Happy New Year!
VABANC Legal Clinic — Calling for Volunteers!
Every first Wednesday evening of the month, VABANC Legal Clinic is hosted from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM at the Vietnamese American Service Center (2410 Senter Rd., San Jose, CA 95111), fully operated by volunteer availability. Our next clinic is on Wednesday, February 5th, 2025.
In collaboration with the Vietnamese American Service Center (VASC), VABANC invites attorneys and law students to volunteer at our legal clinics. Since 2016, our dedicated VABANC volunteers have been the backbone of our mission.
The San Jose Vietnamese community needs your support more than ever. We are particularly seeking volunteer attorneys with experience in housing, immigration, employment, and family law.
Non-attorneys, law students, and community members are also welcome to volunteer and engage directly with clients through intake consultations or Vietnamese translation assistance. Your support make a significant difference!
If interested, please complete our Volunteer Sign-Up sheet to join our volunteer list.
2025 Kickoff Meeting
Mark your calendars! We welcome attorneys, law students, and legal professionals to join VABANC at our first kickoff meeting of 2025. Get to know our new Executive Board, meet current members, and become involved with one of our nine committees.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out by contacting our Secretary, Ally Phan, at secretary@vabanc.org.
Thank you for your support in ensuring VABANC continues to offer resources for our underserved communities and remains a forum for exchanged ideas amongst the Vietnamese American legal community. We look forward to seeing you later this month!
VABANC, VLF, and Step Forward Foundation Mixer
Mark your calendars for the first VABANC Social Event of the Year!
VABANC and the VABANC Law Foundation are hosting a happy hour this March! Bring your friends and coworkers to join us as we mingle with VABANC and non-VABANC members, celebrate the VLF Public Interest Fellow’s accomplishments, and highlight the impactful work being done in our community.
This is also your chance to sign up for VABANC committees and kickstart your engagement with our bar association.
If you are unable to attend, please consider donating to support the next generation of legal leaders dedicated to empowering marginalized communities!
Your presence (or contribution!) will make this celebration even more meaningful—we cannot wait to see you there!
Community News
Congratulations, Nikki Vo, as “Legal Impact Honoree”!
VABANC congratulates Nikki Vo for her upcoming recognition as Asian Law Alliance’s “Legal Impact Honoree” at their 48th Anniversary Dinner & Awards Ceremony on April 17, 2025.
Nikki Vo has served as Director and Associate General Counsel at Meta since 2017. Prior to Meta, she was with Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP from 2008 to 2017 as Of Counsel. Vo represented VABANC as President from 2012-2013. She graduated cum laude from Yale University, with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Vo earned her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.
2025 Mock Trial Tournament: Volunteer Judges Needed!
The Santa Clara County Office of Education and the Santa Clara County Bar Association are thrilled to invite you to participate as an Attorney Scorer in our Santa Clara County Mock Trial Tournament for the 2024-2025 school year. These programs provide high school students with a unique and exciting opportunity to experience the workings of the legal system while developing essential life skills.
Tournament Details
Round III: Monday, February 3, 2025 – SCCOE
Round IV: Tuesday, February 4, 2025 – SCCOE
Quarterfinals: Thursday, February 6, 2025 – Superior Court of Santa Clara County
Semifinals: Tuesday, February 11, 2025 – Superior Court of Santa Clara County
Finals: Invitation only. Thursday, February 13, 2025 – Superior Court of Santa Clara County
Scorer Orientation is held each evening at 5:30 pm. Trials commence at 6:00 pm. Please note that prior scoring experience is necessary in order to score an elimination round. The Final Round Scorers are by Invitation only.
Your participation will help high school students learn about our judicial system.
Register to volunteer here. If you have any questions, please get in touch with Sherry Diamond at sherryd@sccba.com.
Thank you for your participation in this valuable program.
NCVAA National Call Celebrating Tết
Celebrate Lunar New Year with the National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys!
Details: Wednesday, February 5, 4:00 PM | Zoom
2025-2026 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury Application
The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara is pleased to announce that the recruitment for the 2025-26 Civil Grand Jury is underway. Linked here is the application. Visit here for more information.
