Meet
Diane Sykes

For Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge, Position 2

My Story

I started my career as a public defender. I continued my advocacy as an attorney for Legal Aid Services of Oregon and Oregon Law Center over a 10 year period. As a Legal Aid lawyer, I represented low-income clients in employment, housing, consumer, domestic violence and public benefits cases.

In 2009, I was hired as a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Oregon Department of Justice to create and lead the department’s first Civil Rights Unit to protect the civil rights of Oregonians.

In 2013, I started the law office of Diane S. Sykes, Attorney at Law, P.C. As a private attorney, I specialize in employment discrimination, retaliation and whistleblower claims. A core tenet of my practice is to empower clients to understand the legal process with a trusted ally at their side.

Diane lives in Portland with her husband, Nathan, and their dog, Maeve. She is the proud mother of two college students, Maya and Drew.

Why I want to be a Judge

I am deeply dedicated to public service and upholding the rule of law. As a circuit court judge, my guiding principles are to foster a transparent, impartial, fair and accessible courtroom for all litigants. Appearing in court can be a daunting task for most. I want to ensure that my work on the bench reflects positively on the court system and the legal profession. The breadth of my legal experience will allow me to bring a balanced perspective to the court’s important work.