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Elly Tso

Special Counsel

Personal Profile

Elly Tso is a Special Counsel of Karas So LLP. She is an experienced lawyer with practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, contentious regulatory matters and anti-bribery and fraud investigations.

Representing financial institutions, listed companies, multinational corporations and individual investors, Elly has extensive experience in financial and commercial disputes, shareholder disputes and investigations conducted by regulators and enforcement agencies. She represents clients in proceedings before the Hong Kong courts and arbitral tribunals and advises clients on regulatory investigations on issues including fraud, corruption, money laundering, insider dealing, market manipulation and disclosure obligations.

Elly also represents liquidators and companies in multi-jurisdiction insolvency involving investigations into the causes of company’s collapse and claims to recover company assets.

Elly was admitted to practice as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 2006 and England & Wales in 2009. She is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.

Recommended for Regulatory: Anti-Corruption and Compliance by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2019)

Key Experience

Financial and commercial disputes
Representing a China based investor of a private equity fund in Hong Kong court applications and ICC and HKIAC arbitrations against the international fund management team for breach of trust and contracts and fraud claim in a USD 900 million dispute

Representing an international investment bank in Hong Kong High Court actions and appeal in relation to substantive asset acquisition in China by a publicly listed REIT

Representing and advising an international investment bank in defending a Hong Kong Court action brought by former senior employee and related regulatory investigations

Representing a NASDAQ listed China based company in defending a contractual claim in Hong Kong High Court

Advising a natural resources company in a dispute with the Indonesian government in connection with mining contracts

Advising financial institutions on third-party discovery applications and Mareva injunctions

Companies law matters (Insolvency, restructuring, shareholders’ disputes)
Representing liquidators of a multinational mining company in multi-jurisdiction liquidation, claims against former officers and recovery of assets

Advising and representing investors and directors of manufacturing and health care businesses in shareholders’ disputes

Representing listed natural resources company in scheme of arrangement application in the Hong Kong High Court

Regulatory investigations and enforcement actions
Representing a former senior banker of an international investment bank in the applications to examine HK based witnesses for enforcement proceedings brought by the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve Systems.

Representing licensed institutions, listed companies and licensed individuals in SFC, HKMA and Insurance Authority investigations and disciplinary actions

Advising listed companies on dawn raids and subpoenas by SFC and the Hong Kong Police

Advising international financial institutions on implications of Hong Kong National Security Law and US Sanctions imposed on Hong Kong individuals

Anti-bribery and compliance investigations
Advising a Hong Kong listed company on internal investigations involving bribery allegations in APAC region

Advising a China based investment management firm in an investigation concerning allegations of bribery payments in transactions

Advising a multinational corporation with business operations in China and an international banks on FCPA and sanction investigations

Career History

  • Special Counsel, Karas So LLP
  • Senior Associate, RPC
  • Associate, Debevoise & Plimpton
  • Associate, Davis Polk
  • Associate / Senior Associate, Clifford Chance
  • Trainee Solicitor, Department of Justice
  • The University of Hong Kong, Master of International Public Affairs
  • The University of Hong Kong, PCLL
  • Leiden University, LLM (Public International Law)
  • Keele University, LLB (Criminology and Law)

Admissions

  • Hong Kong, 2006
  • England & Wales, 2009