2024 is already looking #VABulous! Congratulations to Susan Valentine, Aurora Austriaco, Lydia Bueschel, and Sandy Morris who have been included on the 2024 "Illinois Super Lawyers" list. We are also very excited to report that Reena Sikdar and Deborah Seriki have been included on the 2024 "Illinois Rising Stars" list.
Aurora attends the White House Holiday Ball
What an amazing and incredible experience to go to the White House Holiday Ball!!! Thank you to my dear friend Congresswoman Robin Kelly for the great honor and opportunity!!
Aurora Austriaco Moderated 2 Panels at Business Smart Week
Aurora Austriaco, Partner at VAB Law moderated two panels on the topic of “Facing Frontal Divides: Challenges and Opportunities for Minority Businesses” and “Managing Frontal Divides: Solutions to Minority Business Challenges” at the 2023 Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Business Smart Week. The theme this year was “Business Equity: Inclusion-The Pathway Forward.”
VAB’s 2023 Super Lawyers
VAB Featured in Chicago United's 2022 Year in Review
Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel, P.C. was excited to be featured in Chicago United's 2022 Year in Review for both, Aurora Austriaco's new Board position and for the firm's new status as a Member Company.
Aurora Austriaco Attends the White House's 4th of July Celebration
Aurora Austriaco was honored to be invited to the Presidential 4th of July celebration as we celebrated 246 years of independence! She even made it into the White House’s official Instagram feed alongside colleagues including Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Patricia Brown Holmes and Donovan Pepper, She was even able to get a couple of selfies with President Biden and Vice President Harris.
Aurora Austriaco Panelist at ABA Tort TIPS Annual Section Conference
VAB Law Shareholder and American Bar Association, IL, State Delegate Aurora Austriaco was honored to participate as a panelist during the ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) Annual Section Conference last week. Aurora's session was entitled, "Moving the Needle – What Corporations Are Doing in Real Time to Affect Diversity in Their Legal Spending and Why It Matters to Your Firm." Among the topics discussed were how companies reprioritize relationship when law firms fail to use diverse talent and how organizations like National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) make hiring diverse firms a breeze.
Aurora Austriaco Recipient of this Year's Chicago United “Toni Cornelius Special Recognition” Award
Congratulations to VAB Shareholder, Aurora Austriaco on her election to the Board of Chicago United and on being the recipient of this year's Chicago United “Toni Cornelius Special Recognition” Award!
VAB thanks Chicago United for the honor to serve on the Board and for this incredible recognition. Congratulations, as well, to the other award recipients.
Aurora Austriaco Panelist at Pennsylvania Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession, International Women's Day Program
VAB Law Shareholder, Past President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents, and Past President of The Chicago Bar Association, Aurora Austriaco spoke on a panel at the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession, International Women's Day Program via Zoom.
Aurora Austriaco Selected as the 2021 ABA Difference Maker Award Recipient
We are so excited that our very own Aurora Austriaco was selected by the ABA GPSolo Committee as their 2021 Difference Maker Award recipient!
We can't think of a more aptly named award for Aurora. Her professional and personal career have focused on public service by serving on not for profit, corporate and school boards and heading organizations that focus on improving access to justice, equity and inclusion and serving the community at large.
Aurora Austriaco is Named Board Member of the Month by Illinois Institute for Continuing Education
VAB shareholder Aurora Austriaco is honored to be recognized as the Board Member of the Month by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Education (IICLE). She proudly serves on the board of this outstanding organization as they are the premier provider of continuing legal education throughout the State of Illinois.
Aurora Austriaco is White House Virtual Eviction Prevention Summit Facilitator
VAB shareholder Aurora Austriaco, through her role as the President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP), recently served as a facilitator in the first-of-its-kind White House Virtual Eviction Prevention Summit. This summit was held to develop community-specific solutions to provide vulnerable families access to counsel, divert evictions, and connect renters and landlords to available resources.
For more information on this summit visit: https://lnkd.in/dGVKSKn
Aurora Austriaco Mentioned in Law.com Article
VAB shareholder Aurora Austriaco was honored to be credited as a key mentor to Ray J. Koenig III of Clark Hill Law in the Special Report "How I Made It" published by Law.com. Ray was highlighted in their May issue: "How I Made Office Managing Partner and Group Co-Chairman". According to Ray, "Aurora has been a big supporter, advocate, friend, mentor, and an inspirational example of how hard work and the right attitude will get you anywhere. She is the first Asian American president of the Chicago Bar Association and is a true embodiment of the American success story"
Aurora Austriaco Panelist on UCAN's Women's Leadership Forum
Aurora Austriaco was honored to participate in this reflective conversation with amazing trailblazing women Kenya Key, Psy.D., CCHP-MH Tanya Menon Alex Cleveland Lourdes Gonzalez Kimberly Casey on March 19. And thank you Uhlich Childrens Advantage Network for hosting this!
