Kay McArdle MBE has spent over 25 years in Hong Kong advocating for equal justice and access to legal advice. Collaborating with St. James’s Place in Hong Kong has empowered her to create positive change and establishing an award-winning, legal services charity, Equal Justice 平義社.
A former private practice lawyer, Kay moved to Hong Kong from the UK in 1997, keen to use her legal expertise, initially in practice and then regional banking, for social good. Raised in an environment where service to others was ingrained, she felt a strong obligation to use her skills to benefit society. Eventually, this calling led her to the NGO Pathfinders, a charity that supports migrant domestic workers, particularly those with young children.
At Pathfinders, Kay first crossed paths with St. James’s Place. An SJP charity gala event provided financial support to the charity to continue its work with children born to migrant workers, kicking off a fruitful, long-term partnership.
“It all started off with a gala, then one year, one of the SJP staff dressed up as Father Christmas for our beneficiaries. It was really sweet and lovely,” Kay adds. “Some time after that, we were told we could apply for additional funding. We were drowning in cases at the time, so it was a real lifeline.”
In 2019, Pathfinders’ Access to Justice programme was carved out, becoming Equal Justice in 2020, with SJP Asia one of the organisation’s founding donors. The launch came at a challenging time, but SJP’s contribution enabled the charity to thrive. Since then, Equal Justice’s case load has boomed. In 5 years alone, Equal Justice has already provided free legal crisis support to nearly 2,500 people, mainly women and children.
“People can get lost in the Hong Kong legal system for all sorts of reasons and they really need help. Maybe they don’t have an official identity. Maybe they don’t know the language, or don’t have the mental capacity or cultural ability to find their voice. We can intervene.”
“It was a personal relationship that was immediately very special.”
Kay McArdle,Director and Founding Member at Equal Justice
Since inception, Equal Justice has gone from strength to strength. Over the next decade, the charity aims to set up a larger physical centre, continuing its vital work with the help of organisations including SJP Asia. With a strong foundation behind her, Kay and the team stand ready to help more people and also plan to widen access to free legal support and advice by using the power of technology in the years to come.
“Access to legal support should be simple and pragmatic. Law is mostly procedural, and people should have access to the right information,” Kay says. “Getting this information digitised, accessible in multiple languages, and taught in schools can really make a difference.”
Equal Justice has helped thousands in need, supporting Hong Kong’s disadvantaged communities with pro bono legal support. From advocating for migrants and stateless individuals to women escaping domestic violence, the charity has helped people receive access to education, healthcare and housing, often providing life-changing interventions. About 30% of their cases support ultra-vulnerable babies, children and young adults.
Since birth, *Sean had no legal identity because his parents failed to register his birth. This meant he never went to school, visited a doctor, dentist, had any kind of stable home or people to care for him. When Equal Justice met Sean, he was a teenager. A child. Through no fault of his own, Sean’s access to justice barriers were extreme. Equal Justice poured in their time and talent to help secure him a legal identity.
Kay’s team also quickly referred Sean to their NGO partners to get accommodation, food, immunisations, healthcare and welfare support. They focussed on formalising Sean’s legal identity and Hong Kong immigration status. After many months of hard work, Sean now has a legal identity. He has a HKID and even a passport. This case outcome is one that Equal Justice is very proud of, and St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation is pleased to support.
*This person’s name has been changed in order to protect their identity.
