Evelyn Tsao

ASSOCIATE

Evelyn (she/her/hers) is a dual-qualified lawyer with more than a decade of experience practicing in the areas of public law and human rights in Hong Kong. Recently qualified in BC, she is building a practice in labour, employment, human rights, professional regulatory and administrative law.

After being admitted as a solicitor of the High Court in Hong Kong in 2011, Evelyn worked as counsel in the Civil Litigation Unit of the Hong Kong Department of Justice where she represented the government in judicial reviews, intervened in cases involving matters of public interest and advised government bodies on legislation, policies and decisions.

In 2019, Evelyn left her role as government counsel to join a public interest law firm where her practice focused on assisting migrant workers who had experienced sexual abuse, forced labour and trafficking, as well as survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, the LGBTQ+ community and other vulnerable populations. Among other things, she handled several landmark cases resulting in groundbreaking developments in legal protections for same-sex couples, migrant workers, and victims of forced marriage.

Evelyn is a strong believer in access to justice and leveling the playing field in any legal battle. In addition to her paid work in in public interest law, Evelyn also supported the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women on her own time, providing pro bono representation to survivors of sexual violence navigating the complaint and settlement process at Hong Kong’s Equal Opportunities Commission. Her outstanding dedication to access to justice in Hong Kong through pro bono work earned her the distinguished Pro Bono Service Award from the Law Society of Hong Kong in 2021.

Evelyn has a Master of Laws from Harvard, where she focused on feminist jurisprudence and human rights. She has also been a contributing author and editor of “Discrimination” in Halsbury’s Laws of Hong Kong and an invited speaker to a variety of audiences on issues relating to gender and discrimination.

Evelyn is fluent in both English and Cantonese and is also conversational in Mandarin. Outside of work, Evelyn enjoys playing field hockey, reading memoirs and spending time with her dog Rossy and blind cat Maisie.

EDUCATION

LLM, Harvard

PCLL, University of Hong Kong

LLB, University of Hong Kong

BSS, University of Hong Kong

CALL TO THE BAR

2025