The Court will be accepting applications until Friday, March 28, 2025.
Announcements
Seeking Job Opportunities for Law Students
Due to current economic conditions, we are reaching out to our network to support our student members. If your workplace is hiring students for summer or post-grad opportunities, please email info@vabanc.org with the job description and application process.
Seek VABANC’s Endorsement
Are you applying for a bench position or running for a prosecutorial or public defender position? Reach out to us! VABANC welcomes all applicants to seek our endorsement (irrespective of Vietnamese background). VABANC endorsements carry significant weight, particularly in the judicial application process. For more information, contact Nguyen Luu at nguyen@luulaw.com.
2025 VABANC Membership Means 2025 NAPABA Membership
Your VABANC membership gets you a complimentary membership in NAPABA. That means, along with VABANC’s local events, networking, and advocacy you get access to national resources like:
• Career Center, including NAPABA’s online national legal job board and career resources
• Networking opportunities nationwide
• Scholarships to attend NAPABA events
• Leadership development programs to boost your career
• Webinars and workshops for continued education
Click here to renew your VABANC membership today for 2025 and get your code for free NAPABA membership!
AABA/APILO Pro-Bono Legal Clinic
The AABA Community Services Committee and Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO) operate a pro bono legal clinic that is staffed by volunteer attorneys and law students. The clinic helps ensure that low-income Bay Area residents, including many mono-lingual immigrants, will receive free legal information and advice from AABA volunteers.
The APILO/AABA Clinic assists individuals in a number of areas, including immigration and family law issues. The APILO/AABA Clinics are now held virtually via Zoom, and they occur every third Wednesday of the month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. If you are interested in volunteering at the clinic, please sign up for our clinic mailing list via this link.
If you would like more information, please contact AABA Community Services Committee Co-Chair Ly Ly at ly.ly@compass.com. No prior clinic training or expertise is required, and foreign language skills are in high demand (particularly Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese).
Job Opportunities
The California Appellate Project is looking for an Executive Director to oversee their operations, guide their strategic direction, and inspire their team. See here for the application and more information.
The California Appellate Project is looking for one Attorney position. See here for the application and more information.
The Oakland City Attorney’s Office is looking for a Worker Protection Attorney, focusing on wage theft in Oakland and helping to establish a Worker Protection Unit in the Affirmative Litigation, Innovation and Enforcement Division. See here for the application and more information.
The Oakland City Attorney’s Office is looking for a Neighborhood Law Corps Attorney. See here for the application and more information.
The Oakland City Attorney’s Office is looking for a Deputy City Attorney II or III in the General Government & Finance team. See here for hiring announcement and more information.
The Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) is seeking a Deputy District Attorney IV to prepare and litigate complex and serious cases (primarily felonies) before the Superior and Appellate Courts. See here for the application and more information.
Braun Blaising & Wynne P.C. (BB&W) is seeking a part-time school year law clerk for the 2024-2025 school year with potential extension to become a summer associate for full-time employment. BB&W provides regulatory, transactional and general counsel services to public agencies, such as community choice aggregators as well as publicly owned electric and water utilities.
Typical duties will include regulatory reporting services, attending/monitoring agency workshops, document drafting, regulatory filings, legal research and analysis, and assistance with legal compliance activities. Environmental law and/or energy/utility law subject matter areas of interest are preferred.
Interested 2Ls should send their cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript and a writing sample to BB&W at the following email address: administrator@braunlegal.com.
Santa Clara University School of Law is looking for Semester Adjunct Lecturers. See here for hiring announcement and more information.
University of California College of the Law, San Francisco is looking for a (Associate) Professor of Practice Office For Academic Skills Instruction And Support. See here for the application and more information.
University of California College of the Law, San Francisco is looking for multiple Adjunct Professors in a variety of curriculums. See here for hiring announcement and more information.
Membership Renewal
Have you renewed your membership this year?
You can conveniently renew online here. Thank you for your continued support and belief in our mission.
#VABANC, #ProvideEncourageFoster, #ChampioningChange
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