Diana Conner

Diana’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including high-stakes disputes involving healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and media companies. She has substantial trial experience in both state and federal courts, as well as significant appellate experience. 

Work highlights 

Diana’s experience includes advising:

• Financial guaranty insurers: advising in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis in suits against banks that sponsored residential mortgage-backed securities, including on appeal to the New York Appellate Division and the New York Court of Appeals. One such matter resulted in a US$1.8bn settlement in favor of the client midway through trial. 
• A major medical device company: representing in a multibillion-dollar earnout dispute concerning surgical robots, including at a multi-week trial in Delaware Chancery Court. 
• A major pharmaceutical company: representing in a multimillion-dollar arbitration concerning alleged breaches of a vaccine manufacturing agreement. 
• A medical device manufacturer: representing in a dispute related to the sale and marketing of orthopedic devices that resulted in a post-hearing arbitration award dismissing the adversary's claims and ruling favorably on the client's counterclaims.
• A major medical device company: representing in a New York federal court action concerning a contractual dispute relating to medical imaging technology. 
• Investors: representing in New York State Court trust instructional proceedings concerning the proper distribution of funds to holders of residential mortgage-backed securities. 
• A major media company: representing in a New York state court action concerning the alleged breach of a production services agreement relating to a reality television show. 
• A large auto parts manufacturer: representing in a contractual dispute relating to electric vehicles. 
• A non-profit foundation: representing in a civil asset forfeiture case concerning over US$500m in assets, including in a five-week trial in federal district court and on multiple appeals to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Pro bono experience

Diana has a robust pro bono practice, including civil rights and criminal cases. Her work has been recognized with the Legal Leadership Award from the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, the Champions of Justice Award from the Muslim Bar Association of New York, the Landmark Award from the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association, and the Trailblazer Award from the South Asian Bar Association of New Jersey.

Diana’s pro bono experience includes representing:

• Muslim communities in New York and New Jersey in federal civil rights actions concerning local authorities’ discriminatory denials of permits to construct mosques. One such case resulted in a landmark ruling under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
• A client in an appeal of a burglary conviction to the New York Appellate Division and the New York Court of Appeals.
• Youth offenders in seeking to avoid payment of court fees on the basis of severe financial hardship.

Diana holds a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School, where she was awarded the Gerald Gunther Prize. She also earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Diana previously served as a law clerk to the Hon. Colleen McMahon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
She is admitted to practice in the following courts and jurisdictions:

• U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit 
• U.S. District Court, Southern, and Eastern Districts of New York 
• New York 
• District of Columbia