06 July 2018 - Article
Jocelyn Tsao
Partner | Hong Kong
Jocelyn is a partner in the divorce and family team.
She advises on all aspects of matrimonial law including divorce, prenuptial agreements, child care and custody and financial disputes. She advises husbands, wives, and unmarried partners. She is an experienced advocate and has also cross examined witnesses in open court.
As well as handling her own case load, Jocelyn has been involved with some of the most high profile cases to come before the courts in Hong Kong as part of a team involving high net worth individuals with diverse and complex issues. This exposure to large cases has given her experience in dealing with prenuptial agreements, trusts, corporate structures and injunctions, and co-ordinating with other solicitors overseas and experts, as well as leading counsel in Hong Kong and London.
Jocelyn has considerable experience in divorce cases with trusts involved as well as complex cross-jurisdictional divorces.
Her cases have recently been concerned with issues of jurisdiction, financial discovery and dealing with the preliminary issue of beneficial ownership. She has been involved with a number of child relocation cases and cases dealing with children’s custody, care and control.
Focus areas
Track record
Admissions
Publications
Memberships
Talks
Advised a very high profile client when she achieved the largest ever award from a court in Hong Kong, namely HK$1.4 billion. This case involved issues relating to s17 applications as well as consideration as to whether or not shares in a business of considerable valuable should form part of the marital assets. It also considered the impact of corporate documents in the context of divorce following the landmark Supreme Court decision in England of Prest v Petrodel. This matter subsequently went to the Court of Appeal and was reported as TCWF v LKKS (No. 1) [2014] HKFLR 1; [2014] 1 HKLRD 896.
Responsible for a complex case involving a wealthy family in Hong Kong in particular successfully applying for detailed specific discovery and running a preliminary case to determine beneficial ownership: LCJWY v LCKS [2015] HKEC 1403 and [2016] HKEC 789.
Acted for the applicant in a highly acrimonious case involving custody, care and control and access on the issue of custody, care and control, and access. She successfully secured sole custody, care and control and restricted access to the father, with costs. Represented and advised client against the father’s false criminal allegations of child abuse: CCAIH and CGCL FCMP122/2013.
Hong Kong, 2009
‘Why Mediation Should be Used to Resolve Child Custody Disputes in Hong Kong’, Hong Kong Lawyer - January 2020, co-author
‘Why splitting assets down the middle may not be fair in some divorce cases’, SCMP - 1 October 2013
‘International Aspects of Child Abduction in Asia Pacific’, IAML - 2013
Hong Kong Family Law Association
Law Society of Hong Kong
‘Divorce across multiple jurisdictions’ and ‘The Protection of Assets in Trusts’, Transcontinental Trusts Asia Conference - March 2015
‘香港律師會法律周：知法守法’‘, TVB legal programme, Hong Kong Law Week Special - 2011
Me in a minute
People often say they have Monday blues, but I never feel that way. I love what I do
Education
Languages
- Cantonese
- English
Dates
Joined
2012
