Episode 27: Reflections on the Career of Justice Randall Wong

Late in 2022, FACL BC’s Vice Presidents, Jim Wu and Fiona Wong, sat down with Justice Randall Wong to reflect on his path to becoming a lawyer, and his distinguished career as a member of the judiciary. In this episode, Justice Wong recounts the significance of Vancouver’s historical buildings, legal landscape, and key figures who served as mentors to him over the decades. He shares with us the important phone calls he received which changed his career, his journey working in Yukon, serving on the executive of the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges, the significance of his swearing-in ceremony when he was appointed as a federal judge, and the “bathtub effect” as a trial judge. Justice Wong emphasizes the importance of learning by doing (much like osmosis), provides mentorship to junior and young lawyers, and encourages young people, especially women, to consider positions in government as well as judiciary positions. Justice Randall Wong was a trailblazer and an integral part to Asian-Canadian history in Canada. He was: the first Chinese Canadian law graduate to article outside of Chinatown; first Chinese Canadian Crown Counsel, both federally and provincially; the first Chinese Canadian lawyer to appear before the Supreme Court of Canada; the first Chinese Canadian judge to decide on a Charter issue (section 24(2)); the first federally appointed judge of Chinese descent; and the first Chief Crown attorney in Whitehorse, Yukon, among other achievements. After 42 years of service and now colloquially known as a “judicial dinosaur”, but more accurately as a pioneer of Canadian law, Justice Wong shares his post-retirement plans since 2016, which includes serving on the board of the Chinese Canadian Museum (opening July 1, 2023), and acting as President of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum. Justice Wong also wishes to invite FACL BC's membership to read his article here: https://www.scribd.com/article/453439842/Reflections-By-A-Judicial-Dinosaur-On-50-Years-In-The-Law