With nearly 30 years of diverse legal experience, Diana has dedicated her career to ensuring that the law works for her clients. This passion drove her 25-year tenure as a leader in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and continues in her current sports law practice, where she focuses on advising collegiate athletes and athletic organizations in “Name, Image, and Likeness” (NIL) matters.
Diana’s proven track record of success in the sports law arena includes achieving favorable outcomes both in and out of the courtroom for numerous collegiate athletes, securing them eligibility from the NCAA, achieving success within the transfer portal, and negotiating extraordinary NIL agreements. In addition to her work as a litigator, Diana also maintains an active sports consulting practice, where she advises and manages a basketball league for elite high school students.
Drawing on her unique skillset, Diana has taken over 60 trials to verdict, including those involving complex, multi-defendant, international corporate crimes; construction investigations, compliance, and defense; and white-collar crime. A true client advocate, Diana’s work on behalf of undocumented construction laborers led to changes in the way wage theft and construction fatalities were prosecuted nationwide. Not only did Diana prosecute these cases, she also spearheaded safety trainings at consulates and work centers throughout New York and authored two bills—Wage Theft and Carlos' Law—that later became New York State Laws. These successes lead to her run for Manhattan District Attorney with the support of over 23 labor unions.
The conclusion of Diana’s campaign coincided with a sea of change in collegiate athletics, namely the broad legalization of NIL. She recognized the parallels between the undocumented construction workers she represented and these young athletes—both groups were looking to be fairly compensated for their labor, which fuels multi-billion-dollar industries—and transitioned her practice to collegiate athletics as both an attorney and a consultant.
An alumna of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Diana earned both her J.D. and a B.A. from the institution. She is active in professional and community organizations throughout New York and North Carolina, and she frequently shares her insights in presentations to the legal community, construction industry, community groups, and academia, both locally and abroad. In addition, Diana is a highly sought after legal commentator in print and broadcast media, with recent appearances in MSNBC, Bloomberg, The BBC, CNN, and Business Insider.
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