South Asian Heritage Month runs from 18 July to 17 August every year and seeks to raise the profile of South Asian heritage.
The goal is to help people better understand the history and identity of South Asians, showcase what it means to be South Asian in the 21st century, and give individuals opportunities to tell their own stories.
South Asian influence can be found everywhere in Britain and within the legal profession 12% of lawyers come from Asian ethnic backgrounds.
DWF's Race and Ethnicity Network marked this key date with two webinars based on the celebration theme of 'Roots to Routes'. These included contributions from several colleagues with South Asian heritage, from those early in their careers up to partner level.
The first webinar was a panel discussion on identity and the legal profession, hosted by Catherine Haslam, Partner in our Real Estate team. This discussion showcased stories of colleagues from across our global organisation including contributions from:
Hasin Amin, a passionate Race and Ethnicity Network member and Associate in Commercial Disputes. Hasin talked about his grandfather's journey from Pakistan and the difficulties but growth of South Asian owned businesses in the UK.
'South Asia is not an isolated subcontinent, it is intertwined with many other parts of the world, especially the UK, due to its history with the British Raj. The importance of this month is to raise awareness of this deep-rooted history and for South Asians to have a voice about their history and how this relationship has developed over time.'
'Through my grandfather’s sacrifice of leaving all sense of familiarity behind and my father’s sacrifice of helping make ends meet, I have learnt loyalty, sacrifice and strength, which surprisingly can be transferred to my role as a commercial dispute solicitor.'
Naveen Gupta, Partner in our Real Estate, talked about his family's journey from India and training as a lawyer as someone with South Asian heritage, and how perceptions are shifting.
'At the time I was training in the 2000s, there were very few partners or trainees at the firm that were not white. If you look at early careers across DWF now, the paralegals and trainees, are a very diverse group.'
'My father chose to move to the UK alone, bringing very little with him, searching for job opportunities. It was tough times for my parents in the 1960s, but I am where I am today because of them.'
Sarah Mir, Partner in Major Injury, talked about her Kashmiri heritage and finding identity in the UK.
'I’m mixed-race, being both English and Kashmiri, and I had struggles with my identity based on the different cultures. I have learnt that I am a bit of both, and I love, and I am proud of my culture.’
'It has taken me a while to appreciate who I am, and how I allow those two cultures to mix and not clash, as there is no right answer and it is about working it out for yourself.’
Harmeet Pannu, Director of Legal Operations in our India office, talked about how people still living on the subcontinent retain their connections with family who have moved abroad, and how our firm keeps different locations connected.
'My own story spans across continents. My sisters are in Australia, and my friends and close family are scattered across the US, Canada, New Zealand and Spain. Despite the distances, we stay close through our stories, traditions, languages and lots of FaceTime calls. Technology has played a big role in keeping everyone close and connected. There is a beautiful exchange that always happens’.
‘Even if we are staying across different time zones, we still celebrate the same traditions. I have joined birthday parties and graduations, clapping virtually from India, whilst my family streams from London and Sydney’.
‘Teams across offices at DWF check in with each other, to celebrate our festivals, talk about our cultures and support each other in small and meaningful ways.’
The second webinar was a discussion hosted by Hasin Amin with Early Careers Specialist Ben Winstanley and Arman Siddique, a first year Apprentice Solicitor in Motor Volume. In this session Ben talked about DWF's aims to include and involve people with diverse backgrounds and Arman discusses how he had to shift his own family's perceptions about inclusivity in law and how, now he is well into his apprenticeship, his view of law not being available to someone like him has drastically changed.