Dara (Darlene) Zandanel,
Staff Litigation Counsel

for California

B.S., Drew University, 1981 J.D., California Western School of Law, 1998 Joined GuideOne in 2015

Phone: 415-757-0980 Fax: 515-267-5431 Email: dzandanel@guideone.law Paralegal: Mary Spoonemore

Dara (Darlene) Zandanel serves as litigation counsel for California Workers’ Compensation Claims. She manages litigated workers’ compensation claims in Northern California from her office in San Francisco and is admitted to the California Bar as a certified workers’ compensation specialist.

Prior to joining GuideOne, Dara worked for nearly 13 years at a statewide, AV rated law firm specializing in workers’ compensation defense, 132(a) and subrogation claims. She tried and won several bench trials on issues ranging from eligibility for temporary disability to AOE/COE.

Dara grew up in the Garden State of New Jersey and graduated from Drew University with a degree in Political Science. She then discovered the allure of travel, good food and wine and spent several years working in restaurants, in every job from dishwasher to sommelier. But law school beckoned and she attended California Western School of Law in San Diego before returning home to San Francisco to begin practicing law.

In her spare time, she serves on the Board of Directors at La Cocina, a San Francisco non-profit kitchen incubator which assists low income entrepreneurs to grow their own food related businesses, from food trucks to catering to brick and mortar operations. La Cocina works mainly with female clients whose determination and creativity have made La Cocina into a national model.

Dara also teaches Hospitality Law at San Francisco City College. She is very grateful for the challenging, exhilarating interactions provided by the diverse and ambitious students and her inspiring colleagues in the Culinary Department.