Article
Supporting Young Lawyers in the Legal Industry
On November 17th, 2023, the annual Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL) BC Gala was held in Vancouver, bringing together over 750 lawyers, students and professionals from a diverse cross-section of industries. Boughton’s Serene Chow attended the event, along with nearly a dozen other members of Boughton.
“This year’s FACL gala was incredible,” says Chow. “The room was packed to the brim, people were everywhere, chatting, reconnecting. It was absolutely buzzing.”
“One thing that really stood out to me though, was the number of students and young lawyers in attendance,” continues Chow. “It was so great to see young professionals getting involved with FACL and connecting with peers in the industry, as well as meeting some of us more… seasoned lawyers. Those connections are so important when you’re starting out in this industry.”
And Chow knows a few things about supporting young lawyers. Aside from being an original founder of FACL BC in 2011, she also sat on its board for several years. From those early days, the association’s focus has been to bring together Asian legal professionals, as well as promoting equality and justice across the wider community. Mentorship and supporting young lawyers has also always been part of the association’s work.
Chow remembers the chapter’s fledgling years. “It might have been because so many of us involved were so young, that our work always had that focus of helping young professionals. We learn so much about the law in school—that really technical aspect—but we don’t really learn much about other things such as navigating life in a law firm, having conversations surrounding diversity and representation, career development and how to find opportunities for growth, giving back to the legal community, being mentored and being a mentor. At least for me, a lot of that early learning happened through the people I met at places like FACL BC.”
Since stepping away from the FACL BC board in 2016, Chow’s continued working with young lawyers through FACL BC’s mentorship program, and most recently, also as part of Boughton’s internal Associate Development Committee (ADC).
“We all should take part in supporting young lawyers, our next generation of legal professionals, to build the practice of law, the legal profession and the community at large.” Chow noted that many firms—like Boughton—have an internal Legal Talent role to support all lawyers.
“We have these great events like the FACL BC gala and then internal legal talent managers like Alexis who supports our associates in their unique career path and growth.” says Chow. “It’s fantastic that the industry’s taking a more holistic approach to young lawyer support.”
To learn more about Serene Chow, her practice or FACL BC, please click here.
