Aurora Abella-Austriaco is a Shareholder at Valentine Austriaco and Bueschel P.C.(VAB), an all-women-owned law firm. Before VAB, she was the sole shareholder of Austriaco and Associates Ltd. Austriaco has been in practice for 30 years and concentrates her practice in the areas of business transactions and litigation, commercial litigation, real estate transaction, and litigation, mechanic’s liens, subrogation actions, guardianship litigation, defense of mortgage foreclosure, mortgage fraud (plaintiff), title insurance litigation, declaratory judgment actions, partition actions, and other exceptional chancery remedy cases. Her clients include multinational corporations, state and federal credit unions, title insurance companies, hotel and restaurant owners, home health care agencies, lab testing companies, medium to small business owners, and individual clients. Before owning her firm, she worked as an associate at Harold I. Levine, Ltd., as in-house counsel for Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, and subsequently as Of Counsel to Clark Hill PLC.
Bar Associations
Aurora Abella-Austriaco has held numerous leadership roles throughout her career:
- Currently serves as Commissioner for the Illinois Courts Commission and was recently appointed by Governor Pritzker to serve as Judge to the Illinois Court of Claims.
- Past President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP) was founded in 1950 to provide information and leadership training to state and local bar association leaders from 53 states and territories.
- Past President of the Chicago Bar Association, one of the country’s largest and oldest metropolitan bar associations with over 22,000 attorney members.
- Two-year term as President of the Lawyer’s Trust Fund of Illinois.
- Completed two terms as Illinois State Delegate to the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates.
- Served on the Chicago Bar Foundation board and the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR).
- Founding board member of the Filipino American Bar Association.
- Past board member and current member of the Asian American Bar Association.
- Past member of the ISBA Real Estate Section Council.
- Served on the ABA Credentials and Admissions Committee and the ABA Presidential Appointments Committee.
- Served a two-year term as a member of the ABA House Rules and Calendar Committee and served on the 2020 ABA Presidential Appointments Committee from 2018-2020.
- Served as Chair of the Tellers Committee of the ABA House of Delegates.
- Past member of the ABA Standing Committee on Meetings and Travel.
- Past Diversity Director for the ABA General Practice Small Solo Division.
- Past member of the ABA Standing Committee on Bar Activities & Services.
- In August 2020, Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer appointed me to serve on the first-ever Racial Justice Diversity Committee of the Northern District of Illinois.
- Appointed by Chief Judge Holderman, then Chief Judge of the Northern District, to serve as Chair of the 2012 Magistrate Merit Selection Panel and as chair of the 2013 Magistrate Review Selection Committee.
- Elected to serve on the ABA Board of Governors.
- Elected as the first female and minority President of the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers’ Association (IRELA).
- Elected to the Board of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. (ATGF), a national bar-related title insurance company.
- Elected Secretary of the Board and currently serves on the Executive Committee of ATGF in February 2021.
Community Service
- Serves on the DePaul University Law School Dean’s Advisory Council.
- Serves on the following associations:
- Board of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP)
- Board of the Asian American Coalition of Chicago (AACC)
- Advisory Board Member of Chinese Mutual Aid Association (CMAA)
- Pro Bono Legal Counsel for the Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (FPACC)
- President of the Filipino Executive Network.
- Appointed to the Chicago United Board in March 2022.
- Joined the First Women’s Bank Advisory Board in April 2021.
- Appointed Chair of the DePaul University Law School Diversity Council in May 2020.
- Served as an elected School Board Member for the Maine Township District 207 High School.
- Served on the Governance Board of Presence Health Systems St. Joseph’s Hospital.
- Past President of the Maine South Hawkettes Booster Board.
- Past board member of the Park Ridge Juniors.
Government Services
- Several years as Chair of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Asian Advisory Council.
- Twelve years as Commissioner for the Cook County Human Rights Commission.
- Nine years as Commissioner for the Park Ridge Planning and Zoning Commission.
- Two-year term as President of the Asian American Institute, now known as Asians Advancing Justice.
Awards & Recognitions
- In April 2022, Chicago United presented Aurora with the Toni Cornelius Special Recognition Award.
- January 2022, the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, the Asian American Bar Association, and the Korean American Bar Association jointly recognized Aurora with the “2022 Asian Women in Leadership” award.
- In October 2021, the ABA GP Solo Division awarded Aurora with its highest award, the “Difference Maker’s” award.
- October 2021, recognized by the Private Company Director Magazine’s “2021 Outstanding Directors to Watch.”
- May 2020, named as one of 50 honorees for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer “Salute! Women in Law” awards and was given the Cook County State’s Attorney’s “Outstanding Community Leader” Award.
- March 8, 2020, recognized as one of the “Top 20 Global Women of Excellence” by the 7th Congressional District Multi-Ethnic Task Force Day.
- June 2019, named as one of Chicago United’s “50 Business Leaders of Color.”
- May 2019, the recipient of the Jesse White, Secretary of State Justice Laura Liu Trailblazer” Award.
- February 28, 2015, the recipient of the prestigious Asian American Coalition of Chicago Lunar New Year Gala “Ping Tom Memorial” Award.
- 2015, recognized as one of “2015 Global FWN100™ Awardees” by the San Francisco Filipina Women’s Network.
- November 2015, awarded the “Chicago Filipino Asian American Hall of Fame” Award.
- From 2013 to 2018, named one of the “Top 10 Women Consumer Law” Attorneys by Leading Lawyers.
- 2013, named one of “100 Women of Influence in Chicago” by Today’s Chicago Woman and twice as one of “100 Women Making a Difference.
