Diana P. Lytel. Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — Diana P. Lytel, a prominent civil litigator and criminal defense lawyer with the law firm Lytel & Lytel, LLP, has been selected to the Super Lawyers list for Southern California for 2022, placing her among the top five percent of the region’s attorneys.
The selection marks Lytel’s eighth consecutive Super Lawyers recognition. She was also named a Super Lawyer for Southern California in 2020 and 2021, and was a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2015 to 2019.
Lytel’s practice focus is general litigation for businesses and individuals, professional liability, premises liability and commercial litigation. She has defended a wide variety of high-profile clients, including Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, mutual funds and insurance entities. Lytel also has an active criminal defense practice and is recognized as a “Premier DUI Attorney” with advanced level training by the American Association of Premier DUI Attorneys.
A leader in her industry, Lytel holds executive officer and board of director positions with several prominent legal organizations. She is currently president of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, the nation’s largest regional civil defense organization. She is also president of the Santa Barbara Women Lawyers Foundation, vice-president of Santa Barbara Women Lawyers, and a California Defense Counsel board member. Additionally, Lytel serves pro bono as a courtroom judge on Santa Barbara’s Teen Court, a juvenile justice diversion program for early teen offenders.
Lytel received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and obtained her Juris Doctor degree in 2006 from Loyola Law School. She previously worked in Morgan Stanley’s litigation department, served at several top regulatory agencies, and held prominent roles with prestigious law firms recognized by Super Lawyers®, Best Lawyers in America and AV Rating. Admitted to practice in the State of California, Lytel has experience in both federal and state courts.
Super Lawyers is a rating service that evaluates lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Candidates are selected by independent researchers and professional peers, and cannot nominate themselves.
To obtain Super Lawyer status, the ratings service evaluated Lytel on 12 areas of achievement, including experience, honors and awards, verdicts and settlements, professional activity, education, and community service. The list provides a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys as a resource for attorneys and consumers seeking legal counsel.