page_title: Diane Neal
section_title: Early life
hierarchical_section_title: Diane Neal / Early life
caption_attribution_description: Actress Diane Neal (Law &amp; Order SVU) at the G'Day USA 2008 Event at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
context_page_description: Diane Neal is an American actress best known for her role as New York Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak in the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which she played from 2003 to 2008 and 2011 to 2012. She is also known for portraying Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agent Abigail Borin in the NCIS franchise.
context_section_description: Neal was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the daughter of Colleen, a math teacher, and Christopher Neal, a federal attorney, the youngest of three sisters, Leigh, Erin and Diane. She was raised in Littleton, Colorado and Ohio. After Neal graduated from Littleton's Heritage High School, she moved to Hawaii to attend college, but later left school to become a model and travel. Neal started modeling for Shiseido and Pond's skin-care ads. After deciding to resume her education, Neal began attending Harvard University's Extension School in 2009, and graduated with an associate degree in May 2018.
caption: Diane Neal in 2008.
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