Full Name
Payal Keshvani
Job Title
Partner
Company
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Speaker Bio
Payal concentrates her practice on mergers and acquisitions, with an emphasis on representing strategic acquirers and private equity sponsors across a range of industries. She has led numerous complex transactions, including carveouts and cross-border deals and has deep experience in the healthcare, food, manufacturing and industrials sectors.
Her work spans the full deal lifecycle, from structuring and negotiating to execution and post-closing integration, bringing practical insight and commercial acumen to each engagement.
In addition to her M&A practice, Payal advises clients on general corporate matters, commercial contracting, equity and debt financings, and regulatory considerations. Payal also serves as outside general counsel for many of her clients and is called on to provide strategic counsel on governance, compliance, and complex business decisions. She is a trusted advisor to clients, guiding them through high-stakes decisions that extend beyond transactional matters.
Payal serves as co-chair of the firm's Gender Advancement Committee, where she leads initiatives to develop, promote, and elevate women attorneys at Taft, across the legal profession, and throughout the community. In recognition of her leadership, career accomplishments, and longstanding dedication to advancing women in law, she recently was honored as one of Law Bulletin Media's 2025 Top Women in Law.
Payal speaks Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language. She provides pro bono services to the Chicago Architecture Biennial and is also a board member for Alternatives, Inc., a comprehensive, multicultural youth development organization that operates as a support system for more than 4,000 of Chicago's young people and their families each year.
Prior to joining the firm, Payal was an associate in the health care department of McGuireWoods. She earned her J.D., Order of the Coif, from Emory University School of Law, where she also served as managing editor for the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal. She received her B.S., cum laude, from New York University.
Her work spans the full deal lifecycle, from structuring and negotiating to execution and post-closing integration, bringing practical insight and commercial acumen to each engagement.
In addition to her M&A practice, Payal advises clients on general corporate matters, commercial contracting, equity and debt financings, and regulatory considerations. Payal also serves as outside general counsel for many of her clients and is called on to provide strategic counsel on governance, compliance, and complex business decisions. She is a trusted advisor to clients, guiding them through high-stakes decisions that extend beyond transactional matters.
Payal serves as co-chair of the firm's Gender Advancement Committee, where she leads initiatives to develop, promote, and elevate women attorneys at Taft, across the legal profession, and throughout the community. In recognition of her leadership, career accomplishments, and longstanding dedication to advancing women in law, she recently was honored as one of Law Bulletin Media's 2025 Top Women in Law.
Payal speaks Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language. She provides pro bono services to the Chicago Architecture Biennial and is also a board member for Alternatives, Inc., a comprehensive, multicultural youth development organization that operates as a support system for more than 4,000 of Chicago's young people and their families each year.
Prior to joining the firm, Payal was an associate in the health care department of McGuireWoods. She earned her J.D., Order of the Coif, from Emory University School of Law, where she also served as managing editor for the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal. She received her B.S., cum laude, from New York University.
Speaking At
