Name: Daiana da Croce
Profession/Industry: Legal
Current U.S. Position and Company Name: Legal Assistant, Quane Jones McColl
Country of Origin: Brazil
Education: Brazilian Law Degree
First Job in the U.S.: Legal Assistant
I received my law degree, obtained my bar license and worked for more than 6 years as an attorney in Brazil. Prior to becoming a fully licensed attorney, I worked as a Legal Assistant and as a Parliamentary Assistant for the City Council.
Before coming to the U.S. I was a solo practitioner with more than 12 years of experience in the legal field. I loved living and working in Brazil, spending time with my friends and family. But in 2014 I met a Brazilian man living in Boise. We fell in love and decided to get married. In 2015 I started the immigration process to obtain my permanent residency in the U.S., which was approved January of 2018, at which time I moved to Boise permanently.
Once I arrived in Boise, I started looking for job opportunities. At first, I was very confused about how to apply, what type of resume was appropriate, etc. One of my friends had told me about Global Talent, and I decided to apply to the program to learn the right way to proceed.
As soon as I was accepted, I saw that it was very well organized and the staff were helping immigrants like me rebuild their careers. Initially, I participated in the online course where I learned how to write a good resume and cover letter, how the American job market works, how to improve my interview skills, and how to make connections with people in my professional field. The most helpful thing for me was attending a Global Talent Career Summit, which provided me an opportunity to participate in two mock interviews. This gave me real experience on how I should conduct myself in a formal interview. This event, and the Global Talent training workshop before were awesome. The volunteers were so helpful in giving advice and the staff did an amazing job.
While I was job searching with Global Talent, I also started volunteering at Ada County Guardianship Monitoring Program. Initially, I reviewed records and files, but soon I was interviewing people regarding guardianship proceedings, which I am still doing. I believe that when we help others, we are also helping and improving ourselves.
Today, I am working as a part-time legal assistant in a mid-size law firm in downtown Boise. I have only been in the position a few months and still am on a learning curve, but the staff are very patient and are helping me to complete the assigned tasks. I am going step by step and feel that I am having exactly the opportunity that I needed – a job where I can learn about the legal field in the U.S., and at the same time apply my experience and skills that I have working as a legal assistant and an attorney in Brazil. I feel much more confident and prepared to work in my field. I can see the steps I have already taken on this path and I am grateful for all the people that helped me, and for all of the learning opportunities.
I hope to continue to improve my skills, learn more about my professional field and community, and use these qualifications to gain more experience as a legal assistant. In the future, I would like to work as a paralegal. The Boise community, Global Talent staff, and volunteers have been very helpful during my journey. They are responsible for showing me that I am capable of growing as a legal professional here in the U.S., and they proved to me that if we work together, we can help many other people and change many lives. I am so grateful for Global Talent.
