About James Mayock

James R. Mayock is a founding partner with E&M Mayock, immigration attorneys based in San Francisco, California while serving a global roster of clients. He has practiced law for more than forty years, and has represented famous and infamous figures including Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. Mr. Mayock has also handled cases of political asylum including Pavlo Lazarenko, the former Ukrainian prime minister.

Mr. Mayock studied political philosophy at the University of Toronto, then returned to the United States to attend law school at Indiana University, Bloomington’s School of Law. He subsequently clerked for a prominent senator in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands and there, met Thomas Elliott, who was to become his partner in the formation of E&M Mayock. It was in the Virgin Islands that he also developed a passion for sailing.

Mr. Mayock is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Immigration Law, a member of the Bar Association San Francisco (Chair, Imm. Comm., ’88-’89), the
Asia-Pacific Lawyers Ass’n. (Chair, Imm. Comm. ’90-’95), the American Immigration Lawyers Association (Co-Chair, FOIA Sub-Comm., ’89-’90), and the Inter Pacific Bar Assocation. He was also a partner with Crosland, Strand, Freeman & Mayock from 1990 – 1994.

At the age of 14, Mr. Mayock attended Phillips Andover Academy boarding school, which graduated both president Bushes and Jeb Bush. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, and a Juris Doctor from Indiana University.

Languages Spoken

• English
• Fluent Spanish
• Russian.