On Saturday, October 15, 2016, the National Conference for Vietnamese American Attorneys (NCVAA) held an all-day conference and gala at San Jose City Hall. The VABANC Law Foundation organized an elimination of bias MCLE panel for attendees titled “Dismantling Biases: From Client Relationships, Telling Their Stories, to Creating Policy.” Speakers on the panel included 2015 VLF fellow, Jacqueline Dan with Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Orange County; Hai Dao with Bay Area Legal Aid Society; Tuyet Duong with the Office for Victims of Crime within the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs; and moderated by Christine M. Pham, VLF.
Speakers discussed how to identify bias in the legal profession when serving clients. They shared their experiences in the public interest sector with bringing culturally-competent models of service to their clients, from working with war-trauma communities, to serving those with disabilities and limited-English proficiencies.