Direct Line

3906 9645

Email

michael.szeto@onc.hk

Education

1997        LLB (Hons), City University of London, England

1998        PCLL, The University of Hong Kong

 

Admission

2000        Solicitor, Hong Kong

2018        Civil Celebrant of Marriages

 

Experience

Michael Szeto is a litigation partner of ONC Lawyers and heads the firm’s Employment practice. He has over 20 years of experience in handling complex commercial dispute resolution, shareholders’ and joint venture disputes, bankruptcy and insolvency matters, debt recovery and mortgagee actions. He also routinely deals with regulatory actions and compliance matters under the Securities and Futures Ordinance, the Hong Kong listing rules and anti-money laundering laws and guidelines.

On the employment side, Michael often advises on various contentious and non-contentious employment matters, covering contract reviews, termination disputes, injunctive relief, discrimination and harassment claims, data privacy matters, as well as advice on matters relating to team moves, remuneration packages and employee incentive schemes. He is a frequent author of employment articles in industry publications and presenter to legal and human resource professionals. Michael has been recognised as a Lexology Legal Influencer in Employment (Individual Expert) for Q1, Q3, Q4 2021 and Q1, Q2 2022.

Professional Activities

• Member, Lexis Advance® Hong Kong Practical Guidance Employment Editorial Board

Speaking Engagements

• “Tightening the Belt: Employment Law Issues Regarding Business Downsizing in an Economic Downturn”, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, August 2021
  
• “Employment Updates in regards to COVID Protocols and Regulations in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and USA”, Association of Corporate Counsel, May 2021
  
• “Due Diligence Pitfalls in China, Hong Kong, Australia and Europe”, Association of Corporate Counsel, May 2021
  
• "The Operations and Rules of the Labour Tribunal: Your Must-Know Mechanism for Resolving Employment Disputes”, Association of Corporate Counsel, April 2021
  
• “Traps and Pitfalls in Money Lending and Debt Recovery” CPD webinar, April 2021
  

Publications

• Contributor, 'Employment' (Volume 13), The Hong Kong Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents, LexisNexis, March 2022 (Reissue), 
• Author, “Can employers dismiss unvaccinated employees?” Lexology, January 2022
• Author, "Hong Kong employment law 2021 review”, Lexology, January 2022
  
• Author, “Does an employer have to tell you why you are fired?”, Lexology, November 2021 
• Author, “Does Hong Kong need new laws to protect gig workers?”, Lexology, November 2021
• Author, “The new measure of “vaccine bubble”: Can employers impose mandatory vaccination?", Lexology, May 2021