Mishcon de Reya LLP

Kamal Rahman

Kamal Rahman is a leading Private Wealth lawyer looking after some of the wealthiest families globally. She is the Principal of Mishcon de Reya in association with Karas LLP in Hong Kong and a Partner in Mishcon de Reya LLP in London. She is a member of Mishcon Private and the Immigration group. Having practised at Mishcon de Reya for over 26 years, she is a trusted advisor to many high net worth clients who seek to internationalise their family and wealth. Kamal’s practice covers a comprehensive range of services (including UK investor visas, complex nationality applications, and economic citizenships) and her role regularly requires coordinated advice in many aspects of a client's life. Her work is relationship driven, rather than transactional, and clients value her ability to provide holistic and coordinated services, delivered in a sensitive manner. This often includes assisting clients with opportunities and challenges, utilising the wider Mishcon team's expertise in tax planning, asset protection, marriage and family, reputation management and family wealth. In addition Kamal has considerable cross-cultural experience, having advised clients from regions including China, Russia, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Her multinational team reflects this diversity providing linguistic and cultural familiarity with the client base it serves.  The ability to address complex issues in a nuanced and culturally appropriate manner continues to underpin the growth of her high net worth practice. Praised by peers and clients for her wealth of immigration expertise, she has been described as "a winning combination of charm, intelligence, both IQ and EQ, and shared family values". She is recognised as being "exceptionally good in terms of her client-centred approach and focus" and for her creativity "in making sure she explores all avenues" to find the best solutions for her clients. Kamal is also one of the founders of Gemini Untwined, a charity which helps conjoined twins access lifechanging surgery to give them the best possible chance at healthy and independent lives.

Neil Shanghavi

Neil is a Managing Associate in Mishcon Private, specialising in business immigration law. Neil advises both employers and employees on all aspects of business immigration including Tier 2 sponsor licence applications, Tier 2 and Tier 5 visa applications, sole representative visas, TUPE, Share Sales and M&A deals. He also has strong focus on guiding employers through the raft of sponsorship general compliance issues and Home Office audits. Neil has particular expertise working within the financial services sector, having represented leading US investment banks. Being very 'deal focused', Neil is closely engaged with clients and colleagues on corporate transactions (acquisitions or divestures) relating to change of ownership, global restructurings, change of employment, taxation issues and their impact upon sponsored employees working in the UK. Neil has an established understanding of working with clients in the Asian markets, having spent two years working across China, Nepal and India advising on private and corporate UK immigration matters. As part of a public campaign led by Joanna Lumley, Neil spent several years advocating the rights to reside in the UK for current and former Gurkha members of the British military.

Steven Bostock

Steven is a Partner in Mishcon Private and heads up the Immigration group. With over fifteen years’ experience working as an immigration lawyer, Steven provides strategic, commercial, and informed advice to private individuals and organisations. Steven works with clients from all over the world with a specific focus on the United States, India, Europe, China, and South America. Steven is dual qualified as a lawyer in both England/Wales and also the United States and is a licenced attorney with the State Bar of California. Steven advises clients in respect of UK High Net Worth visa categories and is at the forefront of changes to these categories, regularly consulting with the Home Office to shape policy. Steven regularly advises in respect of asylum applications in the UK. Working closely alongside the firm's in-house Extradition group, he assists high profile individuals seeking political asylum in the UK. Steven provides long term strategic advice to help clients obtain ILR status and subsequent British citizenship. He has extensive experience with complex applications that require a solution based approach. Steven plays a pivotal role in the firm’s corporate immigration group, working with the Employment and Corporate departments to provide an integrated client service. He advises in respect of all business immigration issues for both employers and employees including sponsor licence applications, Skilled Worker visa applications, and general compliance issues. Steven also advises on European free movement rights, long residence applications, family-based applications, litigation matters in the Tribunals and claims for Judicial Review often with a human rights based element. He is also a leading authority on Brexit and works closely with the Firm's Brexit working group. In addition to Steven's UK based immigration work he also advises in respect of US immigration issues.

