Lawyer and Law Firm Wellness: Is It a Remote Possibility?

Tiffany Schwartz, Senior Investigative Attorney | National Science Foundation, Office of Inspector General (NSF OIG)

Ms. Tiffany Schwartz is a Senior Investigative Attorney with the National Science Foundation, Office of Inspector General (NSF OIG). Ms. Schwartz joined NSF OIG in April 2023, where she is responsible for a wide range of investigations, including civil, criminal, and research misconduct matters, involving organizations or individuals that receive awards from, conduct business with, or work for NSF. Prior to joining NSF OIG, Ms. Schwartz spent 11 years as a civilian attorney with the Air Force, working major systems fraud cases and advising the Air Force’s Small Business Innovative Research and Technology Transfer Programs.

Tammy D. Allen, Ph.D, Distinguished University Professor | University of South Florida

Tammy D. Allen, Ph.D., is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Florida. Her work focuses on topics related to work and family, organizational practices such as remote work, occupational health, and employee career development and has been funded by agencies such as the National Science Foundation. Her current research involves understanding how individuals navigate the boundaries between their work and nonwork roles while working from home. Tammy served as President of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (2013-2014) and as President of the Society for Occupational Health Psychology (2018-2019). She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Academy of Management, the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

Maya Roy, Chief Deputy of Operations| United States District Court for the Central District of California

Maya Roy is the Chief Deputy of Operations for the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Maya is a member of the senior management team reporting directly to the Clerk of Court/District Court Executive and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Court’s operational functions. Maya provides primary oversight of managers and supervisors and over 100 staff serving in the following areas: attorney admissions; appeals; civil/criminal intake; docketing; data quality; records; statistics; district and magistrate judge courtroom deputy clerks; jury; naturalization; ADR; and CJA.

Maya began her legal career as a term law clerk with District Judge Virginia A. Phillips of the Central District of California after graduating from law school. Following her clerkship, Maya relocated to Sacramento and worked as a Staff Attorney and Race Equity Project Coordinator with Legal Services of Northern California where she assisted clients with housing and public benefits issues, represented them in state and federal court, and helped guide the firm’s race equity advocacy in the surrounding communities. Following her time in northern California, Maya returned to the Los Angeles area to join Asian Americans Advancing Justice where she was a Staff Attorney representing clients in workers’ rights and employment discrimination cases in state and federal court.

Maya eventually returned to the Central District of California as a career law clerk, then she was selected as the administrative law Clerk to the Chief Judge, a position she held that spanned the terms of two Chief Judges, Judge George H. King and Judge Virginia A. Phillips. After Judge Phillips’s term as Chief Judge concluded, Maya rejoined her Chambers as a career law clerk until she was selected as the Chief Deputy of Operations in 2022.

Maya holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California Law School, where she graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif. Maya is admitted to the State Bar of California.

Kimberlie Turner, Executive Leadership Coach | Invigorate and Inspirit

Kimberlie Turner is an Executive Leadership coach and principal of Invigorate and Inspirit. Her extensive 30-year career in Human Resources, particularly her role as Deputy CEO, Human Resources & Training for the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, highlights her expertise in developing telework policies, collaborating with labor unions, managing emergency telework during the COVID-19 Pandemic, implementing workers compensation protocols, and evaluating telework’s impact on production and performance. Additionally, her experience extends to utilizing telework for recruitment and retention purposes and conducting thorough job analyses to assess telework viability aligned with the organization’s mission and vision.

Moderator – Krystal Lyons | Stream Kim Hicks Wrage & Alfaro, PC

With over 20 years of experience, Krystal Lyons has served as trusted counsel to a broad range of clients in various industries and across a wide spectrum of practice areas, including general business, commercial litigation, eminent domain, municipal law, condominium and homeowners’ association law, appellate practice, and employment law matters. Krystal’s litigation practice includes shepherding cases through every stage of litigation—from investigation to trial and appeal. She guides clients through all forms of alternative dispute resolution but when those efforts are unsuccessful, Krystal will not hesitate to try a case before a jury or arbitrator.

Over the course of her career, Krystal’s practice has evolved from providing legal advice and serving as trial counsel into supporting her clients in broader capacities such as personnel management, change management, and performance improvement. She has supplemented her legal experience with formal academic experience by earning an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership and becoming certified as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Before joining Stream Kim Hicks Wrage & Alfaro, Krystal was General Counsel & Director of Legal Services for the San Bernardino Superior Court where she served as legal advisor and in house counsel for the court in performing a wide range of complex legal services and providing leadership and administrative oversight for the Legal Research Department. Krystal’s varied career also includes higher education where she served as the Director of Operations & Budget at the University of La Verne College of Law where she was responsible for managing the overall administration of the law school which included strategic planning, administrative operations, co-curricular activities, finance and budget management, procurement, campus safety, shared governance, and risk management with respect to premises liability, contractual liability, and regulatory compliance.

Krystal is licensed to practice law in California, Michigan, and Georgia.

I. Discussion of the Law Firm Dynamics, Pre-COVID | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

II. Discussion of Impact of COVID on Law Firms and Courts | 2:10pm – 2:20pm

III. Impact on Lawyers Ability to Practice in a Hybrid Setting | 2:20pm – 2:35pm

IV. Serving Clients in a Post-COVID Law Firm | 2:35pm – 2:45pm

V. Lawyer Wellness in a Fully Remote Environment – Isolation or Distractions | 2:45pm – 2:50pm

VI. Impact on Firm Dynamics in a Hybrid Setting – Water Cooler Discussions/Mentoring New Lawyers | 2:50pm – 2:55pm

VII. Law Firms and Practice in the Future | 2:55pm – 3:00pm