The Top 25 Most Influential Lawyer builds pathways for young lawyers through FACL BC and NAPABA
While many lawyers are satisfied to work hard and aim towards partnership at a prestigious firm, Fiona Wong has built her career as a labour and employment lawyer at Overholt Law LLP on a foundation of mentorship, advocacy, and fighting for systemic change for racialized lawyers. Whether guiding junior lawyers through the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers BC (FACL BC) or amplifying Asian legal voices across North America through the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), Wong frames her legal success as a collective effort.
Her commitment to mentorship and advocacy earned her recognition as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in 2024 in the Changemaker category (nominations for 2025 open on March 24). Speaking with Canadian Lawyer, she reflected on her legal journey – and why she believes mentorship should be more than an obligation.
Wong says her journey into law was never about following a predetermined path. Law became a calling when she saw firsthand the sacrifices made by her parents. "My dad was raised during the Cultural Revolution, and he had to complete high school in Hong Kong on his own after moving there at the young age of 18. My mom, on the other hand, had grown up in British Hong Kong,” she says.
“I think it was my parents’ decision to leave Hong Kong before the handover in 1997 [that] allowed me to have the life that I do here today. I don’t take certain human rights that I have for granted here as a Canadian citizen."
She saw employment law as the most direct way to advocate for human rights while remaining financially stable. In this area, she felt legal expertise could have an immediate and meaningful impact on people's daily lives.
Wong experienced initial setbacks in her career. She wasn’t hired back after articling. She was even let go as an associate.
"It taught me that change is not always a bad thing. Coming from our parents’ generation and even in a very traditional profession such as law, it is still normal and almost expected that some people would be what we call a lifer – that you would remain at the same place of employment for life,” she says.
“We were all conditioned to think that in law school, and we were also taught to think that success was only one avenue, and that was to make partner at a big law firm."
Wong’s experience with job loss deepened her empathy, strengthening client relationships. “A lot of my clients come from places where they have worked at the same employer for decades, and I can only imagine what they experience when they go through job loss."
She no longer ties her self-worth to job titles. "These experiences have also reminded me that I am a human first and a lawyer second,” she says.
“We often talk about hitting our billable targets, meeting our hours, but I’ve learned that there’s just so much more to life than that."
Wong believes that the legal profession is evolving, but progress remains slow. "I do still think that we have a representation issue at the leadership levels of all our law firms," she says.
"A lot of lawyers actually leave within their first five years of practice. It’s not an issue that’s only specific to women – I think it also disproportionately affects racialized communities as well."
For the past six years, Wong has advocated for Asian legal professionals through the FACL BC, a nonprofit society with over 850 Asian Canadian law students, lawyers, and judges. She organized networking initiatives, mentorship programs, and professional development workshops to support early-career lawyers and law students. She has worked to close the representation gap in leadership by connecting junior professionals with senior associates and partners, ensuring that those climbing the ranks receive the guidance and advocacy they need.
Her advocacy doesn’t stop at the Canadian border. Recently appointed as the Northwest Alternate Regional Governor for NAPABA, Wong is expanding her impact on a larger scale. NAPABA, an organization with over 80,000 Asian Americans in the legal field, promotes justice, equity, and professional advancement for Asian legal professionals across North America. Wong’s role strengthens cross-border collaboration, ensuring Asian lawyers in Canada and the US have access to opportunities, resources, and leadership roles in a historically exclusionary industry.
For Wong, mentorship isn’t just a checkbox – it’s a calling. “I want people to feel like mentorship is not a chore,” she says. “It’s something that comes from the heart.”
But mentorship alone isn’t enough. Without structured pathways for guidance and support, she says the legal industry risks losing diverse talent and perspectives essential for meaningful change. This is why she pushes for systemic reforms within law firms and legal institutions, ensuring that diversity initiatives go beyond hiring and focus on retention and leadership development.
"Diversity initiatives can’t just be about recruitment – they have to be about retention, advancement, and ensuring that diverse voices are heard at the decision-making level,” she stresses.
“We can’t just celebrate diversity in hiring statistics if leadership remains the same year after year."
As her legacy, she wants future generations to know they belong in law.
"I hope that whatever I end up doing in the legal community will serve as a reminder to other people who look like me that they belong in the profession. And I hope that nobody ever feels ashamed because they are Asian, or for a second, think they’re a diversity hire or that they got to where they were only because of the colour of their skin and not because of their merit."
