From Pledge to Practice: Building Sustainable Well-Being in Legal Workplaces (Presented by the Federal Bar Association’s Professional Development Committee)

Adam Stolz, Moderator | Homer Bonner Jacobs Ortiz & Dimond

Adam Stolz is a trial attorney at Homer Bonner Jacobs Ortiz & Dimond and serves as a moderator with a strong commitment to mental health awareness and advocacy. He previously served as a federal law clerk for Paul C. Huck. Adam earned his law degree with high honors from the University of Miami School of Law, where he was actively involved on the Executive Board of the University of Miami Law Review and served as a member of the Moot Court Board. He remains closely connected to his alma mater as a mentor to law students and as a coach for the Moot Court team, while also dedicating significant efforts to mental health advocacy and community service.

• Education & Credentials

Adam graduated with high honors from the University of Miami School of Law, where he developed a strong academic and advocacy foundation through his involvement with the Law Review Executive Board and the Moot Court Board. His early legal training was further strengthened through his federal clerkship with Judge Paul C. Huck, which provided direct experience in federal judicial proceedings.

• Recognition & Leadership

Adam is recognized for his leadership both in the legal profession and in mental health advocacy. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Board for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Miami-Dade County, where he supports initiatives providing mental health education, resources, and community-based support services. He also contributes to behavioral healthcare nonprofit boards focused on integrated care for addiction and mental illness, reflecting his broader leadership in the mental health space.

• Professional Involvement

Adam remains actively engaged in legal education and mentorship through his continued involvement with the University of Miami School of Law. He mentors students and coaches the Moot Court team, supporting the development of future legal advocates. Professionally, he is also engaged in mental health advocacy through his leadership role with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Miami-Dade County and his participation on boards of behavioral healthcare organizations focused on improving access to care.

• Experience

Adam’s legal experience includes serving as a federal law clerk for Judge Paul C. Huck, followed by his practice as a trial attorney at Homer Bonner Jacobs Ortiz & Dimond. His background combines federal judicial experience with active trial practice, while his professional work is complemented by sustained involvement in mental health advocacy and nonprofit governance focused on behavioral health and community support services.

Ty Kelly, Founder and Co-chair | BakerWell

Ty Kelly is the founder and co-chair of BakerWell, a firmwide program at Baker Donelson dedicated to supporting the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of all employees. In this role, she leads initiatives designed to build resilience, balance, and sustainable wellness across one of the nation’s largest law firms, embedding well-being into firm culture while also serving on the firm’s Board of Directors. In her white collar and complex civil litigation practice, she handles high-stakes matters and is recognized for her judgment, instincts, and ability to translate complex issues clearly and effectively. She brings more than 20 years of experience, including a significant tenure as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, followed by over a decade in private practice, alongside a parallel leadership role in advancing lawyer wellness. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the author of a May 2025 article published by the American Bar Association, titled Failing to Invest in Wellness Is Planning to Fail Where It Matters Most, which has also been featured in Super Lawyers.

• Education & Credentials

Ty Kelly’s professional background is grounded in more than two decades of legal experience spanning federal government service and private practice. She began her career as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice before transitioning into private practice, where she has spent over ten years handling white collar and complex civil litigation matters. She is also recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, reflecting her standing within the trial bar.

• Recognition & Leadership

Ty is widely recognized for her leadership in both legal practice and attorney wellness. She serves on the Board of Directors of Baker Donelson and co-chairs BakerWell, where she leads efforts to integrate wellness into firm culture and operations. She is also a published author with the American Bar Association and has received additional visibility through features in Super Lawyers, reflecting her influence as both a litigator and thought leader on wellness in the legal profession.

• Professional Involvement

Ty is actively engaged in initiatives that bridge legal practice, leadership, and attorney wellness. Within Baker Donelson, she plays a central role in shaping wellness programming through BakerWell and contributes to firm governance as a member of the Board of Directors. She also contributes to the broader legal community through her writing and thought leadership on wellness, resilience, and sustainable law practice models, including her publication with the American Bar Association.

• Experience

Ty has more than 20 years of experience in high-stakes litigation and government investigations. She began her career as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, where she developed substantial trial and investigative experience before moving into private practice. Over the past decade, she has focused on white collar and complex civil litigation matters, representing clients in sophisticated, high-pressure disputes while also applying her legal expertise to develop innovative approaches to workplace wellness and professional sustainability.

