Dietrich was born in Baltimore, but fortunately her parents heeded the call of the Great State of Texas and moved to Arlington when she was a toddler. Her parents Glynn and Marilyn (whom she calls her role models) still live in Arlington, while her brother David and his wife have ventured to Mansfield, Texas, where they live with Dietrich's nephews, Kyle and Alex. Dietrich now lives and works in Plano with her “bossy” cat Daphne.
A 1996 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Dietrich majored in journalism and completed the Senior Fellows Honor Program. As an undergrad she was a member of the Order of Omega Honor Society, the Alpha Phi Sorority (in which she served as Spring Rush Chair and Vice-President), and a peer counselor for the College of Communications.
Upon graduation from UT, she immediately headed out west to Texas Tech Law School. She was drawn to the legal profession by her personality (“I love to take a stand on a position and argue it.”) and her love for public service (“I also wanted to be an advocate for victims.”). As a law student, she quickly became involved with Tech’s highly-regarded advocacy program, where she was a member of the Board of Barristers. She loved competing in mock trial and moot court competitions. By the time she graduated from law school in 1999 (her favorite academic experience was “passing the bar!!!!”), she had worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Waco and volunteered at the Federal Public Defenders Office: her path to a career in criminal law was paved.
Dietrich now serves as Assistant District Attorney for the Collin County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, where she started in the fall of 1999. She handles both misdemeanor and felony trials, and has been assigned to the Family Justice Division since January 2004 (“I love it!!” she responds, when asked if she enjoys her job). In that role, she handles Child Protective Service cases. “Being in trial and fighting for the protection of children and seeking justice for victims” is her favorite aspect of her practice. “I really enjoy being in trial or contested matters and having the opportunity to help children that have been abused or neglected or who have lived with parents who have abused drugs. It is such a joy to help create a safe, stable and happy home for children and to ensure that [they are] protected.” Her least favorite part of litigating? “Civil discovery!”
Dietrich was introduced to the CCYLA by her co-workers at the District Attorney’s Office. She enjoyed getting involved (she’s a “huge multi-tasker” by nature), and soon found herself on the CCYLA Board. From there she went on to serve as Vice President and President-Elect. She also serves as a board member of the Collin County Bench/Bar Foundation, and consistent with her love for kiddos, she is on the Planning Board for National Adoption Day in Collin County. Dietrich feels naturally drawn to bar leadership: “I learned the value of community involvement and leadership from my mom. She was involved in church, community organizations and Junior League while I was growing up and still is today. Both my parents taught me the importance of being involved and giving back to my community. Since I’m an attorney, it seems only natural to be involved in the legal community which is why I have chosen Bar Leadership.”
As President of CCYLA, Dietrich is employing her multi-tasking tendencies as she implements a wide variety of projects for Collin County young lawyers. (Now that CCYLA (“finally!”) has a website, you can learn more about their active year at www.ccyla.com.) This month CCYLA will hold a CLE program on Law Practice Management for Criminal Lawyers. They also plan to have a “Wills Day” benefiting law enforcement in the Collin County area. During Wills Day, attorneys will draft basic wills for officers, fireman etc. and their families. And this will be the second year that the CCYLA has co-sponsored a Law Exploring Post with the Collin County DA’s office and the Boy Scouts of America. But Dietrich is most proud of the American Juror project, which she has been spearheading for the last two years. And CCYLA is proud of her accomplishments: she has twice been named CCYLA Outstanding Young Lawyer.
In her free time, Dietrich loves to travel, watch Longhorn Football (Hook ‘Em!), and she distresses with yoga and biking. In her fantasy world, she would have a job that allows her to travel all over the world—but, she says, until she wins the lottery she’s perfectly content being an advocate for children (and, I suspect, she would continue as an advocate even if she did win the lottery). Until then, we are all happy to have her as an exceptional leader for the CCYLA!
