Dianna Wilke
is a specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law; certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. As such, she has strong academic and professional qualifications, but an even stronger conviction for planning with the client’s values as the centerpiece. “I believe I give clients a voice when they are no longer here” she says, “it is my passion.”
A California native, Dianna grew up in Ventura and Placer Counties and attended Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, where she serves on the school’s Board of Directors. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in history, with a minor in political science from Arizona State University, where she was also active in the Alpha Gamma Delta International Women’s Fraternity, serving as Vice President – Scholarship. Dianna earned her Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law, where she was named to the Dean’s List and awarded the American Jurisprudence Award in Wills and Trusts.
While attending law school, Dianna also founded and served as President of Southwestern University School of Law’s chapter of the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA). She holds a Master of Laws in Estate Planning from the prestigious program at the University of Miami School of Law, where she was a Heckerling Scholarship Recipient. While attending the University of Miami, Dianna published an article entitled “Crummey Right to Withdraw, Is it Safe for Contingent Remaindermen?” in the 1999 University of Miami Tax Law Chronicle, which analyzed a popular technique in family gifting. She also holds a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Alabama School of Law, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Dianna’s experience includes private practice at some of the state’s most respected firms and management of the trust and investment business lines for a major financial institution. This depth of experience allows her to analyze a client’s plan from both a theoretical and practical application. Dianna is a frequent lecturer on various estate planning subjects for legal and charitable associations, including the California State Bar, the National Business Institute, and the Ventura County Community Foundation. She served as Chair of the California State Bar Exempt Organization Committee. She is also a member of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California State Bar. She is a former member of the Sutter Medical Center Foundation Heritage Advisors and a past Board Member of the Sacramento Ballet and Ride To Walk, Inc.
