, ,

VAB Supports the Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC) as Part of NAMWOLF's Month of Service

, ,

Yesterday was a good day. hashtag#VABLaw got to have a wonderful day out of the office, volunteering at Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC) as part of National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF)’s June Month of Service! Thank you Safe Humane Chicago for hosting us (and for all that you and your volunteers do every day at CACC!) and thank you Jennifer Novoselsky for organizing this meaningful service project and William Powers for all of your assistance with the logistics.

VAB team members Octavia, Maria, Amy, Natalie, Hilary, Lance, Erica, Sandy, Lydia and Jennifer joined up with attorneys and summer associates from Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres, as well as with NAMWOLF team members Jane Kalata, Sherisse Rodriguez and Andrea Torres.

We were all able to socialize with the dogs and cats, help with some tasks around the shelter, and learn about ways to amplify the good work being done at CACC and Safe Humane Chicago. And boy did we meet some wonderful dogs and cats looking for a home – check out the CACC Dogs https://lnkd.in/gWFiUSPi and CACC Cats https://lnkd.in/g8xviGxZ and see for yourself!

Good people doing good work, at a shelter that takes all, including some of the most vulnerable (and sweet) animals throughout the city. Thank you for having us!

,

VAB Hosts & Co-Sponsors the NAMWOLF & CBF Investing in Justice Campaign Event

,

The power of community on display - loved the coming together of Chicago-area National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) members and the The Chicago Bar Foundation to support the Investing in Justice campaign!

Thank you to all the firm hosts: CM Law Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres Johnson, Blumberg & Associates, LLC Flener IP & Business Law Wang Austin LLC Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. Zuber Lawler and Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel, P.C. For sponsoring the event!

And thank you to Laura Stein and Leslie Davis for your inspiring words.

Access to justice and service to the law.

Onward!

,

Aurora Austriaco Named Chair-Elect of the American Bar Association House of Delegates

,

We are immensely proud to announce that our founding shareholder, Aurora Austriaco, has been named Chair-Elect of the American Bar Association House of Delegates!

As Chair for the legal profession’s ultimate policy-making body, Aurora will soon lead nearly 600 delegates in shaping the standards and policies that govern the practice of law across the nation. The House of Delegates drafts, presides and votes on resolutions at the Annual and Midyear Meetings that establish Association policy on professional and public issues.

Aurora’s election is a testament to her career-long dedication to bar leadership and her vision for a more inclusive, effective legal community. Congratulations, Aurora, on this historic achievement!

What a way to kick off Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

,

VAB Supports and Attends the BWLA Spring Fundraiser Luncheon

,

VAB was proud to celebrate the "Enduring Legacy" of leadership in Chicago at the BLACK WOMEN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION OF GREATER CHICAGO INC Spring Fundraiser Luncheon. It was an honor to see nearly $50K in scholarships awarded to six incredible law students—congratulations to the next generation of legal talent!

We were especially proud to cheer on friend of the firm and Chief Legal Officer of Nobel Schools Gina B. Lawrence as she accepted the 2026 Enduring Legacy Award.

Representing #VABLaw were Scholarship Fund Board Member Deborah Imafidon, BWLA Member Hilary Allen, and Reena Sikdar. We are proud to continue our support of this essential organization and its mission.

, ,

Lydia Bueschel Elected to Serve as Vice-Chair of NAMWOLF Board of Directors

, ,

Big news! Lydia Bueschel has been elected Vice-Chair of the National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) Board!

From her first NAMWOLF meeting in 2017 to this well-deserved leadership role today, Lydia has been passionate about this organization and its mission. We couldn’t be prouder!

, ,

VAB Supports 2026 Project Law Track

, ,

VAB is proud to support the 2026 Project Law Track!

This March, we joined the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago & Northwest Indiana to help inspire girls to pursue careers in law. A huge shoutout to our own Erica Byrd for co-chairing the event and Amy Sorenson for volunteering!

Seeing the talent and passion in these future lawyers was the highlight of our weekend.

Our local ABC News affiliate did a great job reporting on the event. Check that out here: https://lnkd.in/gzEJ7NAx

, ,

VAB Attends and Presents at the 2026 NAMWOLF Spring Meeting

, ,

That’s a wrap on another engaging National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) Meeting!

Team VAB was out in full force, with Lydia Bueschel, Hilary Allen, Lance Willoughby-Hudson, Jennifer Novoselsky, and Sandy Morris all in Nashville to represent the firm.

Thank you to The Emerging Leaders Initiative, which asked Lydia to share her expertise on their panel discussing the vital skills of giving and receiving feedback.

To everyone who made this meeting so meaningful, THANK YOU. We’re already looking forward to the Annual Meeting in our very own Chicago!

