Diana Maier

foundING PARTNER AND CO-OWNER

From 2022-2025, Diana has been named as a Northern California “Super Lawyer” for employment law and mediation, an honor reserved for only 5% of attorneys in Northern California who exhibit excellence in their field. Diana was also named Solo & Small Firm Attorney of the Month by the California Lawyers Association in September 2021.

Diana is a skilled mediator and a recognized expert in employment law, investigations (which she conducts in both Spanish and English), and executive coaching and training. Diana received mediation training from The Center for Understanding In Conflict, and was also trained by, and serves as an empaneled mediator for, The Northern District Court of California. In addition, she mediates privately and as a member of the the Central District Court of California, the Contra Costa County Superior Court, the Alameda County Superior Court, and the San Mateo Bar Association Fee Dispute panel. Her investigation practice includes both workplace and educational institution (Title IX) investigations. She holds a certificate from the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI-CH), the most comprehensive workplace investigation training available (and requires passing an oral and written test that AWI administers at the end of its course.)

In 2024, Diana was elected to the prestigious Board of Directors of Marin Water, a five-person board that manages the supply, infrastructure, and distribution of water for ~191,000 people, as well as owns and oversees ~22,000 acres of land from the south slope of Mt. Tam north through its reservoirs. This area of the world is home to many threatened and endangered species and the board's core responsibilities (in addition to ensuring a safe and reliable water supply), include protecting those species, preparing for wildfire response, and managing access to Marin’s watershed by the millions of hikers, bikers and horseback riders who enjoy its incredible beauty each year.

Diana completed over 100 hours of coursework in coaching fundamentals at the Coaches Training Institute, the most rigorous professional coach training and certification program in the industry. She currently coaches executives in how to improve their professional image (particularly after being accused of harassment or discrimination), efficacy as a leader, and overall workplace success.

Diana enjoys an outstanding reputation in both the legal and non-legal communities as an effective advocate and strategist due to her unique background. Before attending Stanford Law School, Diana worked as a lobbyist and foreign policy adviser on Capitol Hill. There, Diana learned about the legal process at its inception, the legislation drafting stage. As a foreign policy aide to Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA), and as a legislative aide and lobbyist at a policy lobbying organization, Diana learned the value of great customer service and the art of speaking about the law to constituents in plain terms instead of legalese.
 
After law school, Diana became a public defender. She was lauded for her trial successes, which were exceptionally above county acquittal rates in both felony and misdemeanor court. To this day, Diana’s ease in the courtroom when stakes are high allows her to feel confident about trying a case when an effective compromise can’t be reached. Diana is also recognized for her ability to achieve great results with a limited budget.  
 
Diana’s passion is helping other lawyers find meaning in their work by practicing mindful lawyering and carrying their deeply held personal values to their professional life. To this end, she, her staff, and an incredible team of volunteer lawyers created the hugely successful Joy in the Law® conferences in September 2016 and September 2018.

Listen to Diana speak on Hustle & Flow, The Happy Lawyer Project, and The Wealthy Woman Lawyer podcasts about nurturing joy in the legal profession. Read her Profile of Joy here. See her speak to NBC news about AB 5, a law codifying the distinction between contractors and employees.

Diana is involved in her community: in addition to serving on the board of Marin Water, Diana is an active member of Moms Demand Action, a gun violence prevention group. Most recently she and her family worked with buildOn to raise the money for, travel to, and build a school in a very remote part of Nicaragua that had no teaching facility. In her spare time, Diana teaches spinning classes and enjoys running around Marin with her son and daughter and incredibly tolerant husband, Ethan.