How Hong Kong’s next generation of ethnic minority lawyers is beating stereotypes

“There’s always the problem of stereotypes and discrimination,” Tayyab said. “People ... [or] some teachers ... assume that because you’re an ethnic minority, there’s no way you’ll do good in your [schooling].”

Both women have moved past the harmful assumptions and instead have gone on to pursue one of the more difficult career paths: law.

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Growing up, Chetri would hear that members of ethnic minority groups did not take up white-collar jobs in Hong Kong, and instead would become “either security guards or construction workers”.

When Chetri was 12 years old, her family set out to get her a Hong Kong passport. She said she did not meet a single ethnic minority lawyer during the lengthy process.

“[I thought] we would be connected to an ethnic minority [lawyer] because they would understand my situation better ... It motivated me to start searching for ethnic minority lawyers,” said Chetri, who is now working at John M Pickavant & Co Solicitors.

Tayyab, currently in her second year of law at the University of Hong Kong, said she chose the profession because it was “well-regarded”. Still, her family was worried it was an “unsafe option”, as they did not know others from their community practising law.

“They weren’t very supportive of it [at the time],” she said.

Both women said they recognised the importance of diversity in Hong Kong law firms, as clients were more comfortable opening up to someone who shared their background.

Azan Marwah, who has been practising in the city for more than a decade, said Hong Kong did not have enough ethnic minority lawyers.

“Very often, clients need people who can understand their problems, and in particular, are able to speak to them in their own language, [or] in their own context, particularly where it relates to family, social issues [and] sometimes crime,” he said.

“When you have more minority lawyers, there will be more people who care about some of the most vulnerable communities in Hong Kong.”

For City University graduate Chetri, the path to attaining her legal qualifications was filled with unique challenges as she navigated an education system that she believed catered to students of Chinese ethnicity. She said completing her tertiary education was empowering, especially in the face of those who had “doubted my ability”.

Now, as a trainee solicitor, Chetri sees that one of the greatest hurdles is the language barrier.

Marwah said language tests were often required by law firms.

“[They] should not insist on every single associate speaking Cantonese and Mandarin. This is the single biggest obstacle [for ethnic minority groups],” he said. “The irony is that it ends up costing those firms some of the best [candidates].”

Chetri said language education must be addressed to ensure equal opportunities for all, especially as some schools only focused on teaching enough Cantonese so that ethnic minority students could pass their exams.

Her biggest piece of advice? Start learning Cantonese.

“As long as you can speak and hold a conversation, that’s fine. A lot of companies are willing to hire people who can speak it. The best way is to make friends and practise every day.”

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Tayyab also highlighted the need to change the way languages were taught in the city, saying she felt ethnic minority children were at a disadvantage from early on.

“The starting point is always at school, even kindergarten level or at least primary level. A lot of schools separate the Chinese and the non-Chinese, even during activities,” she said. “It’s hard to integrate together and to understand each other and to remove those stereotypes.”

This has not stopped either woman from working hard and setting ambitious goals.

Chetri said she dreams of opening her own law firm one day.

“I want to be able to reach out to as many ethnic minorities to tell them about their rights, because a lot of them don’t know, and a lot of them are vulnerable,” she said.

As for Tayyab, she is keen to attain her qualifications in a few years and said ethnic minority lawyers served as motivation for her.

“When I see minorities as lawyers, I always find it really inspiring, because when you see someone of the same background as you doing what you do, it convinces me even more that I will be able to reach that level,” she said.