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Thank you to all members, friends, and guests for joining us for our 7th Annual Banquet on November 15, 2011, at the Triple Door
This year’s theme was Strengthening our Community. Our keynote speaker was Linh Thai, founder of the Vietnamese Community Leadership Institute and the United States Vovinam Viet Vo Dao Federation. Entertainment was provided by Burn List, an avant-garde jazz collaboration featuring trumpeter Cuong Vu, tenor saxophonist Greg Sinibaldi, keyboardist Aaron Otheim and drummer Chris Icasiano. For more photos from the banquet, click here.
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Formation and Goal (Tôn Chỉ)
The Vietnamese American Bar Association of Washington ("VABAW") was formed in 2005. Our goal is to provide mutual support for attorneys in the advancement of their careers, be a trusted guide and resource for students who aspire towards the legal profession, serve as a voice for the local Vietnamese American community, and represent Vietnamese American attorneys within the State Bar. Our current membership includes practicing attorneys from Seattle, greater King county, and Snohomish county.
Past Successes and Programs (Lịch Sử)
2006: Raising the Bar
In 2006, VABAW celebrated two cultural membership events: Tet (the lunar new year) and Tet Trung Thu (the moon autumn festival). We also implemented our attorney-law student mentoring program. VABAW also participated in the 16th Annual “Walk for Rice” sponsored by the Asian Counseling and Referral Service.
The highlight of 2006 was our second annual banquet. Almost 200 guests were in attendance, including 40 dignitaries comprised of WSBA Board of Governors, judges, representatives of each minority bar association, leaders from local organizations throughout King County, and representation from Seattle University, University of Washington, Gonzaga University, and Lewis & Clark. Our event was mentioned in 4 local newspapers in both English and Vietnamese, together totaling a circulation of nearly 75,000. Professor Wendy Duong, our keynote speaker, gave a passionate speech reminding Vietnamese American attorneys of the need to overcome stereotypes, to always remember where we come from, and most importantly to use the law profession as a means to “supply ourselves with the podium in life from which we can speak” to make a difference in our profession, communities, and global society. To read Professor Duong's speech, click here.
2007: Embracing Our Heritage
For 2007, we increased our membership base. Our paid members, their practice areas, and their language skills are listed on our website at http://vabaw.com/practiceareas.aspx
VABAW held two quarterly membership events to provide opportunities for attorneys, law students, judges, and community members to network, socialize, and connect to each other.
In April 2007, VABAW held a reception for our first Vietnamese American judge in Washington state, Judge Tam Bui. Judge Bui is an inspiration to all the Vietnamese American attorneys to pursue our personal and professional goals.
We continued our work with the other minority bar organizations on various issues and community events that affect diversity in the legal profession, including the Washington State Joint Asian Judicial Evaluation Committee (JAJEC) and the Statewide Diversity Conference.
We have heeded the call and will continue to provide our support to various community organizations serving the Vietnamese community. We organized and participated in a one-day legal workshop which provided advice on immigration, business law, and family law—with the advice and discussion translated into Vietnamese. To see the flyer on the one-day legal workshop, click here.
On April 28, 2007, five VABAW board members accompanied Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed on his Trade and Research Mission to Vietnam. A diverse group of 28 individuals from business, government and nonprofit sectors took part in representing Washington State. The trip was also marked by brief visits to Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Seoul. We invite you to read more about our Trade and Research Mission to Vietnam at //http://vabaw.com/trademission.aspx.
Due to the support of our sponsors, membership, and friends, our Third Annual Banquet was a success. Read more about our Third Annual Banquet
here.
