Dianna Marie Valdez

Paralegal*

Dianna Valdez is a paralegal in the Public Policy & Ethics group of Best Best & Krieger LLP. She has worked as a paralegal for 40 years and is the firm’s conflicts of interest and ethics coordinator. Dianna’s work focuses on the Political Reform Act, conflict of interest codes, disclosure requirements and filing officer duties.

Dianna administers BB&K’s conflict of interest system, encompassing all public sector attorneys. Her key responsibilities are assisting BB&K attorneys in benchmarking best practices in their evaluation of policies and procedures, and providing centralized support for coordinators and staff who are involved in compliance with the Political Reform Act. Dianna also manages a large information system to coordinate PRA work for all firm public agency clients.

Dianna assists firm professionals with various conflict of interest issues, including mass mailing, gift limitations and prohibitions, participation in the decision-making process, consultant disclosure requirements, and disclosure and disqualification issues. She regularly conducts educational programs and workshops on disclosure statements, conflict of interest codes, filing officer duties, gift limitations, prohibitions and reporting requirements and general ethics. Dianna supports BB&K attorneys in their work with public officials, focusing on their individual disclosure requirements, as well as their analysis of, and amendment of, conflict of interest codes. She coordinates with agencies in preparing and processing code amendments and helps them obtain code-reviewing body approvals.

Additionally, Dianna administers BB&K’s Public Policy & Ethics Program. Lawyers in the Program provide advice to public agency clients regarding new legislation, administrative rulings, judicial decisions and Attorney General opinions, including the firm’s popular Brown Act publication.

Prior to joining BB&K, Dianna worked in corporate and business litigation, where she was chiefly involved in trial preparation and records management. She earned her paralegal studies certificate from the University of California, Riverside, is a certified mediator for Riverside County and is a member of the Chaffey College Advisory Committee for Paralegal Studies.

*Paralegals are not licensed attorneys. Under California law, paralegals are not authorized to provide legal advice.

Education

• University of California, Riverside, paralegal certificate