May Cheng's Secret Sauce for Success

1. Who are you? What's your story?

My name is May Cheng and I have been in private practice at Bay Street firms for 30 years. I received the FACL Lifetime Achievement Award on March 4th. I recently changed firms and am now continuing my practice at the South Asian woman-led Bay Street boutique of Dipchand LLP, as of March 13, 2023. This represents a big change that will allow me to have more agency to do work that reflects my values and join an incredible group of people that are more aligned with my goals. After 30 years, I feel it’s high time to bet on myself and take more control over my work life. I feel it’s a bold step that is long overdue.

I specialize in intellectual property and my practice has a mix of branding advice and enforcement work, including anti-counterfeiting litigation for famous brands. I also do a lot of interesting advisory work, including giving copyright advice to NFT creators and helping technology companies license their innovations. The breadth of my practice has allowed me to keep working during pandemic closures that shut down my retail and travel clients.

As a mixed race woman, I am partial to helping women and visible minorities succeed. I’ve faced my share of discrimination and harassment, yet I am sometimes considered an outsider. Recently, I’ve been a volunteer co-chair of the Avenue program, which is a summer internship program for black university students interested in a career in law. The personal statements of these students are so compelling. Law is such a powerful tool and many younger people today of diverse backgrounds seem motivated to change the world. It’s inspiring and gives me hope for the future.

I have worked hard to establish myself in my field in big law for decades and I have managed to develop a strong external profile through doing good work, and also writing and presenting. I am proud to have grown my own book of business. However, I also prioritize giving back, not only to the community in terms of pro bono work, but also to other junior lawyers with mentoring and sponsorship. I am happiest when I can make a difference, even if it’s just connecting people or problem solving.

I also have a full personal life that includes: a spouse who is a professor in the field of labour and employment at York University, a daughter who is in her second year studying life sciences at Queen’s University, and a son in high school who plays AAA hockey. We also have a black labradoodle and a tiny hedgehog. Life is good!

2. What's your definition of success?

My definition of success has changed over time and has certainly been influenced by the pandemic. I spent decades focused on succeeding in big law firms and was headhunted to move from Tier 2 to Tier 1 in 2016. However, after surviving a pandemic working at the kitchen table, I suddenly recognized that the big firm name and real estate is something I no longer need and that many of my clients no longer value. As a result, I decided to leave the big law environment to prioritize working with people whose company I enjoy and whose values align with mine.

I think success is about agency as you get more senior, and you need to not only have some control over your practice but have the integrity to live your values.

I think the pandemic has caused many people to rethink their definition of success, and it has been an awakening to the true value of time with your family, time for self-care and just time to enjoy life and smell the flowers!

3. How did you achieve success?

I was never focused on succeeding more than surviving, by doing my best work and being attentive to clients’ needs. That led to success in developing my own thriving practice and a solid reputation with clients both locally and internationally. I am fundamentally a very positive and optimistic person, which has served me well when working in a sea of negativity. Looking back, I think I’ve had remarkable success just by taking charge of growing my own practice, being self-reliant and never expecting anything to be handed to me.

My biggest challenge over the years has been in overcoming the stereotypes and boxes that firm managers and professionals want to put me in. I was not “seen” as a rainmaker, despite clearly having my own portable practice. I have been underestimated because I don’t fit the stereotype of a shrinking violet female Asian. I am not afraid to speak out for myself and others. You need to be able to speak truth to power. Nothing changes if we don’t speak out, but don’t expect to always be heard. Sometimes you have to vote with your feet.

I think that my success comes in having found balance to enjoy an interesting career but also have a fulfilling personal life that includes family and friends. I count many clients as friends and many of my client relationships have lasted decades already. I’ve finally realized that I don’t need to keep swimming in the piranha tank, I can break free of limiting beliefs and bet on myself. I wish I had had the courage to have done that sooner, but it's never too late to have a happy ending.

4. What's your secret sauce for success?

In law, no success comes without a dedication to the craft. You need to put in your 10,000 hours to become an expert, and that takes years of hard work. There are no shortcuts. However, you don’t need to be in a hurry to achieve the success as it will simply come with time and effort. The most important factors at the outset are to find good mentors and teachers, who can help you grow your skillset. If you don’t find those where you start, find another firm, individual practitioner or company that will provide that needed support for your career development.

My best advice to newly called diverse lawyers and women is to develop a specialty. It’s much easier to earn respect and be in control of your time if you become the go to expert in a particular field of practice. For more experienced professionals, my best advice is to develop your own book of business. If you are reliant on other senior partners for work, you will never have agency and you will at some stage find yourself without any options should that work source turn on you or dry up. If a firm wants you to become a service partner, which means working for larger institutional clients that are unlikely to ever leave the firm, know that you may find yourself in a gilded cage, as you can’t expect to move that work elsewhere. In that case, run to the nearest exit! You are being offered golden handcuffs.

I count myself as lucky to have achieved the success I enjoy today, but as has been pointed out to me, you make your own luck. Luck is really about hard work meeting with opportunity.

5. How do you prioritize peace?

There is very little chaos or drama in my everyday life. I bring the zen wherever I go. I like to be organized, but I don’t need to control every detail. I’m a big fan of having a support network that helps you get jobs done and frees up time for enjoying life to the full. I really enjoy cooking and entertaining, as well as hobbies like knitting and sewing. During the pandemic, doing yoga, exercise and taking long walks in High Park helped keep me grounded.

6. Anything else you would like to share?

Change is the one constant in life, so we need to be able to adapt and pivot. I think it’s very important to be regularly evaluating whether the parts of your life are bringing you joy and make changes when you are not happy or not valued. Lack of appreciation and poor values alignment are the main reasons why people quit jobs. I am a big fan of music and I create playlists to reflect and boost my motivation and inspire me. Lately, I have Lizzo on heavy rotation, because she is such a force for female empowerment and positivity. As Lizzo says in her song Good as Hell: “Boss up and change your life, you can have it all, no sacrifice”. In addition to feeling “Good as Hell”, I’m loving “it’s About Damn Time”.