Download Full Bio

Diana Lytel is a seasoned attorney marked by an impressive record of courtroom successes, along with a myriad of positive outcomes in trial, mediation, arbitration, and professional liability matters. Ms. Lytel demonstrates industry leadership by holding executive officer and board of director positions with prominent law organizations, while also being appointed to chair several board committees.

Ms. Lytel has defended a wide variety of high-profile clients, including Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, mutual funds, and insurance companies. Diana Lytel previously worked in Morgan Stanley's litigation department and has held litigation roles with prestigious law firms recognized by Super Lawyers®, Best Lawyers in America, and Martindale-Hubbell® AV Rating. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she also minored in Anthropology. Ms. Lytel received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 2006 from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Admitted to practice in the State of California, Ms. Lytel has experience in both state and federal courts. She also has an active, successful criminal defense practice and has been recognized as a "Premier DUI Attorney" with advanced-level training by AAPDA.

Practice Focus

• General Litigation
• Premise Liability
• Commercial Litigation
• Professional Liability (CFA, CFP & DFPI Matters)
• Criminal Defense

Education

• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Los Angeles, CA, UCLA, 2002
• Juris Doctor, Los Angeles, CA, Loyola Law School, 2006

Professional Associations & Leadership

• 2024 Immediate Past President – Santa Barbara Women Lawyers
• (Board of Directors since 2015)
• 2024 Director of Finance – Santa Barbara Defenders
• Past President 2011 | Association of Southern California Defense
• Counsel (ASCDC)
• ASCDC Board of Directors | 2012 – Present
• Co-Chair Diversity Committee | ASCDC (2014-2017; 2023 – Present)
• Santa Barbara County Unity Bar | Founding Member and Membership
• Coordinator (2023 – Present)
• California Defense Counsel (CDC) | Board of Directors 2018-2022
• Member | Santa Barbara Defenders 2019 – Present
• Past President 2022 | Santa Barbara Women Lawyers Foundation
• (Board of Directors since 2015)
• Board of Directors | Santa Barbara Women Lawyers Foundation
• Speaker & Presenter | ASCDC 2022 Annual Seminar, Diversity, and Inclusivity – Why It Matters
• Speaker | Santa Barbara County Bar Association | 2022 Annual Bench Bar Conference
• Panelist | Los Angeles Counsel Bar Association (LACBA) Presidential
• Advisory Committee on Women in the Legal Profession “Learning to Lead”
• Panelist | California Women Lawyers “So You Want to be a Lawyer”
• (2022)
• Panelist | University of California at Santa Barbara Pre Law Career
• Panel (2022)
• Co-Chair – ASCDC 2022 Annual Seminar Committee
• Speaker | Los Angeles Superior Court (LASC) Fast Track Personal Injury
• Bench Trial Program (2022)
• Member LACBA | President’s Advisory Committee on the Status of
• Women in the Legal Profession (2021 – Present)
• Latina Lawyers Bar Association of Los Angeles
• Santa Barbara County Bar Association

Honors & Awards

• AV® Rated | Preeminent Martindale-Hubbell®

• Super Lawyers® | Top 5% Southern California | 2022-2024

• Super Lawyers® Rising Star | Top 2.5% Southern California | 2015-2019

• Top 50 Women Super Lawyers® | 2019 Southern California “Up & Coming List”

• DRI 2022 Exceptional Performance Citation “for having supported and improved the standards and education of the defense bar, and for having contributed to the improvement of the administration of justice in the public interest”

• 2022 Cover Verdict Magazine

• Pacific Coast Business Times Who’s Who 2020-2023

• President’s Award 2017 Recipient | Association of Southern California

• Defense Counsel (ASCDC)

• Cover ASCDC Verdict Magazine 2021

• Cover Verdict Magazine “Young Guns: Stars of the Wild West,” including a multi-page feature (Dec 2017)

Community Pro Bono

• Santa Barbara County Mock Trial Competition | 2022 Mock Trial Judge, 2015-2021 and 2023 & 2024 Team Competition Scorer
• Volunteer Judge – Santa Barbara Teen Court Program | 2016 – Present
• Speaker, UCSB & Santa Barbara College of Law 2022-2023
• Freedom 4 Youth | 2023 Guest Career Speaker