- In September 2013, awarded the “Sister Margaret Traxler” Award by the Institute of Women Today (IWT) for her years of pro bono work on behalf of IWT.
- From 2012 to the present, she has been recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” in Real Estate and Consumer Law and named one of the “Top 100 Women Consumer Law” Attorneys in Illinois.
- From 2012-present, named “Super Lawyers in Real Estate.”
- July 2011, Aurora was named “Top 100 under 50 Diverse Executive Leaders” by Diversity MBA Magazine.
- November 21, 2010, received the Asian Chronicle USA “Distinguished Young Asian Professional Award.”
- Served as the 2010 Asian American Coalition Event Chair, hosted by the Filipino Community in January 2010 and attended by over 1,300 people. The Asian American Coalition is an organization comprising all the Asian communities in Chicago, including Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Bangladesh, Pakistani, Thai, Laotians, Vietnamese, Indians, and Malaysians.
- April 22, 2009, recipient of the CBA “Vanguard Award,” which honors individuals and institutions that have helped promote diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and made it more reflective of the community.
- April 18, 2009, recognized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce as one of the “Ten Most Outstanding Filipino American Businessmen.”
- 2008, received the “Distinguished Service” Award from Cook County State’s Attorney, Richard Devine for her service as Chair of the Asian Advisory Council.
- June 5, 2008, received the ABA Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) “Legacy Justice Fund” award. The CLEO award recognizes members of the legal community whose efforts and activities serve to advance the cause of diversity within the legal profession.
- May 2006, received the CBA Alliance for Women “Alta Mae Hulett” award, a prestigious award given to women lawyers who have significantly contributed to the advancement of women in the profession.
- 2006, received the 2006 Philippine Chamber of Commerce “Excellence in Law” award.
Other Accomplishments
Aurora Abella-Austriaco is a frequent speaker and lecturer at various CLE conferences locally, nationally, and internationally.
- March 8, 2022, Panelist at the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession “International Women’s Day Panel.”
- August 2021, Aurora participated as a panelist at the NCBP Annual Meeting Conference.
- In June 2021, she served as a Facilitator for the White House Eviction Prevention Summit.
- January 2021, Aurora was the keynote speaker at the Joint meeting of the Greater Orlando Asian American Bar Assn and Jacksonville Women’s Bar Association.
- December 2020, spoke at the NCBP “Women Bar Leaders Conversation.”
- Served as a panelist at the 2020 ISBA Leadership Academy.
- Panelist in the 2019 ABOTA-The Case for Civility Today and at the 2018 ISBA’s 6th Annual Minority Bar CLE Conference.
- Panelist at the 2018 ABA Aviation Litigation Conference on “Civility in the Legal Profession.”
- Speaker at the 2017 Tokyo World City Bar Leader’s Conference on “Emerging Practice Areas in the Current Legal Landscape.”
- Speaker at the Asian Business Summit Meeting in DC.
- Speaker at programs hosted by the Chicago Bar Association (CBA), American Bar Association (ABA), Asian American Bar Association (AABA), ISBA Real Estate Section, ISBA General Practice Section, ABA Real Property Section, and ABA General Practice, Small and Solo Division.
- April 2015, Speaker at the Ethics Seminar in Barcelona, Spain during a joint CBA/Barcelona Bar CLE program.
- May 2014, Aurora spoke at the ABA Real Property Probate and Trust Conference in Chicago on “Mixed Use Development”.
- July 2013, Speaker at the US Korea (KORUS) Law Day Foundation Conference held in Irvine, CA, on “Diversity Initiatives.”
- June 8, 2013, Keynote speaker for the Philippine Independence Week Gala event.
- May 2013, Speaker at the World City Bar Leaders Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, on “Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession: A Challenge for Law Offices and Their Clients” and “The Role of Lawyers in Resolving the Sovereign Debt and Financial Crisis.
- March 2013, Aurora was invited to speak before the Tokyo Bar Association International CLE in Tokyo and was a speaker at the CBA Business Delegation in Manila, Philippines.
- February 2013, Speaker at the International Trade Fair of the Legal Profession in Barcelona, Spain, and at the Barcelona Bar Association on the topic “Social Role of Lawyers.”.
- February 2013, Keynote speaker for the 2013 Asian American Coalition of Chicago Lunar New Year Gala, a gathering of over 1,200 Asian American community and business leaders in the country.
Aurora was a contributing author to “Dear Sisters, Dear Daughters: Strategies for Success from Multicultural Women Attorneys (August 16, 2009), published by the ABA Commission on Women, and “DISRUPT 2.0. Filipina Women: Daring To Lead” (2016) book published by the Filipina Women’s Network.
In November 2015, Aurora Abella-Austriaco, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Commerce and Minority Business Development Administration, organized a successful delegation of twenty-eight (28) Asian Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to serve as U.S. delegates to the Asian Pacific Economic Council (APEC) Summit which was held in Manila, Philippines.
On May 20, 2014, Aurora was invited to participate in the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s “Post-Typhoon Haiyan Roundtable.”
Aurora was a 2004 Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago and was a 2013 Edgars Fellow. Aurora also served on the Board of the Hubbard Street Dance of Chicago from 2011-2014 and also served as Co-chair of the Hubbard Street Dance “Bold Moves for Bold Women” event for several years. Aurora is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, The Chicago Network, and the International Women’s Forum.
Aurora also hosts her own radio talk show entitled “Sundays with Aurora.”
Aurora is fluent in Tagalog. She is married to Dr. Jerome Austriaco, and they have two daughters, Danielle and Isabelle.