Maria Patsalos

Maria is a Partner in Mishcon Private advising individual and corporate clients on all areas of Immigration law. Her clients benefit from her vast technical knowledge and experience in dealing with exceptional cases, as well as her ability to provide innovative and bespoke solutions. Maria has substantive expertise across all UK visa application types from Points Based System applications and settlement route applications, to highly complex and discretionary applications outside of the Immigration Rules. Under the Points Based System, Maria regularly advises on sponsor licences and sponsor compliance for companies wishing to employ workers under the Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility visa categories. She also has considerable experience in relation to Sole Representative visas which now also fall under the UK Expansion Worker visa category. Maria regularly advises on and assists with fiancée/spouse/civil partnership and unmarried partner applications and often assists such clients where complex circumstances arise. Maria's clients also include European nationals seeking advice in relation to their UK immigration status post-Brexit and clients who require assistance with appeals to the Immigration Tribunal and with Judicial Review applications. Many of her clients wish to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK and subsequent British citizenship. This often involves complex matters such as excess absences from the UK requiring the exercise of discretion by the Home Office. Maria assists with the provision of long term strategic advice, as well as establishing links and connections with the UK for such clients. Maria has recently been awarded Human Rights Solicitor of the Year by the Law Society for her extraordinary efforts to ensure that the protection of human rights law is available to all. In fact, she has many years of experience, especially with regard to political asylum claims mainly on the basis of clients' political affiliations or membership of certain social groups. Maria also regularly assists clients with obtaining second residencies or citizenships. Maria led the firm's involvement in a Judicial Review on behalf of the Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens ("PRCBC"), which went to the Supreme Court, in relation to the profit-making element of the citizenship application fee and it being unaffordable for some children. The finding from the Court of Appeal on the PRCBC case in relation to section 55 and the best interests of the child still stands and demonstrates Maria's conviction to advocate for a fair and accessible immigration system. The immigration element of Pink Law, a free legal advice service for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, was founded by Maria. As a result of the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, Maria also co-founded the Black Justice Project in partnership with Queen Mary University, University of London Legal Advice Centre, to help tackle/combat the long-term discrimination against the Black community. Maria is the immigration representative in the firm's Sports Group. She regularly advises football clubs in the UK regarding obtaining visas for players and has also advised in relation to rugby, golf and darts. Maria has also advised various sports governing bodies in relation to their immigration sponsorship rules. Maria has delivered the Immigration & Sport training for MBL for a number of years. She is also part of Mishcon Purpose, which provides specialist and purpose-driven advice and she recently launched Climate Migration Project. Its aim is to recognise and raise awareness around the issue of climate-induced mobility and displacement of people, and legislate on the issue of recognising climate migration refugees in the UK by potentially creating a separate immigration category. Maria often appears in the press and has been quoted in the FT, The Times, The Guardian, The Evening Standard and City A.M., as well as featuring on Sky Sports News, Channel 4 online and BBC television and radio in relation to topical and high profile immigration matters.

Hannah Barnett

Hannah is a Partner in Mishcon Private, specialising in Immigration. She advises both high net worth individuals and businesses on a range of UK Immigration matters, covering the Points Based System, ancestry visas, European free movement rights, long residence applications, family based applications, and litigation matters in the Immigration Tribunal. Many of Hannah's cases are of an exceptional, complex and multi-jurisdictional nature. Hannah is also part of the firm's business immigration group advising clients in relation to corporate immigration matters. She has assisted both employees and employers with sponsor licence applications, including the prevention of illegal working through the conduct of audits to ensure compliance with Legal Right to Work Checks and immigration processes within company HR systems. Many of her clients wish to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK and subsequent British citizenship. This often involves complex matters requiring the provision of long term strategic advice. Hannah regularly assists clients with second citizenship applications and has spent time in different countries regarding economic citizenship programmes. Hannah represents the Mishcon Immigration Group at the Home Office's Business User Forum, liaising with the Home Office on key developments and issues affecting clients.