Diane Birnholz

Unlike her character Bailey the Bartender, Diane Birnholz did actually make it through law school. Always a big fan of murder mysteries and true crime, she followed these interests and pursued a path in criminal law. Diane served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. She prosecuted a wide variety of criminal defendants in federal court, including takeover-style armed bank robbers, fraudsters preying on senior citizens with telemarketing schemes, and defendants charged with conspiracy, assault, narcotics, escape from prison, and gang firearms crimes. She argued multiple appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Diane received a Special Achievement Award from the U.S. Department of Justice for her sustained superior performance of duty and was honored by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in appreciation for her outstanding and dedicated service.

A native of California with roots in Connecticut as well, Diane recently returned to the East Coast, although she remains on the faculty at UCLA School of Law, where she’s taught courses in Criminal Trial Advocacy, Lawyering Skills, Legal Research & Writing, and Negotiation Theory & Practice. She’s also worked for UCLA Law as an Admissions Officer and has volunteered with the California Innocence Project. She teaches training courses for government lawyers as well.

Diane regularly appears on television and in various print media as an expert legal commentator. She’s made appearances on CrimeDoor TV, William Shatner’s The UnXplained, and on live TV newscasts for ABC7.

Diane is also busy editing her first novel, a legal murder mystery/thriller, which she hopes to see published one day. She has experience as a researcher and scriptwriter for a popular true crime podcast and as a podcast cohost. She’s a fan of game shows and was a winning contestant on Wheel of Fortune and appeared as one of the winning contestants on the “Christmas in July” episode of Let’s Make a Deal!

Taking her love of murder mysteries in a new direction, Diane now enjoys improv and performs in various comedy/murder mystery dinner theater and immersive weekend shows. She’s beyond thrilled and honored to be performing alongside the talented, friendly, and amazing cast of Cluedunnit!