Fluet prides itself on being a veteran-owned law firm, and one of our impressive partners is Francis Hoang, an immigrant, soldier, entrepreneur, and lawyer who has been instrumental in our firm’s growth and development since its inception nearly 10 years ago.
The American Bar Association’s National Security Law group recently interviewed Hoang about his childhood, career, and personal stance on some contentious issues in the United States today. The 20-minute podcast is an engaging and compelling story of how Hoang ended up as a Partner of Fluet.
In the podcast, Hoang explains the feeling of commitment that he exhibits toward the United States, which has manifested in his many avenues of service. After his family escaped Saigon when he was a child, he became distinctly aware of the fact that he wanted to repay the U.S. in some way for essentially saving his life.
“That awareness grew into this growing sense of obligation; I really felt I owed a debt, first to the country in general for giving me this amazing life,” Hoang said. “There’s an alternate universe somewhere where instead of being here, I’m back there, and my parents went to re-education camp, and I grew up an orphan on the streets of Saigon.”
After graduating in the top 1% of his class at the United States Military Academy and completing his 5 years of active duty service, Hoang decided to study law.
“I ended up falling in love with the law,” Hoang admits. “It appealed to my desire to serve, to make a difference, and to tackle hard problems.”
When Joseph Fluet, the founder of Fluet, contacted him to get on board with the law firm and separate aviation business he was starting, Hoang initially said no, but later realized this was not an opportunity to be passed up.
“As someone who feels really called to make a difference, I feel like I’ve made just as much of a difference in my private sector role as I did in my public service roles … there are hard problems to be tackled whether you are in government or out of government,” Hoang said.
The podcast ends with a brief discussion on the immigration debate that has dominated U.S. politics in recent years.
“We need policies that reflect our values as a people, as a nation … and vilification prevents us from having that kind of meaningful discourse,” Hoang said.
Fluet is lucky to have partners that care so deeply about our country and their work, and we look forward to seeing Hoang’s continued accomplishments through this firm and his other endeavors.
Listen to the full podcast.
