Laura Devine > Laura Devine Immigration > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Laura Devine Immigration
100 CANNON STREET
LONDON
EC4N 6EU
England
Laura Devine photo

Work Department

UK and US immigration

Position

Managing Partner

Career

Laura is the Managing Partner of Laura Devine Immigration (LDI), a prestigious immigration boutique with offices in London and New York providing UK and US immigration advice which has been described as a “transatlantic powerhouse”.

A qualified English solicitor and a US attorney, Laura is recognised as a Who’s Who Legal thought leader and was its highest-rated Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) immigration lawyer in 2019, standing out for her “superb work”. Laura and her company of 60 staff are rated by all leading legal directories in the top tier of immigration firms. Prior to launching the company, she established the immigration practices at Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) and Eversheds (now Eversheds Sutherland).

LDI is commended in The Times Best Law Firms 2024 for immigration.

Laura is the UK representative of the International Bar Association (IBA) Immigration Committee. Additionally, she was a Council Member of the Law Society for eight years and sat on the Law Society Immigration Committee for 15 years. Laura is the immigration correspondent for the Law Society Gazette and editor of Thomson Reuters’ first book on global immigration entitled ‘Immigration Law: Jurisdictional Comparisons’. She frequently speaks internationally on immigration, law firm management and women in business.

As Managing Partner, Laura oversees all staff and client matters for both the UK and US teams. She advises on UK and US immigration with a client base spanning all sectors from finance to fashion and corporates to individuals.

Lawyer Rankings

London > Employment > Immigration

(Hall of Fame)

Laura DevineLaura Devine Immigration

With ‘exceptional insight into the immigration market,Laura Devine Immigration has expertise in the full range of business immigration. Spearheaded by Laura Devine, the group is regularly successful handling discretionary applications, and with offices in both the UK and the US, it is uniquely positioned to assist on transatlantic corporate matters. Sophie Barrett-Brown has ‘a ferocious legal intellect‘ and expertise across all aspects of UK immigration, including corporate restructuring and sponsor compliance issues. Christi Hufford Jackson leads the firm’s US teams and advises on all business immigration issues, especially for entertainment sector clients. Natasha Chell has a broad corporate immigration practice with expertise in sponsorship and compliance, while the ‘utterly brilliantFrancesca Sciberras is highly experienced in EU free movement law and matters relating to the Withdrawal Agreement. The group also includes Zeena Luchowa, who has an ‘incredibly calm but proactive style‘ and extensive experience in business immigration, Matthew Wills advises clients in, among others, the education, entertainment and sports sectors, and Sam Ingham who has a broad business-related immigration practice.

London > Employment > Immigration: personal

(Hall of Fame)

Laura Devine – Laura Devine Immigration

Praised as a team that ‘leads the UK immigration sector in every area of immigration law‘, boutique firm Laura Devine Immigration excels in all aspects of personal immigration. Dual qualified in the UK and US, Laura Devine is ‘a leading figure in the immigration law world‘ and advises clients such as executives, families and individuals on a broad range of UK and US immigration issues. Sophie Barrett-Brown, described as ‘extremely knowledgeable, solution-oriented and committed to excellence‘, assists clients with complex matters in every immigration category, including refusal challenges, complex applications under the EU Settlement Scheme and discretionary nationality applications with good character issues. Natasha Chell has a strong business-personal cross-over immigration practice, and Christi Hufford Jackson leads the firm’s US team covering all aspects of business and personal immigration. Francesca Sciberras regularly advises clients on complex family immigration matters, nationality issues and EUSS applications, while Matthew Wills and Zeena Luchowa co-lead the firm’s human rights practice; both have extensive experience handling complex personal immigration matters. Immigration specialist Brian Naumann, whose practice covers both business and personal immigration matters, is also a key contact.

London > Employment > Immigration: human rights

Boutique immigration firm Laura Devine Immigration has ‘an excellent reputation in the field‘ and advises on the full spectrum of immigration law, with significant expertise in human rights-related applications and appeals. In addition to a top-tier asylum practice, the group regularly advises on applications that involve large absences and overstay, and also assists European nationals establishing their rights by making late applications under the Withdrawal Agreement. The team acts for a diverse range of clients such as refugees, separated families, elderly dependents, Windrush individuals and politicians, and has notable experience working with vulnerable clients including victims of modern slavery and those fleeing conflict. The human rights and appeals practice is overseen by Zeena Luchowa, praised for her ‘patience, diligence and professionalism‘, and ‘fantastic team leaderMatthew Wills, both noted for their expertise in human rights-related immigration work, whilst Laura Devine leads the firm’s overall offering. Praised as a ‘stand-out individual and leader in the immigration law sector‘, Sophie Barrett-Brown has expertise that spans all aspects of UK immigration and is particularly skilled in complex and discretionary cases. Brian Naumann is another key contact for personal immigration matters with a human rights dimension.

United States > Labor and employment > Immigration

Laura Devine Attorneys LLC‘s immigration team prides itself on its transatlantic presence, with support from its colleagues in London and its ability to advise on niche areas of immigration, notably armed forces work, and persons exempt from immigration control. Jennifer Stevens and Laura Devine both lead the New York-based practice, with Stevens acting as trusted advisor to corporates, HNWIs, celebrities and artists and Devine being a key contact for UK and US immigration matters.