• She is an outstanding talent, and is widely praised for her legal brilliance and her meticulous preparation and eye for detail.

    Legal 500 2026, International Human Rights and Criminal Law

  • An extremely talented lawyer.

    Legal 500 2025, Administrative Law and Human Rights

  • She is tenacious and very hard-working with a meticulous approach to her cases.

    Legal 500 2024, Administrative Law and Human Rights

  • Joanna is a leader in the field in international human rights law. She is an outstanding and fearless advocate for victims of human rights violations.

    Legal 500 2023

  • Joanna is the mastermind when it comes to scrutinising and dissecting evidence.

    Legal 500 2022

  • She is also brilliant in putting the most challenging human rights arguments into a form that is pleasant to read and easy to digest.

    Legal 500 2022

Called 1998

Joanna Evans

Joanna Evans is a barrister specialising in international human rights law with more than 25 years of experience acting in domestic and international courts across the globe.  Her current practice is focused upon human rights based climate change litigation and addressing gender based violence.

Over the course of her career, she has acted in cases before the International Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Court, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the United Nations Committee on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances and the United Nations Human Rights Committee.  She has particularly broad experience before the European Court of Human Rights having acted on behalf of hundreds of victims of the most serious human rights violations within the Convention in cases concerning torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced and involuntary disappearances and the murder or ill-treatment of journalists and human rights defenders.

In domestic courts she has extensive experience as a jury advocate conducting criminal cases in the courts of England & Wales. She has also practised in extradition and public law with experience in cases before both the Administrative Court and the Supreme Court. In addition to her home jurisdiction, she has handled cases arising from a wide-range of domestic jurisdictions including Rwanda; Democratic Republic of Congo; Russia; Turkey; Azerbaijan; Armenia; Ukraine; Georgia and Iraq. The subject matter of her cases has included the most serious of criminal and human rights cases:  genocide; crimes against humanity; war crimes; mass enforced disappearances; extra-judicial killings and torture; violence against women and girls and death penalty mitigation. 

In addition to private practice, she has worked for and with civil society throughout her career. Positions held have included legal advisor to the Women's Initiative for Gender Justice; International Justice Counsel for Human Rights Watch; Legal Director for the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre; Centre for Women’s Justice Legal Reference Panel and Litigation Expert for Minority Rights Group International.

She regularly is called upon as an expert for a range of global organisations which has included the OSCE, the International Bar Association, the Council of Europe and the International Criminal Bar Association. She is listed as a leader in Civil Liberties in Legal 500. She is a Recorder of the Crown Court (also sitting in family and civil law); Restricted Patient’s Panel Judge of the Mental Health Tribunal and a Deputy District Judge.

Testimonials

  • "She is an outstanding talent, and is widely praised for her legal brilliance and her meticulous preparation and eye for detail." Legal 500 2026
  • "An extremely talented lawyer." Legal 500 2025
  • "Joanna is a leader in the field in international human rights law. She is an outstanding and fearless advocate for victims of human rights violations." Legal 500 2023
  • "Joanna is the mastermind when it comes to scrutinising and dissecting evidence. She is also brilliant in putting the most challenging human rights arguments into a form that is pleasant to read and easy to digest." Legal 500 2022
  • "A highly intelligent and extremely talented lawyer. She is meticulous in her preparation of cases and has a commanding knowledge of each case." Legal 500 2021
  • "A highly experienced, dedicated and impressive human rights barrister."  Legal 500
  • “An outstanding lawyer, who strives tirelessly in the interests of her clients”. Legal 500

Judicial Appointments

  • Deputy District Judge 2009-present.
  • Recorder of the Crown Court 2012-present (also sitting in Family and Civil).
  • Restricted Patients’ Panel of the Mental Health Tribunal 2015.

Other

  • Expert international consultant to the Council of Europe Gender Equality Division in violence against women, domestic violence and gender equality.
  • Member of Centre for Women’s Justice Legal Reference Panel.
  • Institute for Addressing Strangulation, Expert Group.
  • Former Independent Member of the Parole Board 2010-2016.

Publications

  • ‘Gender mainstreaming at the European Court of Human Rights: The need for a coherent strategy in approaching cases of violence against women and domestic violence’ Inter American Law Review 2023 Available here.
  • ‘Council of Europe analysis of the legislative and policy framework in Azerbaijan in the field of violence against women and domestic violence’. [Raising Awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan. June 2022 Jointly with Mar Hermosilla Sierra.
  • Bridging the Gap: Addressing Impunity in Transitional States’ No Peace Without Justice publication, co-author with HHJ Sylvia de Bertodano and others.
  • Contributor to ‘Oxford Companion to International Criminal Law and Justice’ (Oxford University Press 2008).