Diane Therese Letarte

Diane Therese Letarte

4.8
Rating: 9.4

Licensed for 28 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at San Diego, CA
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Appeals

1080 Park Blvd Unit 1008, San Diego, CA

About Diane

Biography

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Criminal Defense 75%

Lifer Suitability hearing - BPH Post conviction, P36 Three Strikes (Re-sentencing)

75%
Appeals 25%

Writs from Lifer Parole Hearing

25%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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Licenses

Licensed in California for 28 years

State: California

Acquired: 1997

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in District of Columbia for 27 years

State: District of Columbia

Acquired: 1998

Inactive

No misconduct found

Licensed in Florida for 27 years

State: Florida

Acquired: 1998

Inactive

No misconduct found

Location

Law Offices of Diane Therese Letarte

1080 Park Blvd Unit 1008, San Diego, CA, 92101

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Diane Therese Letarte's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.8 /5.0

37 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (37) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 37 reviews

Posted by Jen | June 16, 2025 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Professional and Compassionate Lawyer

I was referred to Diane from someone that hired her and was granted parole. He had nothing but very positive things to say about Diane Letarte and her legal team. So, I decided to call her office, and first spoke to her assistant Yolanda, whom was very nice, and knowledgeable about the parole hearin...g process. Then Diane called me herself and we spoke for almost an hour about my brother and his needs at his upcoming parole hearing. Our conversation left me feeling very confidant about her expertise and capabilities. My brother goes before the parole board in a few days, and my family, my brother and I feel like we hired the best attorney for the job. We have confidence in her and I know she will do her very best to represent my brother at his hearing. It is obvious to me the compassion she has for lifer's and her passion to help them have a chance at life again. My brother has done a lot of soul searching and inner personal work to become suitable for parole, and with the professional help of Diane and her team, we believe he will have the very best chance of parole.

Posted by Jojo | October 27, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Great Accountant

She sure knows how to bank on this and good luck getting ahold of her when you need her. She does not have a direct phone line for her clients but you can leave a message. She failed 3 times and counting. A public defender is a much better option.

Diane Letarte

Replied last February 11, 2026

Our Law office provides a 24-48 hour turn around to respond. As a Solo practitioner I pick-up my messages daily but if I am at a Parole Hearing then I concentrate on that Client which has urgent needs. If there are 3 or more calls on the same issues then one phone call will be returned within that time frame UNLESS it is an URGENT message. No other client or family member has ever had a problem with my promptness - per all the other reviews received on this website and many other testimonial on my own website at http://www.dianeletarte.com/testimonial. NOTE: this AVVO website is not (or very rarely) monitor by our law office: it is for the benefits of others.

Posted by anonymous | October 17, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Moderate

I don't like the fact that she does not give her clients a direct phone number to call. Public defender is the way to go I believe.

Posted by Sonny | August 01, 2023 | Criminal Defense

Private Investigator

In my 40+ years of conducting criminal investigations and recently post-conviction work, Ms. Diane Letarte is by far one of the better criminal defense attorneys in California. In my review of her recent representation of an inmate in a Parole hearing, she presented one of the best defense and argu...ments on behalf of her clients I have ever reviewed. In shows that Diane Letarte really enjoys her work, fights hard for her clients and is a very strong advocate in every sense of the word. Hats off to Ms Letarte

Posted by anonymous | July 11, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Life Sentence Parole Granted

My husband is a youth offender and he has been in prison for over 24 years, he had his 1st board hearing July 7, 2023 and he was found situatable. Ms. Letarte did an amazing job preparing my husband and giving us the family guidance and templates. My very 1st call to her was one of the best experienc...es I had. I had felt i had hit a dead end with the lack of interest, all others asked for a retainer to be able to speak to us, she was different. She talked to me for about 40 minutes, giving me options and guiding me, she never asked for money until we hired her. Yolanda her legal assistant is also fabulous. They answered all of our emails, phone call, collect calls from my husband. We were pleased with the services they provided. We highly recommend, Diane Letarte. Thank you for everything!

See All Client Reviews

Diane Therese Letarte's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Diane
Jamie Sprenger headshot
Jamie Sprenger

Appeals lawyer | Mar 28

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I had the pleasure of working with Diane when I was a new attorney in California. She was an inspiring mentor and remarkable lawyer. Her passion for justice and for her clients is truly one of a kind. Lawyers have a bad reputation for being money hungry, but Diane is the polar opposite of this stereotype - putting "the cause" as number one, and being willing to sacrifice everything for her clients. If only all lawyers could be as dedicated, passionate, and selfless as Diane."

James Nelson Dicks headshot
James Dicks

Criminal defense lawyer | Nov 29

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"This attorney works very hard for the client and keeps up with the law by attending legal seminars to assist them in this regard. I endorse this attorney."

Michael Shemtoub headshot
Michael Shemtoub

Appeals lawyer | Sep 30

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Your resume speaks for itself and I consider you a valuable member of the attorney community. I would recommend you to anyone and everyone who needs your services. I whole heartedly endorse this lawyer!"

C. C. Abbott headshot
C. Abbott

Appeals lawyer | Jul 03

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Attorney Letarte has dedicated her career to assisting a population within our community that needs zealous advocacy. A true professional."

Serena Faye Salinas headshot
Serena Salinas

Appeals lawyer | Jul 02

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I work under the guidance of Ms. Letarte in the area of parole suitability hearings. I gravitated to her because of her extensive knowledge and experience in the field. Her bright personality and honesty is refreshing, making her one of my favorite attorneys to work with."

View All Endorsements
James Nelson Dicks headshot
James Dicks

Criminal defense lawyer

Serena Faye Salinas headshot
Serena Salinas

Appeals lawyer

Tanya Lee Weston headshot
Tanya Weston

Criminal defense lawyer

Michael Evan Beckman headshot
Michael Beckman

Criminal defense lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.4 (Superb)

Honors

2013

Attorney of the Month, Attorney Journal

2012

Judge Pro tem Contribution, Judge Advocates Association

2000

Distinguished Service Award, San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program

N/A

Service Award, North County Bar Association

Work Experience

1998 - Present

Attorney - Owner, Law Office of Diane T. Letarte

2002 - 2002

Internship, Vista Public Defender's Office

Associations

2000 - Present

San Diego Bar Association

Member

1999 - Present

North County Bar Association

Member

Lawyers Club of San Diego (North County chapter)

Former President

2005 - 2006

Lawyers Club of San Diego (North County chapter)

President

Sample of Legal Cases

In re Bolton 40 Cal.App 5th 611 (2019)

The Lassen County Superior Court is directed to vacate petitioner's 91-year state prison term for his juvenile offenses and to hold a sentencing hearing on his juvenile and adult convictions consistent with the Opinion

Fitz v. NCR Corp., 118 Cal. App. 4th 702. (2004)

Employee Procedural win impacting ALL NCR California employee.

See More Legal Cases

Education

2011

Walden University

MS - Master of Science

2002

University of San Diego School of Law

LL.M - Master of Laws

1996

Thomas Jefferson School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1991

University of Redlands

MBA - Master of Business Administration

1979

Florida Atlantic University

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2011

TIME WARNER - Studio Marsy's Law and its Impact

2011

LIFER FAIR

LIFER SEMINAR - Prison

2011

California Central Appellate Seminar CCAP Lifer Parole Hearing - Making a record

2010

Families of the Incarcerated at LA Church Lifer Parole Hearings - free Seminar

Publications

2011

Private informal tips document Tips for inmate

Languages

French

Spanish

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution