Diana Olazabal joined the D.C. Regional office of Earthjustice in January 2023 where she assists environmental law attorneys as a litigation paralegal. Diana prepares and files legal documents in courts across the country and never tires of the challenges faced in the fight for justice.
Diana’s legal career began at a very young age in the year 2001, as a legal secretary for a respected immigration law firm in the Northern Virginia area. Two years later, while in college and raising her 6-year-old son as a single parent, she went on to work with a ranking member of the Virginia legislature, Brian Moran, as a legal assistant and office manager. Following her years with Brian Moran, Diana served at her family company for several years as a Spanish speaking immigration interpreter for immigration interviews at the office of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Diana also translated immigration documents.
In March 2014, Diana’s career interest turned into the nonprofit legal sector and served Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV), as a litigation paralegal. She met with victims of domestic violence and assisted them in matters of family abused protective orders, divorce, child and spousal support, custody, and visitation. During this time, Diana also assisted with the startup and launch of LSNV’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) where she met with low-income families and individuals to resolve their federal income tax disputes with the IRS. She also provided community awareness about taxpayers’ rights and responsibilities.
After many years of serving the Northern Virginia area, Diana’s desire to make a difference at the national level grew. From May 2017 until late 2022, Diana served at the Institute for Justice, a national nonprofit, public interest law firm as a litigation paralegal. Diana’s focus at the Institute for Justice was on constitutional law cases throughout the country. Diana joined Earthjustice thereafter.
Diana was born in Peru and migrated to White Plains, NY, at the age of 5 and settled in the Northern Virginia area with her immediate family in 1995. Diana graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and International Politics, and she also majored in Paralegal Studies with an Associate in Applied Science degree from Northern Virginia Community College.
Diana volunteers as a certified Family-to-Family Facilitator in a mental health educational program sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Diana lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her significant other and their two dogs, Lucky and Luna. Diana’s son lives 5 miles away and frequently visits.