Staff

Melanie has been at Justice Centre since 2015 and is responsible for Justice Centre’s fundraising strategy as well as running the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize. Prior to working at Justice Centre she had over 10 years’ experience working in the UK and Hong Kong. Melanie’s most recent role prior to Justice Centre was Chief Operating Officer for Asia Pacific fundraising for Macquarie Group’s investment funds. Melanie was also on the Asia Pacific Steering Committee for the Macquarie Group Foundation’s Modern Slavery Project. Melanie is passionate about human rights, including the power of art as a catalyst for social change and holds a Masters from University College London.

Jessica acquired her accountancy qualifications in Hong Kong and became a CPA in 2011. She has worked in different sizes enterprises, from SMEs to larger corporates such as BNP Paribas and Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Jessica obtained her bachelor degree in accountancy at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. During her time at University she was Vice-President of the English Club, and led several vocational trips to remote regions of Mainland China to teach English to Primary aged students. In addition to Hong Kong, Jessica has lived in Canada and the UK.

Having graduated and worked in Australia, Hazel returned to Hong Kong and worked for companies of various sizes, including SaSa Cosmetics Limited and Savills Project Consultancy Limited. After gaining valuable administrative experience in Australia and Hong Kong, she joined Justice Centre Hong Kong in 2019 to support the administrative and financial aspects of the organization.

Bringing a multi-disciplinary experience to Justice Centre, Grace is a graduate of University College Dublin and has worked in both her home country of Ireland and also in Australia. Before relocating to Hong Kong in 2019, she worked in both Accounting and Social Media in Dublin.

Laura has a proven track record of creative fundraising and driving advocacy programs. Before joining Justice Centre as Partnerships Manager, Laura worked in government affairs in Washington, DC. She most recently served as Director of Political Advocacy and Engagement for CVS Health, where she developed the company’s first-ever employee grassroots advocacy program to engage more than 240,000 employees in political advocacy. Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from James Madison University in the United States and is passionate about equality and human rights.

Lisa is an Australian qualified lawyer who holds degrees in law (LLB) from Macquarie University and commerce (B.Com) from and the University of New South Wales.   Prior to her time in Hong Kong, Lisa lived in Bangkok, Thailand, where she had a unique opportunity to support Thai people in the infamous Klong Toey slums, particularly new mothers.  She spent the early part of her career in Sydney, Australia, working as a human resources and employment law specialist for media and distribution companies.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Maggie kick started her non-profit career in Singapore working in the local chapter of YMCA in volunteer management and the inaugural Youth Olympic Games hosted by International Olympics Committee, before returning to her hometown and worked in the fundraising team of Plan International Hong Kong, specialized  in corporate partnerships and grants. She then worked in Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF supporting the growth of their corporate donor database. Maggie holds a bachelor degree in Fine Arts and Translation from The University of Hong Kong and an Executive Certificate of CSR from HKU Space.

Preston graduated from the University of Hong Kong specialising in International Relations with a minor in Media and Cultural Studies. He visited the school of Diplomacy and Political Science at Yonsei University, Korea for his overseas exchange programme, and served UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in HK as Protection Intern during his university education. Preston was also a Mini-Pupil at Temple Chambers and Alan Leong SC’s Chambers. Before joining Justice Centre and, Preston joined the investment bank Goldman Sachs for a project management role upon his university education.

Henry is a transgender activist who is at the legal front of the LGBT+ movement. Being a plaintiff in the wave of LGBT+ judicial review cases, he wants to understand human rights law better so that he can enhance and expand his work. Henry was awarded the Community Business Transgender Inclusion Champion Award in 2018 and he is currently the chairman of Transgender Resource Center.

Rachel graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a double degree in literature and law. She previously volunteered and interned with Justice Centre as well as other human rights organisations working with domestic workers, sex workers, and the LGBTQ+ community. In her spare time she enjoys a gruelling hike, some canine affection, and a good book.

Evan is a recent law graduate from the University of Exeter, and one of the founding members of his University’s first award winning legal clinic. Upon graduation, Evan seized the opportunity to work at Justice Centre Hong Kong in order to directly assist and work to resolve the legal issues of the most vulnerable people in Hong Kong. As an aspiring lawyer with a background in legal aid and clinic work, being able to work alongside and learn from the leading practitioners in the field of refugee law has allowed him to develop a first-hand understanding of how he will be able to contribute in his capacity as a professional throughout the progression of his legal career.

