Challenges Faced by Lawyers Representing Chinese Immigrants in Canada: Understanding Lawyer-Client Relationships Through Legal Consciousness

Abstract

This article examines how the legal consciousness of Chinese immigrants shapes lawyer–client relationships and affects lawyers who routinely represent members of the Chinese community in Canada. Drawing on in-depth interviews and observations, it discusses how Chinese immigrants’ emphasis on the approval of their morality from above, tendency to prioritize distributive justice over procedural justice, and their different understandings of the lawyer's roles in the legal system pose challenges for lawyers working closely with them. I argue that Chinese immigrants’ dissatisfaction with their lawyers does not necessarily have much to do with the individual lawyer's competency and style; instead, it primarily results from the gap between what Chinese immigrants expect and what lawyers can do in the Canadian legal system. Bringing the collective characteristics of the legal consciousness of members of ethnic groups into the picture, this article aims to serve as a stepping stone for future discussions about relationships between lawyers and their clients within ethnic communities.