Diane Menashe is a partner in Ice Miller’s Litigation Practice and serves as the Firm’s Director of Litigation Training & Pro Bono Activities. Diane is a very experienced trial lawyer who defends individuals charged with the most serious criminal offenses in state or federal courts. In complex civil disputes, she teams with her Ice Miller colleagues and uses her trial experience on behalf of the Firm’s clients to facilitate favorable settlements or litigate cases that proceed to trial.

Diane’s responsibilities at the Firm also include developing and implementing the training program for the Firm’s Litigation Practice. As director of this program, she coordinates the mock trial and other in-house training programs for newer Ice Miller lawyers, as well identifies real life opportunities for them to practice their trial skills through pro-bono legal work. In addition to the Firm’s pro-bono activities providing professional development to Ice Miller lawyers, the pro-bono opportunities align Ice Miller’s community involvement with that of its clients, work to ensure access to justice for all and serve to better our communities.

Prior to joining Ice Miller, Diane had her own solo practice criminal defense firm for almost 20 years. She has tried to verdict over 100 felony jury trials in state and federal courts across Ohio, garnering a significant number of acquittals for her clients. During the course of her career, Diane has represented more than 30 people charged with the death penalty; 5 of those cases were tried to a jury. Her most recent, highly publicized capital trials in 2019 and 2018, resulted in her clients being spared the death penalty.

In addition to her roles at the Firm, Diane has frequently lectured at seminars and conferences on best trial practices and death penalty litigation. She is also a faculty member of Harvard Law School where she teaches annually at the school’s prestigious Trial Advocacy Workshop.

In her spare time Diane enjoys working out, spending time with her friends and family (which includes her yellow Labrador, Pace) and catching up on her “must reads.”