Tony Y. Chan

Tony Y. Chan
Partner, Dechert LLP

My Greatest Strength

Persistence is underrated—sometimes the key to accomplishing your objectives, and those of your clients, is just sticking to it through setbacks and adversity.

Who Inspires Me

My parents. They always fully supported me in whatever decision I made (including majoring in English, about which I suspect they may have had reservations at the time). Without that support, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what I have in my career.

Our Most Critical Issue

One concern of growing importance is ensuring that the APA community is appropriately represented in the legislative/political process, including though the election of members of the community to political office.

My Best Career Advice

Don’t be afraid to fail.

My Favorite Quote

My high school track coach, Claney Duplechin, used to motivate us with this quote from Seneca:

“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”

Our team consistently competed in, and won, state championships—not because we were the fastest or strongest team out there, but because we prepared to meet opportunity at every meet. The idea of creating your own luck through hard work and preparation, and being in a position to seize the opportunities that present themselves, is one that has stayed with me and continues to resonate with me as I’ve grown older.