Keynote Speaker for Law Firms in California and Nationwide
Lita Abella, JD, BCC, ACC-Keynote Speaker
Lita works with organizations in high-stress industries that make well-being a leadership advantage, helping them recruit, retain, and increase productivity through trauma-informed practices.
Lita Abella is a keynote speaker for law firms who helps attorneys and legal teams strengthen resilience, recognize impairment, and build trauma-informed workplaces. She delivers engaging MCLE programs that meet ethical requirements while giving lawyers practical tools they can immediately apply in high-stress environments.
Based in Southern California, Lita works with law firms, bar associations, government agencies, and law schools across the state and nationwide. Her presentations combine legal insight, professional responsibility, and evidence-based mental health strategies tailored specifically for the legal profession.
Signature Keynote and MCLE Topics for Law Firms
- Creating the Resilient Law Firm: How to Establish a Trauma-Informed Framework for Retaining Top Talent and Sustaining Peak Performance
- Mentally Competent: Recognizing Impairment and Creating a Culture of Professional Well Being
- The Resiliant Attorney: Protecting Competence and Elevating Leadership
- Lawyering With Empathy: How Trauma-Informed Practices Boost Competence And Resilience
- From Assumption to Evidence: Interrupting Bias in Real Time
- Civility and Professional Responsibility for Attorneys
- Move for Mastery: The Science of Exercise for Sharper Thinking and Better Lawyering
Each program can be customized for practice area, leadership level, or firm size. Programs are available for the required MCLE credit in California and other jurisdictions.
Why Law Firms Book Lita Abella
- Mediator and former State Bar of California investigator with a deep understanding of legal culture.
- Extensive experience presenting to law firms, bar associations, government agencies, and legal conferences.
- Focused on reducing risk related to impairment and ethical violations.
- Provides practical frameworks, not theory.
- Engaging delivery that resonates with partners, associates, and leadership teams.
Lita understands the pressures attorneys face, including billable-hour demands, exposure to secondary trauma, client intensity, and leadership responsibilities. Her programs address real issues that impact performance, retention, and professional responsibility.
Trusted by Law Firms and Legal Organizations
Below is a partial list of the bar associations, law firms, government agencies, non-profits, law schools, and conferences in which Lita presented:
| Bar Associations | Law Firms | Conferences | Government/Non-Profit Agencies | Law Schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beverly Hills Bar Assn. | Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo PC | Consumer Attorneys Assn. of Los Angeles Conference | Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office | USC Gould SOL |
| Los Angeles County Bar Assn. | Pepper Hamilton LLP | CA Lawyers Assn. Annual Meeting | Los Angeles County Superior Court | Chapman SOL |
| Federal Bar Assn. | Kobbe Martens Law Firm | National Council of Lawyer Disciplinary Boards (national) | Los Angeles Dependency Attorneys Assn. | UCSD SOL |
| Alameda County Bar Assn. | Haight Brown Bonesteel LLP | Women Leadership in Law Conference | Orange County City Attorneys Assn. | USF SOL |
| El Dorado County Bar Assn. | Dannis Woliver Kelley Law Firm | Pathways to Justice Conference | American Immigration Lawyers | Pepperdine SOL |
| San Gabriel Valley Bar Assn. | Baker Monook & Jenson PC | Conference of Western Attorneys General (national) | Riverside County Bar Assn. | Stanford SOL |
| Sonoma County Bar Assn. | Tyson Mendez Law Firm | American Bankruptcy Institute Leadership Conference | Ventura County District Attorney’s Office | McGeorge SOL |
| Lake County Bar Assn. | Media Rights Capital | Bay Area Bankruptcy Judges Conference | Los Angeles County Juvenile Court | Southwestern SOL |
| Orange County Bar Assn. | Sony Pictures Entertainment | CA Attorneys for Health Care Professionals Conference | County Counsels Assn of California | University of La Verne COL |
