Diane L. Drain of the Law Office of D.L. Drain LP has been selected to receive the prestigious 2025 American Inns of Court Bankruptcy Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes a judge or attorney specializing in bankruptcy law who has exhibited ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession, the rule of law, and personal ethics and integrity. Drain will receive the award at the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges in Chicago in September.

“I can attest to Diane’s dedication and commitment to pro bono service, and our entire Arizona legal aid community has benefited from Diane’s ongoing contributions to the field of bankruptcy,” writes Sharon E. Sergent, executive director of Community Legal Services (CLS), who nominated Drain on behalf of CLS and the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP). “Even more importantly, Diane has served a myriad of clients who are so desperate for legal assistance through her ongoing pro bono service as a CLS/VLP pro bono attorney, her creation and dedication to serving pro se litigants at the Self-Help Center at the Arizona Bankruptcy Court, her never-ending mentorship, and her willingness to teach and train attorneys and assist clients by representing them directly or assisting them with representing themselves.”

Drain earned her undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Arizona State University in 1983, then earned her law degree from the University of Arizona Law School in 1985. Before law school, she spent 15 years as a paralegal and law office administrator. Drain founded her law firm in 1990 after working at a large firm and specializes in debtor bankruptcy rights, with an expertise in Arizona foreclosure.

Drain developed the Volunteer Lawyers Program at the Arizona Bankruptcy Court and provides pro bono services to CLS/VLP clients as well as offering bankruptcy-related webinars to the public. She and another consumer bankruptcy attorney also established a mentoring group of approximately 100 consumer bankruptcy attorneys; called the Arizona Consumer Bankruptcy Counsel. The organization is actively involved in mentoring consumer bankruptcy attorneys, education programs for attorneys, the bankruptcy court staff and Arizona consumers, and making legislative changes to protect consumers.

In 2023, Drain received a Bankruptcy Attorney of the Year award from CLS/VLP. That year, she also received a Foundation for Justice award for giving her time and expertise to change the justice system to promote access and opportunity for the most vulnerable.

The American Inns of Court, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, inspires the legal community to advance the rule of law by achieving the highest level of professionalism through example, education, and mentoring. The organization’s membership includes nearly 30,000 federal, state, and local judges; lawyers; law professors; and law students in more than 360 chapters nationwide. More information is available at www.innsofcourt.org.

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Diane L. Drain, Esquire, to Receive the 2025 American Inns of Court Bankruptcy Distinguished Service Award. bit.ly/AIC_Bankruptcy2025