Jocelyn Tsao may not look it, but she is a divorce litigation lawyer at Withers Worldwide’s Hong Kong office. Fascinated by the intricacies of human relationships, Tsao’s job is perfect for her as it requires her to deal with an area of law which is personal and directly serves people. She tells us about her career background and her aspirations for the present and future.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
Appearances can be deceiving, and it certainly is the case for me. If you don’t know me, you probably won’t be able to tell that I am a divorce litigation lawyer, and that I enjoy rough gritty sports like MMA and running hours in the wilderness drenched in sweat and with dirt on my legs.
I was born, raised and educated in Hong Kong. I have an identical twin sister, who is also a lawyer, working at a boutique firm which focuses mainly on human rights cases. I stumbled into studying law out of a sheer desire to prove my mother wrong. Like most Asian parents, my mother often lamented how she wished her daughters would become a professional when my twin sister and I were growing up and falling slightly short of our peers, academically, in a renowned all-girls’ school in Hong Kong. Being rebellious, I was determined to do precisely what my parents thought I cannot do. I studied hard for the open exams in my final year and fortunately completed them with grades that allowed me to choose whatever undergraduate degree I wanted. As both my sister and I loved reading literature, studying law was a natural choice.
While studying law turned out to be something I really enjoy, I never felt I fit in with my peers in law school. I was not drawn to the idea of practising corporate finance or M&A where the money usually is. I just wanted to do something I truly enjoy, which was why I chose to practise family law right after I graduated. I joined a small boutique firm specialising in family law in 2007. Little did I know that it became a stepping stone for me to join the family team of a big international law firm a few years later in 2012, and then in 2018, I was promoted to become an equity partner.
Truth be told, I’ve always been somewhat of a rebel. I started off playing Barbie dolls and learning ballet when I was a child but I quickly discovered that I do not conform to the traditional feminine stereotype. My father was a music professor and my mother was a painter, so the natural assumption was that I would inherit a predisposition for gentler hobbies but somehow, I turned out to be somewhat of a tomboy at heart. From the first impression, most people were startled upon learning that I am into sports. Nor would they guess that I am a divorce lawyer who deals with the depressing woes of relationship breakdowns and highly acrimonious litigation day-in-day-out, as I always carry a smile on my face.
I am a huge believer that one’s job does not become that person. It is important for me to have my own identity independent of my profession. I see myself as leading a balanced life which means it does not consist only of my work. Maintaining my interests in sports, making time for friends and family, and travelling to broaden my understanding of the bigger world out there are important for me.
What inspired you to become a family lawyer?
I was pretty determined to steer away from corporate law, as I knew it would bore me to death. I wanted to do an area of law which is personal and directly serves people, rather than organisations or corporations. I am always fascinated by the intricacies of human relationships and I enjoy problem-solving, so being a family lawyer fits right where my interests lie.
How do you balance your work and personal life?
Discipline, discipline, discipline. To do the things you love, you must make time for it. I adopt a regime where I wake up very early in the morning to do my sports training every day before going to work, which means I have the evening free to relax, meet friends or stay a bit longer at work if I have to.
What energises you about your work?
What makes the work of a divorce lawyer so interesting is you never know what to expect. You may be served with an urgent application from an opponent or your client may have an emergency situation which needs your advice. There are always things thrown at you which require your problem-solving skills, and there is never time to dilly dally as clients expect immediate action and advice. I often see myself as a fireman putting out a fire in all possible directions, but I like being there for my clients when they need me, even if it is outside working hours. Recently, I have spearheaded the introduction of pro bono practice into my firm’s Hong Kong office, which allows me to take on cases to help the underprivileged groups such as the LGBTQ community and give seminars to various NGOs to share my knowledge of family law, hence actualising my belief that we should all give back to the community in ways small or large.
What is your life motto?
I believe that it is important to live a life with meaning and purpose. As the famous Maya Angelou quote goes, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” It is not the achievements that you will be remembered by but how you’ve touched the lives of people and extended your kindness and generosity to them.
At the end of the day, I hope my friends will remember me not as a family lawyer but as a friend who cares, in the same way that I hope my clients will remember me, not only by the victories we’ve had in court, but how I brought hope, kindness and comfort to them in their most difficult phase of life.
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How do you make yourself happy and ritzy in life?
Going out for a run in nature and spending time with my close friends. I committed to myself to only do the things I enjoy and be with the people I want to be with. Life is too short to force yourself into doing things you don’t like or being in places you’d prefer not to be!
