soccer alum and a current senior player — has consulted on the project.

Tacopina and his partners know what to do on the business side: raise brand awareness and revenues.

On the sporting side, Tacopina says, “I think I know. But I don’t try to pick all the players.” He’s hired Giorgio Perinetti — the man who brought Diego Maradona to Italy — as sporting director.

Joe Tacopina at Venezia

Joe Tacopina at Venezia

The new owners have a 5-year plan. It includes a 28,000-seat stadium project (the mayor has pledged land near the airport), and selling naming rights to major corporations.

Venice is one of the world’s most famous cities. But, Tacopina says, its fan base has been neglected and dormant for years. They’re waking up: The 1st match under the new regime drew the biggest crowd in 15 years.

This season, Venezia is undefeated — 9-0-2.

“It’s very exciting in terms of both soccer and business,” Tacopina notes. “The Wall Street Journal says that for anyone who wants to buy a professional team in an elite league, Italian soccer is the only place where something is undervalued.”

The Venezia club sold for $6 million, though the new owners will investment more in improvements.

By contrast, the Los Angeles Clippers — “the 2nd team in the city, without their own arena” — sold for $2 billion, Tacopina says.

But the money seems almost secondary to the soccer.

“This is a special project to me,” Tacopina says. “It’s my passion. And I’m doing this with my Westport friends.”

 

 

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Tacopina Talk

Posted on September 24, 2013 | 1 comment

Noted criminal defense lawyer — and Westport resident — Joe Tacopina was the subject of Sunday’s New York Times Magazine “Talk” interview.

Among the highlights:

Joe Tacopina

Joe Tacopina

He said the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez — a client in his dispute with Major League Baseball over the alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs — is “very easy to talk to, very intelligent and also — I don’t know if the right word is ‘humble,’ but maybe ‘humble’ is the right word. My first impression was: My god, this guys’s getting such a bum rap.”

Of the New York Post calling him the most hated lawyer in New York City, Tacopina responded:

When you reach a certain level of either success or notoriety, people take shots at you. It was actually a flattering article. It came out after I won the rape-cops case — it was about how I win cases that people say I can’t win.

And when interviewer Mark Leibovich noted that the “street kid from Sheepshead Bay” now lives in Connecticut and owns “a 49-foot yacht,” Tacopina replied: “It’s a boat, it’s not a yacht.”

(To read the full interview, click here.)

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