Ethnic minority lawyers in Hong Kong break stereotypes, fight for equal opportunities

She said: “People ... assume that because you’re an ethnic minority, there’s no way you’ll do good in [school].”

But both women ignored these stereotypes. They have chosen to pursue the challenge of becoming lawyers. Now, Chetri is a trainee solicitor at a law firm in Hong Kong, and Tayyab is in her second year studying law at the University of Hong Kong.

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 this process.

“[I thought] we would be connected to an ethnic minority [lawyer] because they would understand my situation better,” Chetri said.

Tayyab said she wanted to study law because it was a respected career. But her family worried that it would be an “unsafe option” because they did not know many lawyers from their community.

Both women felt that Hong Kong law firms should have diversity. They believe clients are more comfortable opening up to someone who shares their background.

Azan Marwah has been practising law in Hong Kong for more than a decade. He said that Hong Kong did not have enough ethnic minority lawyers.

“Clients need people who can understand their problems and ... speak to them in their own language,” 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.”

Marwah said Hong Kong law firms usually required job applicants to take language tests.

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

Chetri graduated from City University’s law school. But she said it was a difficult journey because Hong Kong schools are tough for pupils from non-Chinese speaking backgrounds.

She believes schools must do a better job of teaching Cantonese to ethnic minority students.

“[My] biggest advice is to start learning Cantonese,” she said. “The best way is to make friends and practise every day.”

Tayyab also felt that ethnic minority children were at a disadvantage from early on.

“A lot of schools separate the Chinese and the non-Chinese,” she said. “It’s hard to ... understand each other and to remove those stereotypes.”

This has not stopped either woman from working hard towards their goals.

Chetri hopes to open a 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.

Tayyab is excited to be a lawyer one day, and she is inspired by other ethnic minority lawyers.

“When [I] see someone of the same background ... it convinces me even more that I will be able to reach that level,” she said.

Why this story matters: Ethnic minority groups are 8 per cent of Hong Kong’s population. The city needs lawyers who can serve their needs by speaking in a language they understand.