Tao Jingzhou, the first Chinese to work in a French law firm in the early 1980s, wants to be a professional arbitrator. ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY

Tao Jingzhou, hailed in the early 1980s as the first Chinese person to work at a French law firm, is almost as well known for his fashion smarts as he is for his legal mind.

In addition to his black suit and red tie, Tao wears a silk handkerchief in his upper-left pocket and, as he sat down with METRO, his ensemble was set off with a pair of sparkling gold cuff links.

"I think myself as a 23-year-old," said the 52-year-old who is a partner in the prestigious United States-based Jones Day law firm.

Tao spends more than half of his time in his 15-sq-m office where piles of files are stacked up neatly on the red carpet and where small sculptures and bottles of French wine adorn the room.

Q & A

Q: Some people say you are a great lawyer, others say you are a "fashion king", which title do you prefer?

A: Both. I stayed almost a decade in Paris and I guess the fashion there influenced me. I would like to see men in China become more fashionable because it shows respect to others. Nowadays China has many "newly rich" who are very wealthy but who do not pay enough attention to style.

Q: How do you see the job of a lawyer?

A: Well, it is like being a taxi driver: charging our customers according to the time we dedicate to them. Besides, a taxi driver needs to know the destination and warn customers about potential dangers along the way. In a word, we take our customers safely to their destination.

Q: Do you work in Beijing most of the time?

A: Because I lived in Paris for nine years in the 1980s, I still have many connections there. During my work, I fly frequently between Beijing and Paris to meet friends, deal with business and attend gatherings and get-togethers. Thanks to these trips, I have become a member of Air France's Club2000, which is a service they offer to their top 2,000 clients worldwide. There are only four or five members in China.

Q: Why did you go to France after you graduated from Peking University?

A: Back in 1981, few people got to go abroad. During my senior year, I was told that I had the chance to pursue further studies in either the US or France. At that time, foreign countries seemed mysterious to me, so I took a test and passed it. Three students were chosen as the final candidates. Since I was the youngest, my advisor suggested I should go to France so I could pick up another language. Before my departure, the only thing I knew about France was that many former leaders, such as Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping, had studied there.

Q: What was your life like in Paris?

A: It was tough initially because I learned the language very slowly. The funding from the Chinese government was running out fast and I applied to extend that funding for another year but the time was still not enough to finish my schooling. To support myself, I found a job at a local law firm where I did my first projects with a French lighting company that was designing a road lighting system for China. They probably only gave me the project because I could speak Chinese.

Q: Why did you come back to China?

A: In 1991, Coudert Brothers law firm wanted to expand their business to the east, but the former Soviet Union collapsed and the Eastern European countries were also in chaos, so they decided to set up their foreign branch in China, which was much more stable. I came to Beijing as one of the founders of the Chinese branch.

Q: What was the business like when you first started the Beijing office?

A: The office was the first foreign law firm in China so we got the license number "001" which was quite cool. At that time, we only had three staff members in Beijing - me and two American colleagues - but fortunately we brought some old clients with us. They told me: "I don't care what firm you belong to, I only want to work with you." It was a big encouragement to me. In the first year, we served more than 10 corporate clients.

Q: How do you evaluate your own status in your field?

A: Chambers and Partners did an evaluation of lawyers worldwide and ranked me as the top one for international arbitration in Asia. I guess every lawyer involved in international affairs knows my name. That's also a reason why I felt lucky to be back. If I had stayed in France, I could have become a regular lawyer at best; in no way could I have built up a reputation like I have in China.

Q: What do you do in your spare time? Do you socialize a lot?

A: Not really. I spend 70 percent of my time studying files from my clients. I rarely do networking. That's why some people have said I am arrogant. I don't agree. Clients come to me because my professional service can solve their problems not because I have a good network.

Q: What's your ultimate career goal?

A: I would like to be a professional arbitrator. This position is also known as a "gray hair" job, which means I have to be old and experienced enough before trying that position. I would also like to go back to Peking University and do some teaching, if the school wants me.