Diana Price

Profile

Diana practices in the areas of criminal law, administrative law, inquests and inquiries. She particularly enjoys working at the intersection of criminal and administrative law and provides written advice across a wide range of areas, including health and licensing regulation.

Criminal law

Diana regularly conducts jury trials in the County and Supreme Courts. 

As lead or solo counsel Diana has obtained acquittals on behalf of clients charged with homicide, fraud based offences and various sexual offences. On three occasions she was junior counsel where the client was acquitted of murder. As a trial advocate Diana is known for her forensic judgement and witness examination skills.

Diana appears in occupational health and safety matters and represents parties to investigations by the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. She also appears in matters involving WorkSafe, the Wage Inspectorate and arising from state and Commonwealth royal commissions.

Diana holds an Indictable Crime Certificate and is a member of the VLA Criminal Trial Preferred Barrister List. Diana is a Lead Counsel with the Trial Counsel Development Program.

Administrative law & professional disciplinary matters

Diana is regularly briefed in disciplinary and licensing matters, appearing for a variety of professionals as well as on behalf of government agencies, departments and regulatory bodies.  She often appears on behalf of health practitioners in immediate action hearings, stay hearings, review hearings and substantive disciplinary hearings.

Diana also appears in matters involving the Legal Services Commissioner and in fitness and probity hearings within the Anglican Church.

Diana is appointed to the Councillor Conduct Panel to hear and determine complaints of serious misconduct by local government councillors pursuant to the Local Government Act 2020.

Inquests & investigation

Diana appears in coronial inquests in relation to deaths occurring in medical contexts, workplaces and where there is a suspected homicide. Diana is often briefed for her cross-examination skills and knowledge of the intersection between criminal law, disciplinary proceedings and coronial hearings. 

Advocacy coaching and membership of professional associations

Diana is a trained Senior Advocacy Instructor with the Australian Advocacy Institute and teaches in Victoria and interstate. She is an instructor with Monash University, the University of New South Wales and the Australian National University. She teaches, coaches and assesses students in the Victorian Bar Readers Course and at various law schools. Diana has taught at the Legal Training Institute in Papua New Guinea.

Diana is on the Greens List committee. She was a Director of Australian Women Lawyers between 2016 - 2018.  She was Convenor of the Women Barristers Association between 2012 - 2015 and remained on its committee until 2020. Diana was a member of the Bar Readers Course Committee between 2016 - 2021, and again in 2024 to present. She was a member of the Student Engagement Committee between 2012 - 2015. In 2013 she was a finalist in the Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards.

Diana has had eight readers, being James Penny, Ashlea Patterson, Catherine Jones Williams, Sophie Coulson, Odette Richwol, Bryony Seignior, Carmendy Cooper and Christina Gomez Vazquez. Diana read with Sean Cash.

Background

Diana was admitted in the Australian Capital Territory in 2004, in New York in 2007 and in Victoria in 2009. Prior to joining the Bar Diana worked as a criminal lawyer at Victoria Legal Aid in 2010.

Diana passed the New York Bar Examination in 2007 and commenced work as a trial attorney at a non-profit law firm in Brooklyn between 2007 - 2009. She practiced in the busiest single-purpose court in the United States, representing children and young people in various legal proceedings.

Diana commenced her career in the Australian Capital Territory, where she was admitted in 2004. She was a prosecutor with the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions.