DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel, P.C. is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise with a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”).  The makeup of our team of attorneys and staff evidences our commitment – but it does not end there.  VAB lives its commitment to DEI in the way we conduct our business every day, not just at a pitch meeting. 

To us, diversity, equity and inclusion are more than buzzwords… they are the founding principles of our firm.  With 100 percent women ownership and significant minority representation in our ownership and across our attorneys and staff, VAB brings diverse voices to the table and delivers a wide range of perspectives to find solutions to your legal problems.  As VAB’s clients know, hiring diverse lawyers isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. 

To further our commitment, VAB is proud to counsel our clients on legal issues related to DEI.  We offer services ranging from collaboration on internal programming to listening sessions and climate assessments on a range of related DEI issues.  We partner with in-house legal teams to ensure that corporate commitment to business diversity leads to the rewards that we know go hand in hand with an inclusive workplace. 

VAB attorneys are also actively involved in organizations dedicated to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in our industry.  VAB is an enthusiastic member firm of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (“NAMWOLF”), with shareholder Lydia Bueschel serving as a member of the NAMWOLF Board of Directors.   Shareholder Aurora Austriaco proudly served as the first Asian-American president of the Chicago Bar Association and is a founding member of the Filipino American Bar Association, the Asian American Executive Network, and the National Association of Asian American Professionals, as well as a host of the first-ever Asian Women’s Summit in 2024. Shareholder Susan Valentine’s continues to demonstrate her leadership in community organizations, such as BEDS Plus Care, providing services to those struggling with homelessness, and the Chicago Bar Foundation.  Among other organizations, VAB attorneys advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through their leadership in the Diversity Scholarship Foundation, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, Chicago Scholars, the Illinois Prison Project, and the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago. 

For VAB, our commitment to DEI is more than just talk; it is a call to action.