2024 Top 25 Global Migration Attorneys

These are the 2024 Top 25 Migration Attorneys winners.

Stacey Ann Aberdeen

Aberdeen Law

St Kitts & Nevis

Stacey Ann Aberdeen-Alleyne is an attorney, public notary, and the founder of Aberdeen Law, where she manages clients’ wealth management and immigration needs. She began her career in St Kitts as an associate attorney at law. Within four years, Aberdeen-Alleyne became a sole practitioner and business owner at Aberdeen Law. She has also established AA CBI Advisors L.L.C., a USA-based company that focuses on marketing the CBI program of St Kitts and Nevis. She also has a license to operate in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the State of Antigua and Barbuda, and the Federation of St Christopher and Nevis. She graduated from the University of the West Indies with a degree in law, social work, and social policy.

Alessia Ajelli

LCA Studio Legale

Italy

Alessia Ajelli is a senior associate and corporate immigration attorney at the LCA Studio Legale law firm in Milan. She manages the focus team “Your Way to Italy” for multinationals, Italian and foreign companies, immigration cases for private clients, and Italian citizenship cases. Ajelli advises businesses and individuals on Italian immigration options, including investors and high-net-worth individuals, provides right-to-work and immigration compliance guidance, and aids with Italian citizenship cases by descent, residence, and marriage. She earned a law degree from the University of Milan and studied at the University of Navarra in Spain and Tsinghua University in China.

Daniel Altneu

Bedell Cristin

Cayman Islands

Daniel Altneu is a migration attorney and a partner at Bedell Cristin in the Cayman Islands. He is also a qualified trust and estate practitioner (TEP) and a full member of STEP. He offers a full private client service that focuses on his extensive experience of assisting wealthy individuals and families with their acquisition of residency in the Cayman Islands, and on relocating and establishing businesses and family offices. He has ranked as a "Next Generation Partner" (Legal 500 Caribbean 2025) and as "Up and Coming" (Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide 2024). Also, he is a Fellow of the Investment Migration Council (IMC) and a Founding Member of the International Immigration Lawyers Network (IILN).

Inês Azevedo

Azevedo Legal

Portugal

Inês Azevedo is an immigration attorney and co-founder of Azevedo Legal, a boutique law firm specializing in Migration and Real Estate. She has over 18 years of legal experience in Portugal, focusing on Migration and Real Estate. Azevedo has worked at top Iberian law firms on Energy, PPP projects, and Real Estate and served as a legal adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the Cabinet of the Presidency of Council of Ministers, dealing with Migration, Refugees, and Discrimination. Inês was the National Coordinator for the European Year of Citizens (2013-2014). She holds a Master’s in Development Economics from ISEG and has completed Post-Graduate studies in various fields, including Tourism Law and Circular Economy. Azevedo has been part of the Portuguese Lawyer’s Bar Association since 2006.

Marco Bersani

Bersani & Partners

Italy

Marco Bersani is an attorney and founder of Bersani & Partners, a qualified Italian immigration law firm where he assists wealthy individuals with their applications for the Italian Elective Residence Visa and the Golden Visa Program, with a special focus on the Investor Visa for Italy. His firm also handles cases of Italian dual citizenship, citizenship by descent, and citizenship by marriage. Bersani is registered both at the Spanish Bar as “abogado ejerciente” and at the Italian Bar as “l’avvocato stabilito.”

Diogo Capela

LACA

Portugal

Diogo Capela is the co-managing partner of LACA, an immigration law firm in Portugal. The firm assists clients who want to live or invest in Portugal in several areas, such as foreign investment consultancy, Immigration Law, residency by Investment Program (Golden Visa), Real Estate Law, Corporate Law, and Tax Law. Capela has handled thousands of cases and is a speaker or panel moderator at international events related to immigration.

Jean-Philippe Chetcuti

Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates

Malta

Jean-Philippe Chetcuti is an attorney, Managing Director, and Senior Partner of Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates in Malta. He specializes in global residency and citizenship by investment (RCBI) law, residence programs, tax residence, and wealth and business structuring. For over 25 years, he has significantly contributed to policy development in the RCBI sector. He has written on personal tax planning and the family office sector, including the Dual Citizenship Report (Global and European editions). He has also championed the recognition of family businesses in Malta, spearheading the introduction of the Family Business Act.

