Bicvan Brown Attends National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys
The National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys (NCVAA) is the first-ever national Vietnamese American bar association comprised of lawyers, law students, judges and legal scholars. Tressler attorney Bicvan Brown of our Orange County office attended the 13th Annual National Conference held in Dallas on October 4th and 5th. This year’s theme was “Building Bridges.”
Bicvan is a Vietnamese refugee who speaks fluent Spanish and Vietnamese. After the Vietnam war, she and her family arrived at Camp Pendleton in April 1975 when she was only four years old. They had to start life over again in the United States.
"I had the most inspiring professional experience at the conference when I met Vietnamese American attorneys and Judges from all over the United States," said Bicvan Brown. "There were five panels on Saturday, and I was in awe of every single panelist, whose experience in this country was very similar to mine and who have amazing success stories.”
Panel highlights included Vietnamese American Judges giving the best and most humorous presentation on implicit bias she has ever witnessed and two law school professors and a public service attorney giving an excellent session on the current immigration law. The most honest conversation occurred when five dual-career attorneys discussed the decision they made to pursue careers outside of the law and the identity struggle and parental pressure not to do so.This panel left the audience in an emotional state she has never witnessed at a conference. Yet, it was followed by a hilarious lesson in Vietnamese ballroom dancing led by a Vietnamese attorney.
The conference ended with a fun gala on Saturday evening where she learned Texas line dancing while gambling, watching other people ride the mechanical bull and dressing up in “cowboy chic” in hopes of winning the costume contest.
“This is a powerful, cohesive and honest group who are nothing but supportive. I am so thankful that Tressler sponsored this trip," Bicvan Brown continued. "I am thankful for the amazing NCVAA Board of Directors, Dallas Organizing Committee and I am so proud to have built so many new bridges.”
Next year's conference will be held in New York City and Bicvan is looking forward to seeing everyone there!
About Bicvan Brown
Bicvan Brown is an associate in the Labor & Employment Litigation practice at Tressler LLP. She focuses her practice in all aspects of employment matters, including employment trials, arbitrations and mediations. She defends employers while providing advice and counsel against claims such as wage and hour (individual and class actions), PAGA, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation and whistleblowing. She defends employers before state and federal agencies such as the EEOC, NLRB, California Labor Commission and California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. She is fluent in Vietnamese and Spanish and she provides advice about as well as translates workplace policies, employee handbooks and agreements. She regularly speaks at seminars, including sexual harassment prevention training conducted in Vietnamese, with the purpose of helping employers and their insurers regarding best practices to minimize risk in California.
About NCVAA
NCVAA arises out of over six years of network-building efforts by Vietnamese American attorneys nationwide, including ad hoc conferences that also went by the NCVAA name. The Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California hosted the first conference in San Jose, California in 2006. The second NCVAA conference was hosted by the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Southern California in 2007, in Orange County, California. Later conferences rotated among various locations including Washington, D.C. and Houston, Texas. Learn more at http://www.ncvaa.org/.
About Tressler LLP
Headquartered in Chicago, with eight offices located in five states, Tressler LLP is a national law firm comprised primarily of attorneys who devote their practice to the representation of the insurance industry in coverage analysis and resolution, litigation, underwriting consultation, product development, claims management and reinsurance.
In addition, Tressler has one of the most experienced and multi-faceted government law practices in Illinois, and has attorneys who represent clients in commercial litigation; defense litigation; corporate transactions; employment law and litigation, intellectual property and condominium and common interest community association law.
For additional information about our firm, visit www.tresslerllp.com.