Launched in 2007, the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers has grown substantially from its first meetings in a local Toronto Chinese restaurant.

Thierry Ntumba and Mariott Gilpin from the Royal Bank of Canada join in the festivities at Hart House.

Former FACL president Jason Leung of Ridout & Maybee LLP, Jennifer Leung, Neil Kothari of RBC, and visiting National Asian Pacific American Bar Association executive member Jin Hwang of Verizon Wireless in New Jersey.

Law Society of Upper Canada Bencher Raj Anand of Weir Foulds LLP, Heydary Green managing director Michael Cochrane, and Ontario Superior Court Justice Faye McWatt.

A little light entertainment.

More members of the RBC legal team: Mahira Mohtashami and Karen Sladden.

Patrick Gervais from Blaney McMurtry LLP, and Paliare Roland’s Manpreet Dhaliwal and Gregory Ko.

Some of the organizers of the FACL gala: Rosa Kang of Bennett Gastle PC; Jazz Li from Cappell Parker LLP; Andrea Yau of Koskie Minsky LLP; Cynthia Aoki of Jones Harley LLP; and mylawbid.com founder Jeffrey Fung.

Law Society of Upper Canada benchers Linda Rothstein and Janet Minor.

Vanessa Lam of Macdonald & Partners and Landy Marr Kats LLP’s Anna Wong.

Alwin Kong of Cancer Care Ontario; Brendan Wong from Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Janet Chong from Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, and Rogers Communications’ Trung Lam.

Ontario Attorney General John Gerretsen.

Keynote speaker Justice Linda Lee Oland of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. Her advice for the crowd was: “Don’t self select out” of applying for judicial positions.