An entrepreneurial family

That I am an independent lawyer (in ITIP en Privacy law) is not entirely a coincidence. I come from an entrepreneurial family. My parents are Chinese immigrants who left a poor life in the countryside near Wenzhou for the Netherlands in the ‘80s, which in itself is already an entrepreneurial move. The region where they came from, is known for its entrepreneurial people, its beautiful mountains and temples, and which has also become modern in the last couple of years.

Mountains in Wencheng, China
View on the mountains in Wencheng

Successful in restaurants and luxury bags business

Once my parents arrived in the Netherlands, they worked very hard to save money for their own company, a Chinese restaurant. I literally grew up in (and above) the restaurant of my parents and learned how to work hard from a young age. My parents eventually ran three restaurants. Entrepreneurship is also in the rest of my family. My two elder sisters are running their own businesses, and other family members, such as uncles, aunts, cousins, are also entrepreneurs and have their own wholesale business in luxury bags and accessories in Italy (under de brands Pop Bag and Desmo).

Early days picture from I Chu Chao at the restaurant of her parents in the Netherlands
I Chu Chao in the early days

Helping others with their legal challenges

For me and for my family, the autonomy and freedom of entrepreneurship are very appealing. After 12 years of working as an employee, I have a clear picture of how I would like to work; independent but not alone. I will actively seek cooperation with other like-minded lawyers, to complement and strengthen each other. I have gained enough work experience in both law firms and in business, so I understand businesses well and look beyond the legal question or challenge. This allows me to really think together with the entrepreneur and to add value for my clients.

Working for and with innovative companies

I enjoy working with innovative companies in the digital domain, for example in the field of eCommerce, online platforms, and innovative technologies (such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual / augmented reality (VR / AR). My work experience in the areas of intellectual property (IP) law, IT law and privacy law fit in well with these innovative companies, because they all have to deal with these fields of law, sooner or later. My experience in the digital domain also makes me more ‘tech-savvy’ than other lawyers. Because I like to give legal advice to companies that have “cutting-edge” technology, I call myself: “Chao Legal” and the pay-off is: “Cutting-edge legal advice”.

Pay-off Chao Legal

Where Chao Legal stands for

Chao Legal solves legal problems in the fields of intellectual property law, IT law and privacy law. In addition, Chao Legal stands for helping others in their legal development by sharing knowledge and skills (online) in an understandable and accessible way.

Where Chao Legal goes for

Chao Legal wants to make legal knowledge and skills available and accessible to everyone, online and offline. The goal is to reach and help at least 1,000,000 people; this can be both entrepreneurs and lawyers.

Chao Legal is the embodiment of the ‘digital lawpreneur’, the entrepreneurial lawyer who successfully builds several (online) legal businesses while traveling the world and working location-independently.

Views on Pearl Tower Shanghai

Use my experience and knowledge

Are you looking for an IT, IP and/or Privacy lawyer or speaker, please feel free to contact me for an introduction. Do you want to know about my knowledge and work experience? Take a look at my resume.

Nice to meet you too

Send me an email if you want to know more about my entrepreneur story, or about my services as a lawyer or speaker.