Lawyers have a powerful platform to leverage their privilege and effect change in their communities, but she added that it is imperative to clear misconceptions around privilege.

“There’s a misconception that privilege means you haven’t worked hard to get to where you are,” Ms Deo told Lawyers Weekly.

“These misunderstandings have meant that privilege has negative connotations.”

“But the potential to leverage privilege can be unlocked by a greater understanding of what it is and isn’t, and how we could use it to empower social change.”

Ms Deo’s comments preceded her keynote address at the Women in Law Forum, where she will argue that privilege is not a dirty word while dismantling misconceptions and unpacking how lawyers could use their positions to have a positive social impact.

The intersections of privilege

Ms Deo – who is also a consultant at the Diversity Council of Australia – defined privilege as having an advantage or lack of certain obstacles in someone’s path that someone else may not have had.

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However, this does not imply that those with privilege have not worked hard for their successes or faced obstacles, she underscored, nor does it mean that a privileged individual enjoys all privileges.

Ms Deo also emphasised that privilege is not a “blanket term”, but rather it is multi-layered and complex.

“When we look at diversity dimensions, each dimension has a hierarchy. People who sit at the top of the hierarchy enjoy the privileges of being at the top of that diversity dimension. Those who sit towards the bottom are marginalised by that diversity dimension,” she explained.

“For example, if we look at race, people from certain races enjoy certain privileges while others face marginalisation. Those hierarchies exist across every diversity dimension, including age, sex, gender, disability, and religion.

“No one person is going to be free from oppression and marginalisation or enjoy all the privileges. As such, we must unpack terms such as privilege, oppression and intersectionality beyond their literal meaning and understand that there are critical (race) theories underpinning these words. Only then can we foster true understanding of these concepts and what they mean for us and our duty to the administration of justice."

Privilege has shades of grey

When asked if she has had to navigate the intersection of privilege and systems of oppression, Ms Deo responded: “It’s been my life.”

As a migrant woman of colour from the LGBTI community who came to Australia from Canada, she said she has enjoyed a life of privilege while enduring marginalisation of certain aspects of her identity.

“I want an appreciation of these complexities and to help people understand that it’s not black and white,” Ms Deo said.

“Understanding this is especially important for those of us who work in spaces like equity and advocacy, and policymaking. We need to understand it to know how to advocate for our communities.”

Lawyers are primed to bring change

As for how lawyers could use their privilege to effect positive change in their communities, Ms Deo said leveraging their strengths could create social impact while aligning with their values.

“As lawyers, we’re good at advocacy, writing letters, or drafting,” Ms Deo said.

“You then need to identify what communities need and bring it all together to create change that we want to see, or the profession needs to see.”

For example, with gender inequality remaining a prevalent issue in the legal profession and the broader workforce, Ms Deo said she uses her public speaking skills to speak at events like the Women in Law Forum to raise awareness around these issues.

“Lawyers have access to spaces and places that other people don’t,” Ms Deo noted.

“We have the ear of the government on in-house policymaking and submissions. We have access points that others don’t. It’s about leaning into them and creating inclusive change.”

Ms Deo concluded that she would like to empower attendees at the Women in Law Forum to use privilege to create change that brings them joy.

To hear more from Sheetal Deo about how lawyers are well placed to create social change by using their privileged platform, come along to the Women in Law Forum 2023.

It will be held on Thursday, 23 November, at Crown Melbourne.

Click here to buy tickets and don’t miss out!

For more information about the forum, including agenda and speakers, click here.