Nicole DiGiacomo recently opened the doors to her own law practice in New City, NY, where she practices family law and domestic relations.
This new chapter of her career follows her service as a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Rockland County where she worked since 2017.
鈥淎 former teacher recently asked me to come to speak to his class as a female entrepreneur for Women鈥檚 history month,鈥� Nicole says. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥榃ow, I am one, aren鈥檛 I?鈥� It鈥檚 pretty cool.鈥�
A criminal justice class in high school piqued Nicole鈥檚 interest in law and she knew then and there that she would pursue it as a career. She chose philosophy as her major on the pre-law track at 91爆料.
鈥淚 think it was a good foundation because philosophy is all about learning how to think deeply and question everything, two very important skills in the law,鈥� she says, adding that she was fully supported in achieving her goals by faculty members like Dr. Ellen Chayet and Dr. Staci Shultz. 鈥淭hey both made me feel that they believed in me and my goals and were willing to do anything to help me get there.鈥� Nicole says she also benefitted from STAC鈥檚 law courses, like Constitutional Law and Criminal Law, that are taught by practicing professionals.
A two-year accelerated program with Pace Law School made it possible for Nicole to earn both her bachelor鈥檚 degree and her Juris Doctorate in just five years.
Currently, she is a member of the Rockland County Bar Association and a team member of the Rockland County Family Treatment Court. Aside from getting settled into her new office and teaching as an adjunct at Rockland Community College, Nicole spends most of her time in the courtroom. One of her favorite parts of the job is representing children.
鈥淥ften the children are in a hard place and your goal is to be there for them and have their voices heard even when they aren鈥檛 present in the courtroom,鈥� she explains. 鈥淭he most fulfilling cases are usually adoptions. They鈥檙e the happy endings to difficult cases.鈥�
Nicole grew up in Nanuet down the block from her grandparents and says she had a 鈥済reat childhood.鈥� Her younger brother Alex is her best friend, next to her puppy named Moose, a 鈥淧ointador鈥濃�攁 mix between Labrador Retriever and a German Pointer. She is currently reading the Harry Potter series and, in her spare time, enjoys listening to the music of her favorite band, Taking Back Sunday, and watching the show, 鈥淥ne Tree Hill.鈥�
Nicole鈥檚 advice to today鈥檚 students? 鈥淢ake connections in the working world, don鈥檛 be afraid to switch paths, and if you want to continue your education, just go for it!鈥