Emilio Cornejo Vernaza

PGS Attorneys

Panama

Emilio Cornejo Vernaza is a corporate attorney and founding partner at PGS Attorneys. He has played a key role in the firm's growth in Immigration Law, Real Estate Law, and Corporate and Commercial Law. With over 20 years of experience, he has helped numerous clients navigate complex immigration processes in Immigration Law, and his deep knowledge of Real Estate Law has led to successful real estate transactions. In Corporate and Commercial Law, he has consistently provided valuable advice to businesses of all sizes.

David Crawford

Fragomen

Canada

David Crawford is the Managing Partner of Fragomen in Canada and a Member of the Fragomen Global Executive Committee. He specializes in skilled and business migration and provides Canadian immigration advice to businesses across various sectors, including technology, engineering, finance, and more. Crawford also advises on immigration policy and procedures, ensuring compliance for companies, and frequently advises wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs with their immigration needs. Before Canada, he was a partner with Fragomen in the United Kingdom and a founding partner in Australia. He also served as an Australian diplomat and is a Canadian Barrister & Solicitor.

João Cunha Vaz

Edge International Lawyers

Portugal

João Cunha Vaz is a Senior Partner at EDGE International Lawyers, based in Lisbon. He provides tailored legal solutions to both international and domestic clients. His practice areas involve Corporate & Commercial Law, Foreign Investment, Property and Tourism, Residency by Investment, Estate Planning & Probate, Litigation, Contracts & Notarial Services, and Employment Law.

Andreas Demetriades & Co.

Demetris Demetriades

Cyprus

Demetris Demetriades is the managing partner and head of the immigration and real estate department of Andreas Demetriades & Co. LLC in Cyprus. He has specialized in corporate immigration and relocation for more than 25 years, representing many non-European Union clients. He focuses on real estate investment, immigration, corporate and financial law, advising clients on various aspects of business immigration, including the new fast-track procedures for obtaining a Cypriot residence permit, Greek Golden Visa, and citizenship under the provisions of the naturalization laws.

Eleni Drakou

Michael Kyprianou & Co.

Cyprus

Eleni Drakou is an immigration and real estate attorney and partner at the international Michael Kyprianou & Co. law firm in Cyprus. She regularly represents investors in their business and real estate transactions and often assists and represents clients in their immigration and private client matters, as well as on tax, corporate, and estate planning matters. She is a member of the Cyprus Bar Association, the CBA Real Estate Committee, and a STEP Cyprus board member.

Michelle Emmanuel-Steele

Veritas Legal

Grenada

Michelle Emmanuel-Steele is an attorney at law in citizenship by investment and investment migration, based in the Spice Isle of Grenada. She also owns Veritas Legal, a boutique law firm serving clients globally, and Oyster Ventures Inc., an international immigration services company and a licensed local agent of the Grenada citizenship by investment program. Emmanuel-Steele has 27 years of commercial experience and offers legal advisory services to investors setting up their operations in Grenada.

Antonin Favreau

Favreau Law Firm

Canada

Antonin Favreau is an attorney and founder of Favreau Law Firm in Canada. He counsels Immigration Professionals to improve their processing skills with files from Canada (QIIP, FIIP, SUV) or the U.S. (EB-5). Favreau focuses on the Canadian Startup visa program and is invited by different designated entities to speak as an expert. He earned his law degree from the University of Quebec in Montreal. He is also a member in good standing of the Quebec Bar in Canada and of the Illinois Bar in the U.S.

Tiago Gali Macedo

NEXT Lawyers

Portugal

Tiago Gali Macedo is the Managing Partner of NEXT Lawyers, specializing in Immigration, M&A, Real Estate, and foreign investment. He has also been a professor at Lusíada University (Portugal), Oporto Business School (Portugal), and the University of Baltimore (U.S.). His academic focus includes M&A, Immigration, Labor Law, and Corporate Law. He earned a postgraduate degree in Labor Law (Portugal) and a second-cycle degree from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and is currently completing his PhD at Salford University (UK).

Nadine Goldfoot

Fragomen

United Kingdom

Nadine Goldfoot is the Managing Partner of Fragomen’s United Kingdom practice. With more than 20 years of immigration law experience, she is considered an international authority on investment immigration. Goldfoot focuses her practice on wealthy individuals, entrepreneurs, third-party advisors in the private wealth industry, and governments. She was instrumental in establishing the Fragomen Private Client Practice. Goldfoot also represents some of the world’s largest companies, specifically across the EMEA region. She also serves on the board of the Investment Migration Council (IMC).

