The Colour of Competence in the Canadian Legal Profession

How does the emphasis on cultural fit in predominantly white large law firms shape our perceptions of the competence of racialized lawyers who primarily serve their own ethnic communities? Why do some clients consider those who speak their own language and understand their culture to be less competent than white lawyers? In this talk, Qian Liu discusses the process during which legal professionals, legal educators, law students, clients, and members of ethnic communities participate in producing and reinforcing the colour of competence in the Canadian legal profession.

Dr. Qian Liu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Calgary, is the 2025-2026 Applied Ethics Fellow at the Calgary Institute for the Humanities. She is the author of Leftover Women in China: Understanding Legal Consciousness through Intergenerational Relationships (University of California Press, 2025).

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Host or Publisher The Calgary Institute for the Humanities