Learn more about our comprehensive legal services.
Advising our clients on different opportunities and challenges of the industry.
Developing a unique culture, which blends traditional client care with modern technology and working practices since 1851.
Stay up to date on the latest news and legal insights.
Associate, Corporate Commercial
Education
Bachelor of Arts, University of Cambridge
Juris Doctor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
My first Deacons Encounter
Joining the firm as an Associate
I spent most of my formative years in the UK and had always known that I wanted to return to Asia after school. I have always been someone who is intrinsically curious in people, and so after my degree in Classics (that’s Latin and Ancient Greek), I thought a career that is people-oriented would suit me – hence law school and now an employment lawyer where I get to listen to and help solve people-problems everyday.
I decided to join Deacons because the firm stood out (and continues to stand out) to me for two primary reasons: firstly, it is truly a full-service firm, this means that even if I don’t have the answer to something, someone in the office is bound to have the answer; and second, we are deeply rooted in Hong Kong, and just like Hong Kong, we are proudly local and international.
I am an employment lawyer, and I advise clients on any issue that happens throughout an employment cycle – from hiring to firing, to put it simply. This goes from drafting employee handbooks and advising on restrictive covenants, to advising on employee share schemes, whistleblowing reports and employee grievances, and finally all the way down to termination and separation, which sometimes could unfortunately end up contentiously in the Labour Tribunal (or the District Court if a discrimination claim is involved).
I find people to be really interesting, as no people-problem is ever the same, so I really enjoy helping clients solve people-problems.
I also lead my team’s Grab & Go vlog series, where we shoot short videos regularly to inform clients about interesting legal developments. Please check them out if you have time!
I trained in a magic circle firm and worked as a competition lawyer before I came to the conclusion that I wanted to do something the focus of which is more people-orientated.
Deacons has a market-leading employment team – and most importantly, fully Chinese-speaking. Employment issues often involve on-site and local assistance (such as workplace investigations), and I find it very important that the team can converse fluently in the local language in order to fully understand and assist the client. It was therefore a no-brainer for me to join Deacons and begin my career as an employment lawyer.
The partners here are incredibly supportive and down-to-earth. I’ve received so much support and guidance from not only the partners in my team, but partners from other departments. They really want you to learn and develop here, and this is something I am very grateful about.
I am a huge language and history nerd. I taught myself Japanese while at school and now I am teaching myself Korean. As my teammates will tell you, if I am on leave, you don’t even need to ask where I am, because I will be in Korea.
It’s the people. You spend so much time with the people you work with, so it’s actually quite important that you surround yourself with people who are personable. There truly is an open-door policy here – people would help you as long as they’re able to.
