Barry O’Leary, Partner
“Barry O’Leary offers strong experience in complex family immigration matters including entry clearance applications and nationality issues arising from international surrogacy arrangements. He also has a wealth of expertise in human rights-related immigration claims. ‘He is brilliant; he is very knowledgeable and always available to answer questions’.” – Chambers 2022
“Barry O’Leary – incredible knowledge of alternative families related immigration law, very approachable and a joy to work with.” & “Barry O’Leary is the perfect lawyer for complex immigration issues arising from international surrogacy arrangements.” – Legal 500 2022
“Barry O’Leary is a pre-eminent immigration partner with significant experience in EU and human rights law. He is highly valued for his successes with family, partnership, international surrogacy and sexual identity cases. ‘He is fantastic – very compassionate, straightforward and thorough.’ ‘He is a really brilliant lawyer.’” – Chambers 2021
“Based on my experience, Barry O’Leary and his team at Wesley Gryk are peerless in their thorough approach to the immigration application process and in their dedication to achieving a positive outcome. Barry O’Leary’s values and service delivery stood out to me. His ethos on human rights and work ethic also stood out.” – Legal 500 2021
Described as ‘the Rolls-Royce of immigration and asylum,’ Barry O’Leary is highly valued for his successes with family, partnership, international surrogacy and sexual identity cases. An interviewee says: “He’s a very experienced solicitor who does fantastic work across the board.” – Chambers 2020
“Barry O’Leary is experienced in applications based on partnership and family and in relation to international surrogacy arrangements, while he also handles asylum and human rights claims based on sexual identity.” – Legal 500 2020
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.
He is listed by the Chambers Directory as a Band 1 leader in the field and by the Legal 500 as a leading individual.
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.
- 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.
- Assisting parents to remain on the basis of their relationship with their British citizen children.
- 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.
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”;
- Co-author of ‘International Surrogacy Arrangements’, Family Law Journal.
- 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.
Memberships and volunteering
- Director of Micro Rainbow
- Volunteer for Rainbow Migration
- Member of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA).
“Barry O’Leary offers strong experience in complex family immigration matters including entry clearance applications and nationality issues arising from international surrogacy arrangements. He also has a wealth of expertise in human rights-related immigration claims. ‘He is brilliant; he is very knowledgeable and always available to answer questions’.” – Chambers 2022
“Barry O’Leary – incredible knowledge of alternative families related immigration law, very approachable and a joy to work with.” & “Barry O’Leary is the perfect lawyer for complex immigration issues arising from international surrogacy arrangements.” – Legal 500 2022
“Barry O’Leary is a pre-eminent immigration partner with significant experience in EU and human rights law. He is highly valued for his successes with family, partnership, international surrogacy and sexual identity cases. ‘He is fantastic – very compassionate, straightforward and thorough.’ ‘He is a really brilliant lawyer.’” – Chambers 2021
“Based on my experience, Barry O’Leary and his team at Wesley Gryk are peerless in their thorough approach to the immigration application process and in their dedication to achieving a positive outcome. Barry O’Leary’s values and service delivery stood out to me. His ethos on human rights and work ethic also stood out.” – Legal 500 2021
Described as ‘the Rolls-Royce of immigration and asylum,’ Barry O’Leary is highly valued for his successes with family, partnership, international surrogacy and sexual identity cases. An interviewee says: “He’s a very experienced solicitor who does fantastic work across the board.” – Chambers 2020
“Barry O’Leary is experienced in applications based on partnership and family and in relation to international surrogacy arrangements, while he also handles asylum and human rights claims based on sexual identity.” – Legal 500 2020