| National Employment Lawyers Assn. (national) | Lawyers Mutual Insurance Co. | CA Council of School Attorneys Annual Workshop | Santa Clara Public Defender’s Office | Loyola Law School |
| Asian Pacific American Bar Assn. | Foley & Lardner, LLP | CA Minority Counsel (national) | Central CA Appellate Program | Western State University COL |
| Iranian American Bar Assn. of Los Angeles | Finnegan, Marks, Theofel & Desmond | Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (national) | Hellenic Law Society of Calif. | San Luis Obispo COL |
| American Inn of Court | Freemont Bank | CA Employment Lawyers Assn. | Cancer Legal Resource Center | Ventura COL |
| Northern Santa Barbara County Bar Assn. | Vedder Price Law Firm | NALP Annual Education Conference (national) | Legal Aid Assn of California | UC Law San Francisco (formerly US Hastings) |
| Ventura County Bar Assn. | Lewis Morgan | Legal Up Conference | National Black Law Students Association | UC Irvine SOL |
| San Francisco County Bar Assn. | Munger Tolles & Olsen | CA Dependency Attorneys for Parents (CalDAP) | Orange County Superior Court | Santa Clara University SOL |
What attorneys and firm leaders say about our public speaking and training services!
Feedback for Regulate, Respond, and Resilience: Trauma-Informed Strategies on 11/20/25 for the National Academy of Continuing Legal Education (NACLE)
| Honestly, I usually have to listen to these, but I stopped everything I was doing and paid attention to your entire talk today. Thank you for helping us not to feel alone. I’m a solo family law practitioner in New Jersey and totally burnt out and just counting the days till I can retire! It was nice to know that there are names for what I’m experiencing. | Polyvagal theory is very cool and has very broad applications. | Helpful for stressed lawyers and lines up very well with my own tactics learned from therapy! A good reminder that we can’t pour from an empty cup. |
| This business can legitimately cause ptsd and trauma. No seriously. | An engaging speaker, lots of information, and resources. Donna Rienza | Great topic and made me reflect on my own experiences. |
| An engaging speaker, lots of information and resources. Donna Rienza | Trauma for lawyers 101 – super important topic. | Very helpful and useful information |
| Enjoyed the seminar! Rob | Well done, Lita! | Very Insightful! |
Lawyering with Empathy: How Trauma-Informed Practices Boost Competence on 12/2/25 for the American Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (ABACLE)
| I used to think the Trauma-informed CLE programs had little or no value. I think because previous programs were not well organized and did not achieve meaningful. This one (your’s for the ABA) did achieve meaningful for me. Jeffrey Gunning | Thank you for taking the time to present to the ABA. |
| Necessary viewing. | Love the polls! |
Speaking Format Options
- Keynote presentations
- MCLE ethics, competence, bias, technology, professional development/law practice management programs
- Workshops, webinars, panel presentations, and conferences
- Half-day or full-day workshops
- Leadership retreats
- Virtual and in-person programs
All presentations can be tailored to meet the goals of managing partners, executive committees, professional development teams, or bar associations.
Watch Lita in Action!
Check out my recorded presentation for CEB.com on Flourishing Through Change: Trauma-Informed Practices for Legal Professionals.
Check out the podcast series, Help for Traumatized Workers & Workplaces | S03 | 2025 | Episode 31. As the guest speaker, I discussed my own trauma and ways to form trauma-informed practices.
Book Lita Abella for Your Next Law Firm Event
If you are planning a partner retreat, annual meeting, leadership training, or MCLE program, Lita will work with you to design a presentation aligned with your firm’s goals.
Complete the Request for Speaker form to check availability and discuss your event.
What our clients are saying about our public speaking and training services!