Aurora Austriaco Moderator of the 1st Ever NAAAP Leadership Series on Building Allyship
VAB shareholder and National Board of Directors Member of NAAAP (National Association of Asian American Professionals) Aurora Austriaco moderated the first event of the Inaugural Inclusive Leadership Series that will focused on "Building Allyship." Aurora and panelists Lauren Garces, Samson Lee, Junann Lopez and Christie Sithiphone will discussed how they build community partnerships with other professional affinity groups of color. They shared best practices, significance and benefits of these partnerships.
Aurora Austriaco Participant on All-Star Panel of CBA Women Presidents
VAB shareholder, past President of The Chicago Bar Association, and current President of the NCBP Aurora Austriaco was honored to be included on an "All Star Panel of CBA Women Presidents." This webcast was focused on important issues facing women in the law and on celebrating achievements in recognition of #WomensHistoryMonth.
Congratulations to out 2021 Super Lawyers & Rising Stars
We are excited to announce that VAB attorneys have been included on the Illinois Super Lawyers (or Rising Star) list for 2021. Congrats to Susan Valentine (Business Litigation), Aurora Austriaco (Real Estate: Business), Lydia Bueschel (General Litigation), Sandy Morris (Business Litigation & Employment Litigation: Defense), and Elisa Wesche (Business Litigation). Super indeed! #VABulous
Aurora Austriaco in Her Role as the NCBP President Introduces the 2021 Fellows Award Winner at the Midyear Meeting
VAB Shareholder and National Conference of Bar Presidents (“NCPB”) Aurora Austriaco will introduce the 2021 Fellows Award Winner at the NABE & NCBP Virtual Midyear Meeting on February 3, 2021 at 1:00 PM ET.
About the Meeting
The National Association of Bar Executives (NABE) and the NCBP are coming together again to provide bar association officers and professional staff another virtual, educational experience. Please join us for the 2021 NABE & NCBP Virtual Midyear Meeting - Facing the Future Together! This exciting opportunity is scheduled for February 1-4, 2021. Together, NABE and NCBP are enhancing programming and networking in an online space that will allow you to connect with your peers. The meeting will include a variety of plenaries, breakout sessions and even more time to socialize with attendees, speakers and sponsors. Let's come together to learn and create a brighter future for our bar associations! #NABEFutureTogether #NCBPFutureTogether
About the Award
Award Purpose
The National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP) established the NCBP Fellows Award at its 2005 annual meeting to honor an outstanding past president of a bar association.
Criteria
To qualify for a nomination, an individual must meet the following criteria:
Must be a past president of a bar association
Must have demonstrated a continuing commitment to leadership, service, the work of the organized bar and the purpose of the NCBP
Must have demonstrated a lifetime of achievement or exceptional service to lawyers or the public
An individual need not be a dues paying member of the NCBP for consideration
Current members of the NCBP Executive Council are not eligible
Aurora Austriaco Speaker at the 2021 NAAAP National Leadership Academy
On January 29, 2021 VAB Shareholder Aurora Austriaco was honored to serve as the Day 1 National Board Chat speaker during the 2021 National Association of Asian American Professionals (“NAAAP”) National Leadership Academy.
About the NAAAP
At NAAAP, our leaders are built through professional networking and educational events, trainings, community service programs, and celebrations of Asian American excellence. For 38 years we have inspired, developed, and connected thousands of leaders across 30 chapters internationally with a reach of more than 25,000+ professionals.
About the National Leadership Academy
Our National Leadership Academy is an advanced skills-building boot camp for new and returning NAAAP national and chapter leaders. The interactive program provides workshops designed to reinvigorate, educate, and guide, with opportunities to network and collaborate with current and upcoming leaders as well as National Board members.
Aurora Austriaco Featured in Jacksonville Daily Record Article on Bar Leadership Challenges in 2021
On January 14, 2021 Aurora Austriaco, VAB Shareholder and President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents, was the virtual guest speaker at joint membership meeting for The Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association and the Greater Orlando Asian American Bar Association.
Her contribution to the discussion on gender and minority equity in the legal profession, as well as her personal background, were featured in a January 26, 2021 article put out by the Jacksonville Daily Record. You can read that article in its entirety here.
In the article, Aurora was quoted several times. Here we’ve highlighted a couple of our favorites:
“Be honest. Be flexible and involve your members to find creative solutions. Face the challenges because another curveball could be thrown.”
“Refer business to each other. That’s the best compliment you can give a colleague,”
