CUHK LAW and the Hong Kong Federation of Women Lawyers co-organised “Fireside Chat Series with Women Lawyers” on 15 March 2023 at Graduate Law Centre. A panel of senior women lawyers (including solicitors, barrister and in-house counsel) shared with our students their experiences in legal careers.

Speakers included   Ms. Julianne Doe, President, Hong Kong Federation of Women Lawyers and Senior Consultant, Dentons, Ms. Willa Chan, Founder of Willa Legal, Ms. Heidi Chui, Partner, Stevenson, Wong & Co, Ms. Maria So, Barrister and Ms. Winnie Yeung, Chief Legal Counsel, Corporate External and Legal Affairs, Microsoft Greater China Region. Professor Queenie Lai, CUHK LAW Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning gave welcome remarks and Ms. Joyce Cheng, Vice President of Hong Kong Federation of Women Lawyers and Senior Corporate Lawyer of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, moderated the session.

Speakers shared the challenges faced by female lawyers and exchanged ideas on overcoming stereotypes, biases and breaking the glass ceiling. Speakers also shared their personal experiences: including the challenges of founding a law firm, moving from private practice to in-house, challenges of working in a traditionally male-dominated industry (e.g. as a female criminal barrister) and how technology is transforming legal services. At the end of the sharing, there was Q&A session open to the floor, followed by a free mingling session where CUHK LAW students had further exchanges with speakers.