09/19/2022
My name is Diann M. DeJulia. I am the owner of DeJulia Elder Law & Estate Planning, PLLC. Being an attorney is my second career. I used to be a math teacher.
When I told my family and friends I wanted to make a career change from educator to attorney, they were supportive, but perplexed. They know my story – at age six I told everyone that I wanted to be a teacher and at fourteen I decided that I would be a math teacher. I went to college and graduate school, pursuing that goal. Throughout the years, I have taught many levels of mathematics, ranging from seventh grade mathematics to differential equations. Students have told me that my love for teaching and learning has personally affected their lives. So, why change careers? Why go to law school?
Please know that I did not wake up one day and say, “I think I will go to law school.” Many years ago, I took some time off from teaching, enrolled in a paralegal program, and worked as a paralegal. I was fortunate to be exposed to construction litigation, estate planning, real estate law, and bankruptcy law. I soon realized that I really loved estate planning. I also realized that I did not want to be a paralegal. I wanted to be an attorney. However, my circumstances did not provide the opportunity to go to law school. By that time, my husband and I had two sons to raise. I needed a job with a guaranteed income and a flexible schedule. I returned to teaching and tutoring math.
I do not regret my decision in any way. I have raised two amazing young men. Yet, through all those years, my desire to attend law school was always in the back of my mind. When my mother was diagnosed with dementia in 2014, this desire resurfaced. As I watched my mom transform from a vibrant, wise-cracking, street-wise woman to a lost, paranoid and confused soul, I realized that there are not enough resources to guide the families of those afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Shortly thereafter, I applied to law school and began my journey toward my second career.