Dr. James Keshavarz, Chief Wellness Officer | Gibson Dunn

Dr. James Keshavarz is the Chief Wellness Officer at Gibson Dunn, where he leads firmwide initiatives focused on mental health, resilience, and organizational well-being. His work is grounded in the belief that well-being is a shared responsibility shaped by individuals, organizations, and systems that can either support or hinder mental health. He brings a multidisciplinary background in psychology, healthcare management, and exercise science to his leadership in advancing evidence-based wellness strategies across legal and professional environments. In addition to his role at the firm, he is deeply engaged in national well-being initiatives in the legal profession and serves in leadership roles with key professional organizations focused on lawyer well-being and mental health.

• Education & Credentials

Dr. Keshavarz holds a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), an MBA in Health Care Management, and a Master of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. His academic and professional training reflects an interdisciplinary foundation in psychology, health systems, performance, and wellness, which informs his approach to organizational mental health and resilience programming.

• Recognition & Leadership

He serves as Chair of the American Bar Association Well-Being Pledge Committee and sits on the Board of Directors of the Institute for Well-Being in Law. He also serves on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs Committee and previously chaired the Institute’s Awards Committee. In addition to his civilian leadership, he has been recognized for his service in the United States Air Force Reserve, receiving honors including Airman of the Year (2018) and the Air Force Humanitarian Medal (2022), among other military commendations.

• Professional Involvement

Dr. Keshavarz actively contributes to both legal and military communities through leadership, training, and wellness advocacy. Within the legal profession, he advances well-being initiatives through his roles with the American Bar Association and the Institute for Well-Being in Law. In the military context, he serves as an Air Force Master Resilience Trainer within the United States Air Force Reserve, promoting evidence-based resilience and mental health strategies across teams. Earlier in his career, he also taught as an adjunct professor of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at Glendale Community College, where he was recognized with the Distinguished Professor Award in 2019.

• Experience

Dr. Keshavarz’s career spans clinical psychology, healthcare management, education, and military service, all centered on performance, resilience, and well-being. He previously worked as a Kinesiologist specializing in injury prevention and performance enhancement and later transitioned into leadership roles focused on organizational wellness. His military service in the United States Air Force Reserve includes extensive resilience programming and humanitarian response efforts, earning multiple honors such as the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medals, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal. Across all roles, he has consistently focused on advancing mental health, performance, and psychological safety through applied, evidence-based approaches.

SESSION 1 – Lawyer Well-Being as Organizational & Professional Responsibility Issue | 2:00pm – 2:05pm

This opening reframes well-being as a systems-level concern rather than personal weakness, connecting it directly to competence, professionalism, ethical judgment, and sustainable client service. It sets the case for why legal organizations—not just individuals—must own the solution.

SESSION 2 – Trends in Lawyer Mental Health, Burnout, Stigma & Implementation Gaps | 2:05pm – 2:13pm

A current-landscape snapshot examining the latest research on lawyer and law student mental health, burnout, and stigma. It highlights the persistent gap between widely signed wellness pledges and the operational practices organizations actually implement day to day.

SESSION 3 – Stigma, Confidentiality, Norms, Presenteeism & Leadership Barriers | 2:13pm – 2:23pm

An honest look at the organizational barriers that quietly derail well-being efforts: fear of judgment, distrust around confidentiality, billable-hour culture, working while impaired, and leadership ambivalence. Naming these obstacles clearly is the first step toward dismantling them.

SESSION 4 – Implementation: Identify, Build Coalition, Pilot, Measure & Institutionalize | 2:23pm – 2:34pm

The core “Pledge to Practice” model, walking through five actionable phases organizations can adapt across firms, courts, agencies, legal departments, and law schools. Attendees complete barrier-identification and 90-day pilot planning exercises to translate intent into durable structure.

SESSION 5 – Leading & Lagging Indicators, Qualitative Signals & Outcomes | 2:34pm – 2:42pm

How to measure progress credibly without reducing well-being to productivity metrics. This segment distinguishes leading from lagging indicators, incorporates qualitative culture signals, and maps outcomes like retention and engagement, equipping participants to demonstrate meaningful return on investment.

SESSION 6 – Psychological Safety, Transformational Leadership, Resilience & Identity | 2:42pm – 2:48pm

A forward-looking discussion of the cultural drivers that sustain change: psychological safety, transformational leadership behaviors, early help-seeking, and healthy professional identity formation. These elements move organizations beyond programs toward genuinely supportive environments where people perform sustainably over time.

SESSION 7 – One Structural Change + One Leadership Behavior Change | 2:48pm – 3:00pm

A practical closing commitment exercise. Each participant identifies a single structural change and one personal leadership behavior to begin implementing within 30 days, ensuring the session ends with concrete, accountable action rather than good intentions alone.