Washington state is one of three states to have an organized Vietnamese American bar association. We have combined nationally with the other Vietnamese American state bar associations to host the 2007 National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys (NCVAA) in Orange, California in October 2007. For more information about the conference, go to
www.ncvaa.org For more information about the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California, visit
http://www.vabanc.org/ and for more information about the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Southern California, visit
http://www.vabasc.com/ and for more information about the Vietnamese American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, DC Area, Inc., visit
http://www.vabadc.com/index.html
2008: Ambassadors to Our Communities
Due to the generosity of our corporate and individual sponsors, VABAW created the Hồng Đức student clerkship in Vietnam. VABAW partners with a law firm in Ho Chi Minh City and/or Hanoi, Vietnam who will host a law student for summer 2008 and provide the student with substantive legal work and client relations. VABAW will provide airfare, housing, and reasonable living expenses for the law student. VABAW's Hồng Đức student clerkship will assist in outreach efforts to the Vietnamese community in Washington and abroad while also providing the law student with a unique clerkship experience from an international perspective in a fast emerging country. For more information about VABAW's Hồng Đức Clerkship, click on this link. To read about the recipient of our 2008 Hồng Đức Clerkship, please click here.
We have held various exciting programs for 2008 which include:
A continuation of the one-day legal workshop to provide advice to the Vietnamese community, with the advice presented in Vietnamese by our bilingual attorneys. The Legal Workshop for the Vietnamese Community was held on September 13, 2008. Click here for the flyer in English. Click here for the flyer in Vietnamese. VABAW was a co-sponsor and co-organizer of the Third Annual Statewide Diversity Conference held on May 30, 2008.
VABAW members also served on the planning committee for the Third Annual National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys (NCVAA) held in San Francisco on August 15-16, 2008.
For photos from the event, click here and scroll down to the pictures from the event.- VABAW also hosted a dim sum brunch for all the Vietnamese American attorneys and law students attending the 20th Annual NAPABA Conference in Seattle in November 2008. For photos from the event, click here and scroll down to the pictures from the event.
VABAW participated in the Little Saigon Spring Clean-Up with the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) on April 19, 2008. Nine VABAW members braved the cold, snow, sleet and rain to paint over graffiti in the Little Saigon area. For photos from the event, click here and scroll down to the pictures from the event. We hope you can join us in 2009 for this event as VABAW continues its community service outreach and projects.
We also organized a team for the annual Asian Counseling and Referral Services' Walk for Rice, and also participated with the Vietnamese community's float during the Seafair Torchlight Parade. For photos from the event, click here and scroll down to the pictures from the event.
We continued our tradition of celebrating two Vietnamese holidays: Tet, the lunar new year, in February, and Tet Trung Thu, the autumn moon festival, in September.
VABAW also held several events for the law students, with the goal of increasing participation in our law student and young attorney mentorship program.
And the highlight of 2008 was our Fourth Annual Banquet which was held on October 28, 2008. Click here for photos from and more information about the 2008 banquet.
2009: Inspirations
In 2009, we continued our work with the other minority bar organizations on various issues and community events that affect diversity in the legal profession, including the Washington State Joint Asian Judicial Evaluation Committee, the Statewide Diversity Conference, and the Diversity Law Firm Survey.
Due to the generosity of our corporate and individual sponsors, VABAW continued the Hồng Đức student clerkship in Vietnam. Our 2009 Hồng Đức Clerk spent his summer at Baker McKenzie's Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, office.
VABAW participated in the Little Saigon Spring Clean-Up with the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) for the second year.
And we continued our tradition of celebrating two Vietnamese holidays: Tet, the lunar new year, and Tet Trung Thu, the autumn moon festival.
We also hosted a reception for the Vietnamese delegates from the American Bar Association's Rule of Law Initiative during their visit to Seattle.
And the highlight of 2009 was our Fifth Annual Banquet, with keynote speaker Dr. Eugene H. Trinh, the first Vietnamese-American to travel into outer space.
2010:
Due to the generosity of our corporate and individual sponsors, VABAW continued the Hồng Đức student clerkship in Vietnam. Our 2010 Hồng Đức Clerk spent her summer at Baker McKenzie's Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, office.
And the highlight of 2010 was our Sixth Annual Banquet, with keynote speaker Andrew Lam, an accomplished author, editor, and commentator on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered."