Barry O'Leary

Partner

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Barry is a partner at the firm and his practice deals with the full range of immigration and nationality issues. He has particular expertise in applications based on partnership and family; applications following international surrogacy arrangements; and asylum and human rights claims based on sexual identity. In the Chambers Directory, he is acknowledged as Band 1 leader in both personal immigration and human rights, and as a DEI champion for his ‘career-long dedication to supporting LGBTQI+ migrants’. He is also listed as a leading individual by the Legal 500. Recent work and notable cases  Expert reports for the family courts  Obtaining partner visas for clients from around the world, including many partners in same sex relationships.  Obtaining British citizenship for many children born following a surrogacy arrangement, including those born stateless.  Assisting parents to remain on the basis of their relationship with their British citizen children.  Securing leave to remain for a number of long term overstayers on the basis that they and their same sex partners could not live in their homophobic country of origin.  Supervised and represented many LGBT individuals in their asylum claims based on sexual identity.  Obtaining visas for foreign spouses who had been abandoned abroad by their abusive former partners.  Frequently instructed by family law firms when there is an immigration element to a family law matter. Education and experience  Read law at the University of Cambridge.  Law school at the College of Law, London.  Qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and joined Wesley Gryk Solicitors in January 2000. Other positions Director of Micro Rainbow Publications and training  Author of the immigration law chapter in the publication: ‘Surrogacy Law, Practice and Policy in England and Wales’  Author of the immigration chapter of the Law Society Publication “Civil Partnership – the Law in Practice”  Tutor of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association course ‘Significant Others’ which deals with immigration law for partners.  Tutor of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association course on surrogacy and immigration law.  Free Movement webinar: Exceptional Circumstances in family-based applications. Memberships • Law Society • Member of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA). 'Barry O'Leary's reputation as one of the best in the field is justly deserved.'- Legal 500 "Barry is a stalwart of the immigration world." – Chambers 2024 “Barry is a great mixture of professional excellence with an empathetic and understanding approach to issues." – Chambers 2024 “Barry O’Leary is a pre-eminent immigration partner … highly valued for his successes with family, partnership, international surrogacy and sexual identity cases” – Chambers 2024 “Barry O’Leary “[is] noted as ‘the standout immigration and nationality lawyer when it comes to surrogacy arrangements’, in addition to experience in handling applications on the basis of partnership and families. ‘He gives pragmatic advice and can think creatively in the most difficult of cases to find solutions for his clients.’” – Legal 500 2024 “Barry is one of the most outstanding immigration lawyers of the current generation.” – Chambers 2023

  • Regulated by: The Solicitors Regulation Authority

  • Regulator ID: 32889

  • Based in London, Greater London
  • Licensed for 28 years

Accepting new clients via ReviewSolicitors

Barry is a partner at the firm and his practice deals with the full range of immigration and nationality issues. He has particular expertise in applications based on partnership and family; applications following international surrogacy arrangements; and asylum and human rights claims based on sexual identity. In the Chambers Directory, he is acknowledged as Band 1 leader in both personal immigration and human rights, and as a DEI champion for his ‘career-long dedication to supporting LGBTQI+ migrants’. He is also listed as a leading individual by the Legal 500. Recent work and notable cases  Expert reports for the family courts  Obtaining partner visas for clients from around the world, including many partners in same sex relationships.  Obtaining British citizenship for many children born following a surrogacy arrangement, including those born stateless.  Assisting parents to remain on the basis of their relationship with their British citizen children.  Securing leave to remain for a number of long term overstayers on the basis that they and their same sex partners could not live in their homophobic country of origin.  Supervised and represented many LGBT individuals in their asylum claims based on sexual identity.  Obtaining visas for foreign spouses who had been abandoned abroad by their abusive former partners.  Frequently instructed by family law firms when there is an immigration element to a family law matter. Education and experience  Read law at the University of Cambridge.  Law school at the College of Law, London.  Qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and joined Wesley Gryk Solicitors in January 2000. Other positions Director of Micro Rainbow Publications and training  Author of the immigration law chapter in the publication: ‘Surrogacy Law, Practice and Policy in England and Wales’  Author of the immigration chapter of the Law Society Publication “Civil Partnership – the Law in Practice”  Tutor of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association course ‘Significant Others’ which deals with immigration law for partners.  Tutor of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association course on surrogacy and immigration law.  Free Movement webinar: Exceptional Circumstances in family-based applications. Memberships • Law Society • Member of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA). 'Barry O'Leary's reputation as one of the best in the field is justly deserved.'- Legal 500 "Barry is a stalwart of the immigration world." – Chambers 2024 “Barry is a great mixture of professional excellence with an empathetic and understanding approach to issues." – Chambers 2024 “Barry O’Leary is a pre-eminent immigration partner … highly valued for his successes with family, partnership, international surrogacy and sexual identity cases” – Chambers 2024 “Barry O’Leary “[is] noted as ‘the standout immigration and nationality lawyer when it comes to surrogacy arrangements’, in addition to experience in handling applications on the basis of partnership and families. ‘He gives pragmatic advice and can think creatively in the most difficult of cases to find solutions for his clients.’” – Legal 500 2024 “Barry is one of the most outstanding immigration lawyers of the current generation.” – Chambers 2023

  • Regulated by: The Solicitors Regulation Authority

  • Regulator ID: 32889

  • Based in London, Greater London
  • Licensed for 28 years

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Expertise

Experience

  • Wesley Gryk Solicitors LLP

    SRA-approved manager - Member

    Until Present

Languages spoken

  • English

Opening hours

Monday 09:30–17:30
Tuesday 09:30–17:30 (Open)
Wednesday 09:30–17:30
Thursday 09:30–17:30
Friday 09:30–17:30
Saturday (Closed)
Sunday (Closed)

Third Floor, 115 Southwark St, London, SE1 0JF

Reviews

5.0 /5 29 Reviews
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Andy Richardson

Top rate advice ans service

Wesley Gryk are excellent. Barry and Sofia are fabulous to deal with. Their knowledge and insight is superb. They were proactive, prompted us when to act, reminded us of things when necessary, answered all our questions promptly, and were very pleasant to work with. I can't of anything or any time that their service was less than excellent. I would strongly recommend Wesley Gryk Solicitors LLP.

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Marwan Nihad

Important complex issue solved

Solicitor Barry O'Leary helped me solve a complex issue with the Home Office that does not have a straightforward solution. I am forever thankful to him and Sofia Bassani from his office for their help in this matter. From the start everything was clear and organised. They were always highly responsive and patient with my questions. The result was positive and I am so lucky to having had them take my issue on. Highly recommended.

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Francis Family

Immigration

Exceptional, clinical & meticulous!

Barry O’Leary at Wesley Gryk is exceptional. We came to Barry after a deeply stressful and traumatic experience with another provider, where the complexities of our family’s immigration position had been mishandled and misunderstood, ultimately resulting in refusals. By the time we approached Barry, we needed someone who could not only understand the law, but also properly grasp the human reality and technical nuance of our circumstances. Barry was outstanding from the outset. He was clinical in his analysis, meticulous in his preparation, and a perfectionist in how he approached the evidence, legal submissions and overall strategy. Nothing felt generic or rushed. Every detail was considered, every risk anticipated, and eachvpart of the applications was handled with care, precision and confidence. What stood out most was Barry’s ability to take a complicated and emotionally significant matter and bring clarity, structure and calm to it. He understood the complexities, guided us with care and professionalism, and prepared the case to an exceptionally high standard. We are enormously grateful for his work and would recommend Barry and Wesley Gryk without hesitation to anyone dealing with a UK immigration matter. The difference between our prior experience and Barry’s handling of the case was night and day.

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anonymous

Immigration

Professional, efficient, knowledgable.

We’ve worked with Barry O’Leary and his team on several family‑immigration engagements, and we can’t recommend them highly enough. They are consummate professionals—efficient, knowledgeable, and highly experienced. Throughout the entire process we felt completely in safe hands, and we would gladly engage them again for any future needs.

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Barry O'Leary

Thank you very much for this review - appreciated!

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Donald

Professional, efficient, generous, and a successful outcome

I was referred to Barry O'Leary by outside counsel on a fairly urgent basis. Barry responded quickly and facilitated an initial consultation via video call. The fees were reasonable and the matter was seemingly-straightforward at the outset. After some surprising outcomes with my case, Barry and Sofia reasponded to countless additional emails and held two subsequent consultations to clarify my situation and offer clear advice. They were direct and confident, and helped me to navigate a number of complexities that were not expected in such a straightforward case. What's more, they were highly compassionate, patient, flexible, and generous of their time. I would highly recommend them and the firm, without any hesitation, not just because of the aforementioned qualities and approach, but also due to the successful outcome of my case. I am incredibly grateful for their efforts, which have made a significant difference in my life.

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