Sam Meymand
Prior to co-founding Meymand Maczynski, Sam Meymand was a partner for 3 years and the Head of the Business Immigration Department for over 6 years at a larger multi service City practice. He has worked in the area of Immigration and Global Mobility for over 10 years.
During this time, he has gained vast experience and recognition for his work in this niche area of law. Sam has been recognised by the Legal 500 in the last 4 editions as a Recommended Lawyer. Sam was shortlisted at the Foreign Direct Investment Awards for his work in promoting inward investment into the UK from international clients.
Sam is regularly invited to comment on UK immigration matters and has been invited to talks at top London Universities where he addresses their international students. He is particularly passionate about helping retain top international talent studying in UK institutions as he was also an international student who stayed in the UK at the completion of his studies many years ago.
Sam is well known and connected in his niche field and over the years has built up close relationships with other key leaders in related businesses. His close network includes endorsing bodies, universities, private banks, wealth advisers, tax advisers, immigration counsel and accountants who can all play a helpful role in the immigration process.
Olga Meymand
Olga Meymand is a co-founder of Meymand Maczynski, responsible for day to day management of the firm and holding the role of Client Services Director. Prior to co-founding Meymand Maczynski, Olga was a Senior Associate in a City law firm where she worked for many years and gained her extensive experience in residential and commercial property. Olga has been recognised by the Legal 500 in the 2 latest editions as a Recommended Lawyer.
Olga was instrumental to the growth of the Residential Property department where she chaired monthly meetings, managed marketing initiatives and precedents. This inspired Olga's passion for management in the legal field and equipped her with invaluable knowledge and skills.
With Olga's Eastern European background, her legal practice as a solicitor evolved around working with international banks, family offices and high net worth clients primarily from Eastern Europe but also from China, Middle East and Nigeria advising them on acquisitions of prime Central London properties. She therefore became interested and familiar with the visa immigration process particularly when working with high net worth families investing or relocating to the UK.
Prior to Olga’s legal practice she studied her LLB at the University of Sussex and was awarded an LLM from the University College London. She has completed her Legal Practice Course with distinction. Having previously worked in the world-famous Saatchi Gallery and co establishing a London business networking group she has over the years developed a network of business connections which are invaluable when managing client relationships.
Victoria Tanousis
Victoria is an Associate at Meymand Maczynski and joined the firm in 2021. Victoria completed her Legal Practice Course at the London College of Law and has been a qualified solicitor since 2009. Victoria's background is in private client work, commercial and residential property. She has previously worked in a boutique firm and in larger law firms in London where she has regularly dealt with international, high net worth and ultra high net worth clients. She brings her breadth of experience to Meymand Maczynski where she deals with assisting in applications for both private and business immigration clients. Victoria is bilingual and speaks fluent Greek.
Mark Symes
Mark regularly works with Meymand Maczynski when they consider a case is suitable for his expertise.
Mark specialises in all kinds of private client work ranging from business immigration and entry clearance representations to appeals and JRs. He is one of the elite barristers top-ranked for immigration in both the leading directories, Chambers UK and the Legal 500. Mark's business acumen, developed whilst himself being a company director, makes him a good choice for commercial immigration advice. He has real expertise in every aspect of business immigration.
Mark is familiar with every business and personal immigration route, from the challenges facing those sponsoring skilled workers and students, including advising on threats to sponsor licences ranging from the pre-action stage through to judicial review hearings, to the numerous complications facing legacy investors and entrepreneurs as well as those negotiating the innovator, start-up, global talent and global mobility routes. He has advised numerous wealthy individuals in complex cases and is often brought on board at the earliest opportunity to assist with developing a case strategy from the representation-writing stage onwards, particularly where cases involve discretion outside the Rules and human rights issues. Mark has repeatedly been chosen as the Immigration Lawyers' Practitioners' Association barrister speaker at their annual conference for expert business immigration lawyers.
Mark Symes provides advice and representation in all areas of immigration, asylum, and human rights law, including the laws which govern the UK’s relationship with the European Union post-Brexit. He has represented clients in every court from the Tribunal to the Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights. Mark also sits as a judge of the Upper Tribunal and First-tier Tribunal. He is very well known to the senior judges in the Upper Tribunal having specialised in higher appeals for over 20 years. He is also a contributor to Macdonald's Immigration Law and Practice and has long been one of the experts to whom specialist immigration lawyers turn, in order to make sure they are up to speed with the latest legal arguments. He is co-author of the Immigration Appeals and Remedies Handbook, which the Upper Tribunal President said was “Invaluable…to the armoury of all…a compulsory addition to the library of every immigration judge and practitioner”; and co-author of the internationally recognised leading text on UK asylum law and practice.