WeirFoulds Partner Raj Anand was profiled in the February 2017 issue of the Desi News, Canada’s number one South Asian magazine, in the Grant’s Desi Achiever special feature article Law and Behold!.
In the piece, Raj discusses his role as the co-chair of the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Challenges Faced by Racialized Licensees Working Group, as well as his life and his hope for a more equitable legal profession and society.
In December 2016 the Law Society approved the working group’s final report.
” . . . our recommendations are aimed at removing barriers . . . the inevitable result in a population as diverse as ours will be an increase in representation of racialized lawyers as it will encourage all qualified people to apply. Hiring practices are rife with hot button issues….[W]e are not saying that firms have to mimic Ontario’s population – but a fairer system will reflect the population,” Raj told Desi News.
Raj also highlights the importance of continuing to push for equality.
“I believe everyone should be treated respectfully and be able to achieve their inherent potential without being hindered or excluded for reasons they have no control over . . . Fairness is pretty elementary. It benefits the employee and the employer.”
” . . . lawyers, like in any other profession, have competing priorities. And these are not short-term goals. They will take time to infiltrate and infuse the system. Take it beyond being just another point on the AGM agenda, something that people talk about, feel good and forget about until the next year. Because this is not only right but in our best interests. We are not seeking to add bureaucracy, only to effect social change.”
Speaking about starting law school Raj said, ” . . . my goal was two-fold. To become the best lawyer [I could]. And to effect some social change with my work.”
Raj also told the Desi News that he is hopeful for the future of the legal profession and Canada.
“It will take time, it will be an ongoing struggle,” he said. “There will be great challenges and time will tell, but Canada is forging a path towards a more equitable society. So yes, I am hopeful.”