Terry
My experience with John Vassiliou of Shepherd and Wedderburn was exceptional across the board. I credit him for my favorable outcome. Being a consultant, I can be critical of other professional service providers. At all times, John Vassiliou exceeded my expectations and exhibited the following qualities: • Expertise - It was evident from my initial conversation that John has deep expertise in all aspects of UK immigration, nationality and citizenship law. In addition, he has deep practical knowledge of how British citizenship by descent and double descent applications are reviewed by the Home Office. My case had its challenges and without his deep knowledge I doubt I would have achieved a favorable outcome. The covering letter to my filing read succinctly and persuasively. Because my case had an element of Home Office discretion, I thought his covering letter was particularly important to my favorable outcome. • Creativity – When ambiguity or informational roadblocks were encountered John found an alternative pathway to a favorable decision. In my case, because certain vital records were missing or ambiguous, he was able to concisely explain to the Home Office why the information was lacking and then he identified another means of demonstrating that my application met all of the legal requirements. • Responsiveness – John delivers when he says he will. He met or exceeded all delivery timeframes. All of my emails and inquiries were responded to in a timely manner. • Integrity – I believe that John provided me his honest opinion at all times. John was laser focused on achieving a favorable ruling as efficiently as possible. He managed my filing efficiently without the additional “up-selling” I have encountered with other professional service firms. In contrast to some firms where I felt like a mere revenue source, John seemed to really care about my case and in achieving a favorable outcome. • Fee Transparency – There were no fee surprises. If we encountered an issue that required more of his time, I was informed and I agreed to the charges in advance. My case was unique and it required additional time and effort on John’s part. I was informed in advance of the out-of-scope charges. I found the additional charges quite reasonable relative to the additional effort on his part. In short, I found John Vassiliou’s assistance invaluable. His services were of great value relative to the fees I spent. I trust John and value his advice. I have already retained him for additional assistance for another family member. I highly recommend Shepherd and Wedderburn, and John Vassiliou in particular, to anyone with immigration and citizenship needs or issues.