Diana Smithens

Diana Smithens is a Senior Associate at Farber Balsam Papain Ferrari LLP, bringing over 15 years of experience as a versatile and persuasive litigator. She has a proven track record of driving positive legal resolutions for high-profile corporate and government clients across a broad range of complex legal matters.

Throughout her career, Diana has specialized in a blend of defense and plaintiff-side litigation, with expertise in product liability, mass torts, toxic torts, insurance defense, and general commercial litigation. She has represented prominent national corporations in high-value, multi-jurisdictional matters, managing high case volumes from inception through resolution. Diana is also recognized for her leadership capabilities, having previously supervised a 20-person legal team for a Fortune 100 client, where she implemented systems to streamline discovery in high-stakes litigation. She brings deep experience in full lifecycle case management, motion practice, discovery, expert witness retention, and client advocacy across a broad range of disputes.

Diana is adept at leveraging emerging technologies for her clients. Prior to joining FBPF, she served as an in-house Legal Artificial Intelligence Development Consultant, preparing advanced AI platforms for real-world legal applications and ensuring adherence to legal and ethical standards. Prior to that, Diana worked as a Senior Associate at a prominent New York litigation boutique, where she defended Fortune 500 corporations in complex litigation matters and served as national coordinating counsel for several major clients. Earlier in her career, she held litigation roles at an Am Law 100 firm, a New York State agency, and a plaintiff-side civil litigation practice, where she developed broad experience spanning labor and employment law, consumer fraud, ADA compliance, and class action matters.

Diana received her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in English & Philosophy, cum laude, from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. While at Fordham, she was recipient of the John Feerick Memorial Scholarship, the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award, and a member of the Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center. She is admitted to the Bar of the State of New York.

Practice Areas

Commercial Litigation
Product Liability & Mass Torts
Toxic Tort Litigation
Regulatory Compliance & Professional Liability
Legal AI Development & Ethics