As an undergrad, she completed Justice Centre’s Refugee Legal Clinic with the Queensland University of Technology in 2018. She comes to us with experience as a Member Support Officer in the Migration and Refugee Division at the Australian Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and as an Associate to Deputy President McDermott. She was admitted to the Queensland Supreme Court as a Legal Practitioner in April 2019. Outside of her professional life, Jennifer is an enthusiast of fine arts who once worked in the Curatorial Department of Asian Pacific Division at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Queensland.

Born and raised in the Philippines, moved to Hong Kong at a young age and then to the UK. Katherine is a graduate of Middlesex University London, holding a degree in Law with International Relations. While in London, she volunteered at Citizens Advice Bureau and a Law Centre. She joined Justice Centre as a volunteer in 2019 to get hands-on experience and knowledge of the judicial process asylum seekers go through, as well as to be able to experience working within an NGO environment. Outside of work Katherine enjoys playing tennis and hiking.

Isaac Shaffer is a UK qualified lawyer with over a decade’s experience of directly representing asylum seekers and refugees before Courts and Tribunals. Before working for the Justice Centre, he worked for Wilson Solicitors LLP, one of the UK’s leading legal aid immigration firms, and for Refugee Legal Centre, a UK NGO providing direct representation for asylum seekers and refugees. He has particular experience in litigation, including complex applications for Judicial Review. He was co-convener of the UK’s Immigration Legal Practitioner Association’s specialist Asylum Working Group and was active in campaigns to preserve legal aid and access to justice.  Until 2018 he was a founding member and Director  of one of the UK’s leading independent publishing houses, Comma Press, and now remains a consultant to the Board.

Jessica Alam is a UK qualified lawyer specialising in asylum, immigration and child law. Prior to joining Justice Centre Hong Kong, she managed the outreach programme for the migration team of the UK’s oldest children’s charity. Previously working in private practice, she held the government to account by representing vulnerable members of society at all stages of their legal processes.

Jonathan is a Hong Kong qualified lawyer with 15 years’ experience spread across the private sector and NGOs, handling a mix of immigration, refugee and human rights matters. He joined Justice Centre after nearly two years as a Senior Manager on Deloitte Hong Kong's global immigration team. Prior to this, he managed the Irish Immigration practice in Fragomen's London and Dublin offices. Jonathan also worked at the International Justice Mission in India, documenting and presenting egregious cases of bonded labour and human trafficking. He has volunteered with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights in San Francisco on a number of political asylum matters. Jonathan is also a qualified solicitor in the UK and Ireland, and an attorney in California. He holds JD and LLM degrees, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Rights Law.

Lynette is an Australian qualified lawyer and holds a dual degree in Bachelor of Arts/Laws (Hon) from the University of Queensland. Before joining Justice Centre, Lynette worked at Fragomen Worldwide, an international immigration law firm, in Australia and Hong Kong. Previous to this, Lynette was a human rights trainer on the Thai-Burma border, where she developed and implemented a curriculum on non-violent social change for young Karenni refugees. Lynette began her graduate career at Nishimura & Asahi in Tokyo. She has also worked with Refugees International Japan in Tokyo, and various community legal centres in Brisbane, Australia in a volunteer capacity.

Pritika is a law graduate from India and post graduate (LLM) in Corporate and Finance laws from The University of Hong Kong. Before working for Justice Centre Hong Kong, she gained good legal experience working as Manager (Legal) in Credit Recovery and Legal Services Department of an Indian Public sector Bank (Union Bank of India) for 7 years. She has also done her internships with various Non-Governmental Organizations, Law firms and companies in India. Besides her interest in working in Financial sector, she has deep interest in working for the Human cause. She actively supports organizations doing work in the humanitarian grounds in India. An example is Kashmiri Medical Emergency Trust (KMECT) – which provides financial assistance to the needy for medical purposes.

Raquel is a UK qualified lawyer with a background in immigration, asylum and human rights law. In the UK, Raquel worked for Wesley Gryk LLP, one of the UK’s leading immigration law firms. Eleven years ago, she co-founded Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre (now Justice Centre). Raquel has also worked at HELP, an NGO that assists domestic workers on cases involving employment, immigration and human rights. Born in The Netherlands and raised in Curacao, New York and Hong Kong, Raquel is a dual Filipino and Dutch national. She is the proud mother of two children.