Board and Committees

2025 Executive Board Officers

Thi Tran is the Director of Development at San José Spotlight, a digital news organization covering political and business issues across Silicon Valley. In this capacity, he develops community events and plans the fundraising strategy around annual donations, grants, and sponsorship outreach. Thi graduated magna cum laude from San José State University, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Corporate Accounting & Finance and a minor in Public Administration and Policy. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law. Thi has been a member of VABANC since 2018, previously serving on the general board as Chair of the Judiciary Committee.

Vincent Pham is a Deputy District Attorney at the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, under the leadership of Thien Ho. As a prosecutor, Vincent prosecutes misdemeanor crimes and advocates for victims, witnesses, and the entire community in Sacramento County. Vincent graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a minor in Communications. Further, Vincent also earned his Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University, School of Law. Vincent has been a general member of VABANC since 2020 and is excited to serve on the Executive Board for 2025.

Ally Phan is a VABANC Law Foundation fellow, family law attorney, at Step Forward Foundation. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Creighton University and her Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law. Ally has been a member of VABANC since 2021.

Jessica Chung is an Intellectual Property associate at Fenwick & West LLP. Jessica earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her Juris Doctorate from Boston College Law School. Jessica has been a member of VABANC since 2024.

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Committees

Community Service
2025 Co-Chairs: Jennifer Liem, Mimi Nguyen
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.

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 can make a significant difference!

If interested, please complete our Volunteer Sign-Up sheet to join our volunteer list.

Judiciary
2025 Co-Chairs: Nguyen Luu, Neah Huynh
VABANC’s Judiciary Committee screens, evaluates, and recommends judicial and political candidates to the Board. Once the Committee and the Board makes a determination to endorse a candidate, the Committee will work to support this individual’s effort for an appointment to the bench or political position. 

MCLE / Professional Development
2025 Chair: Nicholas Nguyen
VABANC strives to promote the professional development of its attorneys through brown bag luncheons with Bay Area judges and other speakers and MCLE panels.

Mentorship
2025 Chairs: Michael Tran 
Attorneys are paired with law students who are interested in the particular field in which the attorney practices. Attorney mentors and law student mentees may contact VABANC throughout the year to participate in VABANC’s programs. VABANC organizes social events such as mock interview sessions to assist law students and newer practitioners.

Scholarship Dinner Planning
2025 Co-Chairs: Diane Nguyen, Linh Le, Austin Hoang
Every year, judges, attorneys, law students, and community leaders look forward to attending VABANC’s Scholarship Dinner. Scholarships and fellowships are given out every year to law students who have shown a demonstrated interest in serving the community. Sponsorship opportunities and individual ticket sales are available. 

Scholarship Recipient Selection Committee
2025 Co-Chairs: Michelle Truong, Alex Tran
The selection of scholarships and fellowships are led by the Scholarship Recipient Selection Committee. The Committee will oversee the application process and selection of recipients.

Social / Professional Networking
2025 Chair: Vivian Tran
Semi-annual or quarterly mixers and events are coordinated by the Social / Professional Networking Committee. VABANC’s social events allow VABANC members to more easily connect on a one-on-one basis. They have also organized events with other minority bar associations and our southern California counterpart, the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Southern California.

Communications
2025 Chair: Tsu-Li Liew
The Communications Committee puts together a monthly newsletter with the current happenings of VABANC, exciting news about the community, and information about upcoming events. The Committee also maintains the VABANC website and social media presence. 

Diversity & Inclusion
2025 Chair: Hilary Cheung
The D&I Committee is focused specifically on VABANC’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. This may include town hall events with other minority bar associations and addressing current issues in the Vietnamese and greater AAPI communities.

Membership
2025 Chair: Tsu-Li Liew
The Membership Committee oversees the organization of VABANC’s membership base, including member sign-ups and acting as a liaison by relaying any member interests to the general board.

Advisory Board
Nguyen Luu, Luu Law PC
Mimi Nguyen, Step Forward Foundation
Jennifer Liem, Fenwick & West LLP
Winston Liaw, Farella Braun + Martel LLP
Valerie Truong, Sidley Austin LLP