Board Officers
Tae Kim focuses his practice on commercial litigation and disputes, while also serving in an outside general counsel role for businesses from a wide range of industries. Tae has litigated “bet the company” cases across the country – being licensed to practice in U. S. Court of Appeals for the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and D.C. Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court – and has led negotiations for complex, international deals with companies on Forbes Global 2000 list. Tae has a passion for mentoring law students and junior attorneys, and he currently serves as Co-Chair of AABA’s mentorship committee. Tae has also has previously served on the Board for the Public Interest Law Initiative, and as a Mentor for the Cook County Bar Association’s Juvenile Justice Mentorship Initiative. Tae received his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law (magna cum laude) and received his B.A. from the University of Florida.
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Belle Katubig First Vice President |
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Vikas Didwania Second Vice President | Vikas Didwania is a federal prosecutor at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. He recently was on leave from the US Attorney’s Office until January 2025 to serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for Criminal Justice at the White House. As a prosecutor, Vikas has investigated and prosecuted a wide range of federal criminal cases concerning national security and terrorism, complex fraud, violent crime, and narcotics trafficking. Before joining the US Attorney’s Office in Chicago, Vikas worked as a litigation associate and partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Chicago, and as a law clerk for Judge Pamela A. Rymer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.Vikas graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago Law School |
Avani Patel Secretary | Avani Patel is the Supervising Senior Attorney for the Illinois Court Help Program at the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, where she leads a statewide team that assists court users across all 102 Illinois counties. She also serves as Special Projects Manager at the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession. Avani is deeply committed to AAPI bar associations and previously served as an at-large board member for NAPABA (2023–2025) , as the 2022 president of SABA Chicago, and is the immediate past-president of SABA Chicago Foundation. She holds a certificate in Leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Northwestern University, a JD from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, and a BBA from Loyola University Chicago. |
Treasurer | Sooah Kim is an Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits associate attorney advising organizations on executive compensation and employee benefits matters arising in connection with major corporate transactions, including public and private mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, spinoffs, and IPOs. Sooah’s work encompasses designing, negotiating, and drafting executive compensation arrangements (e.g., employment, separation, and change-of-control agreements and equity compensation arrangements) and advising clients on complex employee benefits issues, guiding them through every stage of plan design, administration, and ongoing compliance. Outside of her transactional practice, Sooah is dedicated to pro bono service, with a focus on asylum and immigration matters. She represents individuals seeking asylum in the United States, helping them navigate complex immigration proceedings. Sooah is a graduate of Syracuse University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Law. |
Stephen Lee was a federal prosecutor in Chicago for 11 years, senior counsel for the Chicago US Attorney Office's health care fraud unit, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and a partner at a mid-sized firm. He is now a solo practitioner focusing on health care fraud defense and data analytics in complex litigation. He is a graduate of Yale College and Columbia Law School. He has researched and written about cases involving Asian American legal history, created the website "Our APA Heritage," which provides resources for Asian Americans to interview their parents and relatives, and was featured on This American Life talking about a "coindence bombshell" involving his family. |
Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago 321 S Plymouth Court |
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