It was such an honor to have Lita Abella join us as a panelist for NBLSA’s Maintain Your Mental virtual event. Lita is an excellent speaker and was able to meaningfully speak on suicide prevention, mental health, and wellness strategies for law students, attorneys, and legal professionals. She spoke with clarity and empathy, offering law students practical and meaningful ways to prioritize their mental health while navigating the unique pressures of law school. I especially appreciated the insights she shared from her time working with the California State Bar, as well as her perspective as a coach. Her reflections on coaching really resonated with me. As someone who has also worked with a coach while preparing for law school, I deeply respect and value the transformative impact of that work. We are so grateful for her time, expertise, and dedication to supporting the next generation of legal professionals in prioritizing wellness.
Miracle Orji, National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA)
“Lita’s extensive background in the legal arena gives her tremendous insight into the needs of legal professionals. She’s an engaging speaker and my go-to for seminars on competence and well-being. She is able to address a large audience and still make the experience personal and individualized. We so appreciate her insight and expertise.”
Linda Temkin, Director of Education and Events, San Fernando Valley Bar Association (SFVBA)
“Lita is a first-class presenter on the important Bar topic of Wellness. She presented for our California statewide annual meeting in February of 2025 and did a fine job!“
Kevin T. Executive Director, CA Dependency Attorneys for Parents (CalDAP)
“I have had the privilege of working closely with Lita Abella over the past several years, primarily through her extensive outreach and speaking engagements on behalf of the State Bar of California’s Lawyer Assistance Program. Additionally, Lita and I are both active members of the California Lawyers Association Health and Wellness Committee. Lita is coming on board the planning committee of the LACBA Lawyer Well-Being Project, and I am excited to continue our work together on providing engaging, impactful programs for our members. Her leadership, enthusiasm, and dedication to improving the well-being of attorneys and legal professionals are truly exceptional. I highly recommend Lita Abella for any organization or individual in need of an MCLE presenter, leadership coach, or consultant specializing in attorney well-being. Lita is not only a highly skilled public speaker but also a recognized subject matter expert in the field, bringing both knowledge and compassion to her presentations. Her expertise, dedication, and passion for helping others make her an outstanding asset to the legal community.”
Caroline Vincent, Attorney/Mediator/Arbitrator, Los Angeles County Bar Association Lawyer Well-Being Project
“Lita is an amazing ambassador for the Lawyers Assistance Program, speaking to Bar Associations, Law Schools, and attorney groups all over the state. Her presentation is insightful and in-depth. Lita is a wonderful speaker who brings to life the serious challenges facing lawyers and the problems with stress, depression, and substance abuse that plague the profession. Lita is also a dogged investigator who was able to fully develop evidence for State Bar prosecutions while I worked with her. She was persistent and pursued witnesses and documents to prove our cases. She was very interested in the outcomes and helped support our cases through trial.”
Erin Joyce, Attorney/CEO, Erin Joyce Law
Additionally, Lita is available for other types of webinars, seminars, presentations, and panels on various subjects, including but not limited to:
- Leadership
- Career
- Business/Entrepreneur
- Personal/Professional Development
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Vicarious Trauma/Compassion Fatigue
- Workplace Stress/Burnout
- Work-Life Balance/Wellness Strategies
We provide specialized services and personalized solutions for various industries, including but not limited to:
- Healthcare
- First responders/law enforcement
- Educators
- Public service staff
- and other high-stress industries.
Check out my video podcasts on YouTube.com.
Here are a few of my episodes:
What’s Your Story in the New Normal? Gangsters, Narcotics, Homicide: Protecting the Thin Blue Line
What’s Your Story in the New Normal? An Update with Chief Mike Bertelsen, Azusa Police Department
What’s Your Story in the New Normal? Former LAPD Officer Turned Comedian, Kevin Jordan.
Contact Us
Lita Abella, JD, BCC, ACC
Lita Abella, Coaching, Consulting & Mediation Services
1171 E. Alosta Ave., Suite 303
Azusa, CA 91702
Lita@LitaAbella.com
(909) 228-1700