Watch this forward-thinking conversation on creating healthier, safer legal workplaces.
Unlike many of our programs—which focus on individual strategies for managing stress, preventing burnout, and coping with vicarious trauma—this panel shifts the lens to the legal workplace itself. We’ll explore how law firms and legal organizations can build environments that actively protect the well-being of their people.
Workplace safety in law is less about physical hazards and more about protecting cognitive and emotional well-being. The true work of the profession happens in the mind, and this discussion examines how employers can safeguard that essential asset—supporting mental health, reducing risk for substance use disorders, and fostering cultures where people can thrive sustainably.
Our distinguished panelists will share insights from the wellness initiatives they have developed in their own organizations: what has been effective, what hasn’t, and how they have normalized help-seeking in environments where vulnerability has not always been encouraged. They will also speak to the ethical and business case for prioritizing attorney well-being—because well-being investments strengthen performance, retention, and organizational resilience.
This program is designed for leaders at every level—managing partners, firm administrators, executive directors, professional development teams, HR professionals, practice group leaders, and the associates and junior lawyers who will become the profession’s future leaders. Whether your organization is large or small, you will leave with practical ideas and actionable steps to strengthen well-being in your workplace.
Join us as we rethink what safety means for the modern legal workplace.
Meet Our Panel
Payal Salsburg, Esq.
Payal Salsburg, Esq. is a Partner at Laredo & Smith, and formerly an attorney at Proskauer Rose. Originally from India, her parents put her on an airplane to the US with a full scholarship to college. Payal then graduated summa cum laude from Saint Elizabeth University and proceeded to study mathematics and computer science, earning a master’s in computer science degree prior to becoming a lawyer. She graduated magna cum laude from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law where she was a Goodwin Scholar and President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association.
As a Partner at Loredo & Smith, she practices business litigation and white-collar criminal defense representing corporations, individuals in business disputes, State Ethics Commission inquires and government and internal investigations while also advising closely-held businesses on corporate and employment matters. She is active in the Boston Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association, the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston and the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts. Additionally, she is a regular speaker and moderator for seminars and panels organized by various Bar associations and industry groups. Finally, Payal does pro bono work which includes several successful CORI-sealing petitions, petitions for asylum, an appeal from an inmate on Florida’s death row, litigation and appeal to assist a not-for-profit foundation, and invoking Hague Convention protection to return a child wrongfully removed to the United States by a parent. She was also a bar advocate for criminal matters at the Boston Municipal Court (Central).
All while holding a full-time position as Partner, participating in various bar associations and doing pro bono work, she spends her free time volunteering at Saint Francis House Day Shelter and Ricesticks and Tea Asian Food Pantry. She has been recognized for her volunteerism by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, receiving the President’s Volunteer Service Award several years in a row. Additionally, she is currently Board Vice Chair at Boston CASA.
Beau Kealy, Esq.
Beau Kealy, Esq. (she/her) is the Mental Health Litigation Division Director of Training and co-chair of the Committee for Public Counsel Services Wellness Committee. In her role with the CPCS Training Department, she develops and manages a multitude of training opportunities for the private panel and staff attorneys, including training private counsel to become certified to represent clients in civil commitment and adult guardianship proceedings. Practicing law for over 25 years, Beau is a lifelong defender and advocate focused on criminal defense work and, more recently, on mental health litigation. Beau is dedicated to fighting against injustice and empowering attorneys to partner with clients as she did in her work as trial and appellate counsel. Beau enjoys working collaboratively and holistically with CPCS staff and private counsel, clinical colleagues, and peer presenters to support and train staff and private counsel to zealously defend clients with a trauma-informed, antiracist, and client centered approach. Beau is also an adjunct professor with the clinical faculty of the Boston University School of Law teaching and supervising students in the Mental Health Litigation Practicum she co-developed and established with MHLD colleagues. A member of the MBA Civil Rights & Social Justice Section Council since 2018, Beau received her J.D./M.S. in Criminal Justice from American University, Washington College of Law. She is a member of the bar in Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
Ty Kelly, Esq.
Ty Kelly is the founder and co-chair of BakerWell, Baker Donelson’s firmwide wellness initiative dedicated to supporting the mental, physical, and emotional health of every employee. In this role, she leads programs that foster resilience, balance, and well-being across the organization, ensuring that wellness is embedded into the culture of one of the nation’s largest law firms.
As a member of Baker Donelson’s Board of Directors, Ty champions initiatives that prioritize wellness alongside peak performance. In her law practice, she is recognized for her instinct, judgment, and ability to communicate complex issues with clarity — qualities that now serve her well in advancing innovative approaches to workplace wellness. In May 2025, she authored Failing to Invest in Wellness Is Planning to Fail Where It Matters Most, published by the American Bar Association, which provides a roadmap for law firms to build sustainable wellness programs that support both people and performance.
With more than 20 years of experience in high-stakes litigation and government investigations work, Ty brings a deep understanding of the pressures faced by legal professionals in increasingly demanding environments. Ty spent the first half of her career as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice and has spent the last decade in private practice. She is also a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Ty also keenly understands the pressures of building and maintaining a law practice while balancing life. At home, she loves spending time with her husband, three children, and two cockapoos.
James Keshavarz, Esq.
Dr. James Keshavarz is the Chief Wellness Officer at Gibson Dunn. He holds a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), an MBA in Health Care Management, and an MS in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Guided by the values of integrity, kindness, and empathy, his work is built on the belief that well-being is not solely an individual responsibility but a shared one, shaped by communities, organizations, and systems that can either protect or undermine mental health.
James serves as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Well-Being Pledge Committee and sits on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Well-Being in Law. He is also a member of the ABA’s Commission on Lawyers Assistance Programs Committee and previously chaired the Institute’s Awards Committee. His applied doctoral research explored intrinsic motivation, transformational leadership, and emotional intelligence, key drivers of resilience, organizational well-being, and psychological safety.
Earlier in his career, James practiced as a Kinesiologist specializing in injury prevention and performance enhancement and taught as an adjunct professor of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at Glendale Community College, where he received the Distinguished Professor Award in 2019.
As a member of the United States Air Force Reserves, James has been recognized as Airman of the Year (2018) for his resilience initiatives within the 452nd Air Mobility Wing and awarded the Air Force Humanitarian Medal (2022) for his COVID-19 response efforts. His additional military honors include the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal (twice), the Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal. He also serves as an Air Force Master Resilience Trainer, advancing evidence-based strategies for mental health and performance across diverse teams.
James’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to advancing well-being at every level, from the individual to the organizational, through evidence-based practice, authentic leadership, and compassion in action. Most importantly, he is a devoted father to his beautiful morning dove, Paloma Leia, who inspires him daily to live with greater purpose, empathy, and love.
He is a Master Resilience Trainer (USAF) and a Mental Health First Aid Instructor.
Amy Levine (Moderator)
Amy Levine joined LCL in 2023. As Director of Programs and Volunteers, Amy coordinates our organization’s educational programming as well as contributions to our organization from across the Massachusetts legal profession.
Amy Levine has over 20 years working in the legal industry including working at Goulston & Storrs and Hale and Dorr (currently WilmerHale) and spent the last 15 years working as a vice president and legal recruiter at one of the top legal staffing firms in New England. She has experience in recruiting, coaching, counseling, professional development, and career management. She has presented at Boston University Paralegal Certificate program, the Massachusetts Paralegal Association and resume workshops. Additionally, she has coached Attorneys, Paralegals and Business Professionals on resume writing, job search techniques, and other elements of this process to find their ideal job. She received her Master of Social Work degree from Boston University and has dedicated her career to improving people’s lives.