Attorney Lea C. Diaz

Lea Diaz knew at 10 years old that she wanted to be a lawyer. She loved to argue with people, so her mom always told her to put that energy to good use and become a lawyer. That idea really stuck with her. Lea was always passionate in her arguments, but she was most driven when someone had been wronged. This passion for helping people fight for themselves eventually led Lea to pursue family law.

One of Lea’s greatest accomplishments is being the first person in her family to earn a graduate degree. In her success, Lea credits her mother because she taught Lea the importance of independence, education, and dedication. It took her mother 10 years to complete her bachelor’s degree, and that’s part of what makes her Lea’s hero. Her mother knew that education can create a lasting impact on someone’s life. Whenever Lea was exhausted from her schooling, she thought of her mother and that kept her going.

During her undergraduate, Lea firmly set herself on the path to becoming an attorney. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Parkside majoring in political science with a concentration in law. Her studies pushed her intellectually, and she loved the research aspect of working in law. At Parkside, she joined a mock trial team to work with her peers on cultivating their legal skills. Many law classes are theory-based, but this experience grounded her learning in action. Moreover, the mock trial reminded her what drove her to the law in the first place.

Lea Diaz values working directly with clients. While in law school at DePaul University, she volunteered with the Chicago Domestic Violence Legal Clinic and interned with the Public Defender’s Office. These organizations worked with people who would otherwise not have had legal representation during a hard time in their life. In these experiences, Lea came to better understand her purpose as an attorney. Her job is to first help people through their legal cases but also to help them find lasting solutions that create stability in their future.

In one of her proudest moments as an attorney so far, Lea settled two of her most contentious divorce cases in the same week by using alternative dispute methods. When it’s in her client’s best interest, she helps cases settle through mediation because the other party is far more likely to abide by an agreement they had input on. Even though the cases were so disputed, Lea never gave up on finding a sustainable solution. Ultimately, Lea helped both cases settle in mediation, saving them a lot of time, money, and stress.

Outside of work, Lea loves being in the Chicago area. She used to live in the city but now lives just outside the city, so she gets the best of both worlds. She can go to Chicago for all its sights, culture, and people, or she can go to the surrounding area to experience the outdoors. One of her favorite places to go is Starved Rock State Park. She loves to go camping and hiking with her family and friends. And her dogs love it even more than she does.