Diana M. Watral, P.C.

Partner Litigation

Overview

Diana Watral is a litigation partner and trial lawyer in Kirkland’s Chicago office. Diana represents companies in a broad range of business disputes, with recent experience in contract, False Claims Act, trade secret, antitrust, patent, sports, products liability, and complex commercial cases.

Diana has significant trial experience. Most recently, Diana served as trial counsel to Flexus Biosciences, a Bristol-Myers Squibb subsidiary, in a $1 billion trade secret jury trial that resulted in a complete defense verdict. Diana also successfully defended Abbott in a $1 billion False Claim Act jury trial and second-chaired Baxter Healthcare’s successful defense of a $400 million contract dispute.

In the past year, Diana obtained dismissal of an antitrust case asserting that AbbVie created a “patent thicket” for its drug Humira, and dismissal of two False Claims Act cases against grocery chains with claims spanning over nine years.

Diana was named one of four “Rising Stars” by Law360 in 2020 for her trial work and was recognized on the Benchmark Litigation “40 & Under Hot List” for her commercial litigation and False Claims Act work. The American Lawyer recognized Diana as its national “Litigator of the Week” for her work in the Flexus Biosciences trade secret trial (“It’s No Secret That Kirkland Trio Crushed This Case”), and Benchmark Litigation recognized the case as its 2019 “National Impact Case of the Year.” Legal 500 United States has recognized Diana for Healthcare: Life Sciences, calling her “brilliant, creative and tenacious.”

More

Recognition

Recognized in Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List,” 2021–2024

Recognized by Bloomberg Law, “They’ve Got Next: Healthcare and Life Sciences Fresh Face Diana Watral,” April 22, 2021

Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

  • Illinois

Education

  • University of Chicago Law SchoolJ.D.with Highest Honors2010

    Graduated first in class

    Order of the Coif

    Kirkland & Ellis Scholar

    Executive Editor, The University of Chicago Law Review

  • Georgetown UniversityB.A., Governmentmagna cum laude, with Honors, with Distinction2007