Desi Vlahos

Biography

Desi Vlahos is a course leader and senior lecturer in ACAP’s Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP) and a nationally recognised leader in workplace mental health, psychosocial risk management, and wellbeing in the legal profession. She brings extensive experience as a practising lawyer, educator, mental health first aid trainer, wellbeing consultant, and international advocate for healthier legal workplaces.

Admitted to practice in 2005, Desi has worked across mid-tier, suburban, and private firms, and has mentored emerging practitioners throughout her career. Her interest in psychological health and safety began after witnessing the wellbeing decline of PLT students involved in the 2018 Banking Royal Commission, prompting her to investigate systemic stressors within the legal profession.

Desi is the CEO and Founder of Wellceum, a consultancy helping organisations integrate psychosocial risk strategies and improve employee resilience. She also holds multiple international leadership roles, including Director of the Minds Count Foundation and Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Professional Wellbeing Commission. She regularly presents at global conferences and contributes to international policy discussions on mental health in law.

A two-time recipient of the Lawyers’ Weekly Women in Law – Wellness Advocate of the Year award (2021 & 2022), Desi is committed to shaping a healthier future for the legal profession. At ACAP, she equips future lawyers with both technical capability and the wellbeing and human-centred skills required for sustainable and ethical legal careers.