Daisy Joseph Andall

Joseph Rowe

St. Kitts and Nevis

Daisy Joseph Andall is a commercial attorney and partner at Joseph Rowe in St. Kitts and Nevis. She has developed a niche commercial law practice focusing on real estate law and investment migration. Over the last decade, she has led, facilitated, and contributed to seminars on investment migration matters. She has several years of hands-on experience in business, having held positions such as VP for Corporate Development & Legal Affairs in development companies with oversight of large condo and hotel projects in St. Kitts, Grenada, and Sint Maarten.

Joana Mendonça Ferreira

Global Citizen Solutions

Portugal

Joana Mendonça Ferreira heads the legal team at Global Citizen Solutions since 2021 and boasts a remarkable career encompassing various domains of law. Graduating from the prestigious University of Lisboa, Mendonça has built in the past 15 years a profound experience in immigration law, consistently demonstrating her prowess in civil and fiscal residency planning within Portugal. She provides comprehensive assistance to clients hailing from diverse corners of the globe.

Vasiliki Papaloi

Papalois & Associates

Greece

Vasiliki Papaloi is the Managing Partner of Papalois & Associates law firm in Greece. She specializes in advising clients, litigating cases, and negotiating complex civil and corporate disputes, focusing on residence-by-investment programs, notably the Greek "Golden Visa" initiative. Papaloi represents clients in cross-border transactions, other complex cases, and negotiations on personal and business investments in criminal, civil, and corporate cases. She is also a member of the Athens Bar Association. She earned her law degree from the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens and an LLM in Finance and Banking Law from Piraeus University of Athens.

Mathieu Simard

Simard & Associates Ltd.

Hong Kong

Mathieu Simard is an immigration lawyer and consultant based in Hong, representing clients worldwide, specifically in the APAC region. During his numerous years of practice, Simard has gained a positive reputation within the immigration law and business community. In 2010, he established Simard & Associates. He obtained a Bachelor of Law degree from Sherbrooke University in 2000 and has been a member in good standing of the Quebec Bar since 2002.

Sara Sousa Rebolo

Prime Legal

Portugal

Sara Sousa Rebolo is a co-founder and partner of Prime Legal. With over 10 years of experience in Immigration, Real Estate Law, and Foreign Investment Law, she has managed several private and business investment operations and processes, advising national and international clients of the most diverse nationalities. Rebolo is certified in investment migration by the Investment Migration Council (IMC), co-founded the PAIIR – Portuguese Association of Immigration, Investment, and Relocation, and cooperates with Lisbon Nova University in the Immigration Post Graduation Studies as a teacher.

Julien Tétrault

JTH Lawyers

Canada

Julien Tétrault is President and founder of JTH Lawyers. He has represented thousands of immigrant investors from over 80 countries in their process toward Canadian Permanent Residence and citizenship. Tétrault essentially represents clients under the Start-up Visa program, a fast–track stream to Canadian Permanent Residence, and he administers quotas under this program. As an administrator of the association Québec Lawyers Abroad (AHQ), he founded and acted as President of the Immigrant Investor section of Québec Lawyers Abroad (2011-2014).

Patricia Valadas Coriel

Valadas Coriel & Associados

Portugal

Patricia Valadas Coriel is an immigration and investment lawyer licensed in Portugal and Brazil and a partner at Valadas Coriel & Associados. She leads a team of 16 professionals in the Immigration and Investment Department who have successfully assisted thousands of clients in obtaining residence in Portugal and designing tailored tax strategies, delivering positive results with expertise and personalized service. Valadas holds a law degree from Nova University of Lisbon, a postgraduate diploma in Law and Management from Nova Business School, and is pursuing an MBA at FIA Business School in São Paulo.

Christos Vardikos

Vardikos & Vardikos

Greece

Christos Vardikos is an attorney based in Athens, managing the boutique law firm Vardikos & Vardikos with associated offices in Cyprus, Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, Saint Lucia, and Grenada. He is also the Consul a.h. for the Commonwealth of Dominica in the Hellenic Republic, acting also as Special Advisor to the Honorable Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica for Maritime Affairs. In addition, Vardikos is also the Vice President of the Greek Consular Corps and a member of the Athens Bar Association, accredited to the Supreme Court.

Alexander Varnavas

Varnavas Law Firm

Greece

Alexander Varnavas is a second-generation partner at Varnavas Law Firm 1978, a 40-year law firm with expertise in real estate law and investment migration. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Investment Migration Council (IMC), the global organization for immigration by investment. Varnavas consulted the Greek government on shaping the Greek RBI program at its initial stages. Hundreds of individuals and many international consulting firms have trusted his investment migration practice. Varnavas Law Firm caters to a diverse international clientele.