, ,

VAB Supports Black Futures

, ,

This month VAB Law is proud to highlight the work our team members are doing in the community to support Black women embarking on bright futures:

Our very own Deborah Imafidon is a dedicated member of the BLACK WOMEN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP FUND Board and recently co-chaired their gala, which provides vital financial support to aspiring Black women law students.

We also want to celebrate LaWanda May, MSHR’s commitment to Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., where she is a member (pictured here with her daughter, Nia, who is a youth affiliate of the Sorority). LaWanda has been dedicated to their mission of enhancing the quality of life within the community through service and education for 26 years!

Happy Black History Month and here's to Black Futures!

, ,

VAB Supports the 2026 Diversity Scholarship Foundation NFP's Unity Gala and Award Ceremony

, ,

VAB Law was honored to sponsor the 2026 Diversity Scholarship Foundation, NFP’s Unity Gala and Award Ceremony. The DSF's mission is to promote the goal of advancing diversity within the legal community. To fulfill its mission, DSF seeks to financially assist underprivileged and under-represented minorities in attending law school by offering them scholarships. DSF’s reach goes outside of the Chicago area helping aspiring students in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Iowa. We are especially proud of VAB Partner, Erica Byrd's work as Co-Chair of the Scholarship Committee! VAB Shareholder, Aurora Austriaco also helps to support the cause by serving on the Board of DFS. We were excited to bring as our guests Sarah Vehlow of Wintrust Bank Chicago and Suhana Patel, an aspiring law student. In addition to Erica and Aurora and our wonderful guests, VAB team members Susan Valentine, Reena Sikdar, Jennifer Novoselsky, Lance Willoughby-Hudson, Jack Casey and LaWanda May, MSHR were there to support this worthy cause and celebrate the recipients. Congratulations to all of the 2026 recipients of the DFS scholarships!

,

Congratulations to Team Members Named as 2025 Leading Lawyers!

,

Way to go team! VABLaw's Susan Valentine, Lydia Bueschel, Erica Byrd, Sandy Morris, Reena Sikdar and Jennifer Novoselsky were all selected this year Leading Lawyers for the year 2025 by leadinglawyers.com. Leading Lawyers are recommended by their peers to be among the TOP LAWYERS in a given practice area. Less than 5% of all lawyers licensed in each state have received this distinction. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/eKnfWErM

,

VAB Celebrates Our 2026 Super Lawyers

,

A VABulous round of applause to Susan Valentine, Aurora Austriaco, Lydia Bueschel, Sandy Morris, Erica Byrd and Jennifer Novoselsky for being included on the "Illinois Super Lawyers" list and to Reena Sikdar, Deborah Imafidon and Preslav Mantchev for their inclusion on the "Illinois Rising Stars" list!

Aurora Austriaco Receives the 2025 National Filipino American Lawyer Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

#VABLaw congratulates Shareholder @Aurora Austriaco on receiving the 2025 National Filipino American Lawyer Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

This award is given to distinguished Filipino American attorneys whose lifelong contributions have significantly shaped the legal profession and the Filipino American community.

Aurora exemplifies this distinction perfectly. We couldn't be prouder.

,

Aurora Austriaco Appointed by Governor JB Pritzker to the Newly Established Illinois Accountability Commission (IAC)

,

Please join #VABLaw in congratulating @Aurora Austriaco on her appointment to the newly established Illinois Accountability Commission (IAC)!

Appointed by Governor JB Pritzker, the IAC is an independent board tasked with documenting the conduct of federal law enforcement agents and recommending actions to hold the federal government accountable as they conduct military-style operations in Chicago, collar counties, and throughout the state.

Thank you for your commitment to the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois, Aurora! Your VAB team is so proud of you!

,

VAB Partners Erica Byrd & Jen Novoselsky CLE Panelists at the NAMWOLF Annual Meeting in Los Angeles

,

#VABLaw is excited to sponsor, attend, and present at the National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. Two of our hashtag#VABulous Partners will serve on CLE panels during the conference. Erica Byrd's session, "Boilerplate Provisions & Hidden Risks in Asset-Based Lending Agreements," will provide an in-depth examination of key contractual clauses, common pitfalls, and best practices for structuring ABL agreements that minimize lender exposure. Jennifer Novoselsky's session entitled "Hot Topics in Antitrust Law" will discuss significant recent changes in the practice area. We look forward to seeing you in L.A.!

VAB Sends Thanks and Best Wishes to Summer Intern Noah Jackson

A big thank you to Noah Jackson for serving as our summer intern in 2025! Noah wrapped up his work with VAB on Friday and returns this week to Howard University for his Senior year, majoring in journalism with a minor in economics. Noah performed wonderful work for VAB on a number of substantive research and writing assignments, firm presentations, and administrative projects. We wish you the best this year and beyond, Noah – any law school would be lucky to have you enter as a first year student in fall 2026!