Diane Hanna's Email & Phone

Diane Hanna specializes in land use, natural resources, alternative energy and related land use and real estate litigation. Ms. Hanna has successfully represented clients through the public review and entitlement process for major land use projects invoking the California Environmental Quality Act, Planning and Zoning Law, Subdivision Map Act, Endangered Species Act, wetlands regulations and other areas of natural resource and environmental law. In many of these projects, she has successfully worked with public officials and project opponents to achieve project support, avoid litigation and facilitate timely construction. In those matters that have resulted in litigation, Ms. Hanna has successfully represented developers and property owners in trial and appellate court proceedings in both state and federal court on a variety of claims. Ms. Hanna has served as land use and environmental counsel for large-scale real estate transactions. She represented a large utility company in the environmental review and due diligence for the acquisition of a large wind energy facility in the Mojave desert. Ms. Hanna has also represented investment funds in the acquisition of major portfolios, including a 44 office building transaction in Silicon Valley, 12 high rise office building transaction in downtown Oakland, and a leading technology company's assemblage of nine office buildings in a series of off-market transactions. Prior to joining SSL, Ms. Hanna was a shareholder and director at Ellman Burke Hoffman & Johnson. Previous to Ellman Burke, she was an associate at Beveridge & Diamond. Ms. Hanna is a member of the State Bar of California (Real Property and Environmental Law Sections), the Bar Association of San Francisco (Environmental Law Section), and the American Bar Association. She is also affiliated with the California Building Industry Association Select Conference on Industry Litigation and a member of Urban Land Institute and the U.S. Green Building Counsel. Ms. Hanna has lectured on CEQA and Planning and Zoning Law for Lorman Education Services and UC Berkeley Continuing Education. Ms. Hanna earned her law degree, cum laude, in 1999 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. During law school, she was a judicial extern to the Honorable Charles A. Legge, Judge of the United States District Court, Northern District of California. She was a member of the Hastings West-Northwest Journal of Environmental Law and Policy and actively competed in the moot court program. In 1995, Ms. Hanna received her Bachelor of Arts degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. While at Cal Poly, Ms. Hanna competed on the intercollegiate track and field team as a heptathlete and served as the team captain. In 2009, Ms. Hanna was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine.