Biglaw Managing Partner Is Fearful After Enduring Hate Speech
The law is supposed to be a noble profession -- let’s band together do what we can to prevent incidents like this from happening.
Lawyers across the country were shocked by the news that in the lead-up to the November election — a time when one presidential candidate’s campaign seemed to encouraged racism, xenophobia, anti-immigrant sentiment, and sexism — one of the most prominent members of the legal profession was a victim of hate speech. William Lee, WilmerHale’s former managing partner, was told to “go back to [his] country.” Lee is of Chinese descent, and said he hadn’t heard a comment like that in four decades.
Lee was but the first Biglaw partner to step forward and speak out about the racial animus he’s experienced in this time of great political upheaval. Unfortunately, he’s not the only one to have endured such vile commentary.
Cyndie Chang, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Loyola Law School (Los Angeles), is an accomplished corporate attorney who serves as the managing partner of the Los Angeles office of Duane Morris. Chang also serves as president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).
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This past spring, Chang was standing on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., when an older Caucasian gentleman told her to go back to her country. The Am Law Daily has the rest of Chang’s story:
Cyndie M. Chang
“I was in shock, and fear a little bit,” said Chang. She said that she didn’t respond to the man.
Chang, whose family came to the country from China five generations ago, said that she’s been hearing similar stories from others amid this year’s presidential race and its aftermath, including accounts of threats of violence.
“I am somewhat anxious and fearful,” she admitted. [This] week, she said, she will be traveling to another city that she didn’t want to name. She decided to skip a visit to a relative who lives a few hours away to avoid driving alone during that trip. “It’s giving me a little pause,” she said.
“Ignorance and prejudice don’t have a party,” Chang remarked in the wake of the racial incident she experienced in the nation’s capitol. Thanks to the race-based hostility its members may be facing, NAPABA has put together a hate crime tool kit for members on how to identify and report hate crimes.
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As we noted last time we discussed these issues, lawyers must recognize that these outrageous incidents can, do, and will affect even those who have reached the highest echelons of the legal profession. Racial animus does not stop just because one is a managing partner at one of the most profitable law firms in the country. Stand up, speak out, organize, and support one another in these times of uncertainty. The law is supposed to be a noble profession — let’s band together do what we can to prevent incidents like this from happening to each other and to other Americans.
Lawyers Hear Message of Hate: ‘Go Back to Your Country’ [Am Law Daily]
Earlier: In Time Of Political Unrest, Former Biglaw Managing Partner Told To ‘Go Back To [His] Own Country’
NAPABA President And Managing Partner Cyndie Chang Aims To Continue Her Family’s Legacy of Community Building
Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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