MELBOURNE: Malaysian barrister William Lye, a driving force behind the newly launched Asian Australian Lawyers Association (AALA), is keen to see greater diversity in the legal profession in Australia.
He said there was a need for more mentoring and sponsorship of Asian Australian lawyers, with pathways to senior positions.
“Only then there would be role models to encourage future generations of Asian Australians to study law and aim high.
“We have now got some traction but the proof is in the pudding … when future generations can see they can climb the ladder and reach their destination,” he told the Law Institute Journal.
Lye, a former student of St John’s, Kuala Lumpur, is one of the most senior barristers in Australia from Chinese Malaysian background.
The AALA is an initiative of Law Institute Victoria (LIV) president Reynah Tang and members of the Victorian Bar, with support from members of the judiciary and the legal profession.
It is the first association in Australia to focus on the growing number of Asian Australian lawyers, as well as other lawyers with an interest in Asia.
About 100 people attended the launch, with Supreme Court judge Emilios Kyrou introducing the new association which he described as “momentous” and one that reflected the importance of Asian Australian lawyers.
Tang said while it was encouraging that this year for the first time, three of Australia’s law societies (Victoria, Northern Territories and Australian Capital Terriorty) were led by presidents with an Asian background, there was a long way to go.
There are few partners in law firms, few barristers (about a dozen of 1,800 in Victoria), even fewer senior counsel and virtually no judicial officers with an Asian background in Australia.
Apart from the Federal Court’s Justice Darryl Rangiah, whose parents are Indian, and the County Court’s Judge Philip Misso, whose father was born in Sri Lanka, it is believed there are no Asian Australians serving as judges in superior or intermediate courts.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Robert Kumar was born in Fiji of Indian parents and Justice Paul Coghlan of the Supreme Court has Chinese heritage.
Tang said: “We need to smash the bamboo ceiling, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it makes good business sense,’ Tang told the Law Jounal.
“We are already firmly ensconced in the Asian Century and the legal profession needs to act now if we are to capitalise on the growth potential that lies outside our borders.
“We must realise the importance of collaboration and diversity in our profession if we are to support those best placed to lead us in securing our place in the Asian market.”
Other AALA founding committee members are Zubair Mian, Cam Truong, Jim Lim, Karin Clark, Daniel Nguyen and Victor Tse.
Barrister Cam Truong, who emigrated to Australia from Vietnam in 1978, said the lack of senior Asian lawyers and judges in Australia was in contrast to the United States where ethnic diversity in the judiciary was increasing.
Other LIV initiatives aimed at encouraging ties between Australia and Asia include a Memorandum of Understanding with the Beijing Lawyers Association, which includes a lawyer exchange programme and internship opportunities. — Bernama