July 14, 2020

Meet Diana Gallegos of D&F Services

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Gallegos.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Diana. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I began working as an immigration paralegal my freshman year in college in November 2014. Unlike most job mine fell out of the sky. I was contacted over the phone by my former Lawyer’s office, they asked me if I was interested to work for them and if so to drop off my resume. I was so excited so the next day I went to drop it off, to my surprise they decided to interview me that same day. I was extremely nervous because it was my first formal job interview. I didn’t have any legal experience, all I had in my resume was volunteer work. I was interviewed by the law firms’ owner and I did not know it then, but it was not normal for him to conduct the interviews. He told me he wanted to give his DACA clients a chance to work for him. The interview was a bit long yet easy. He made me feel comfortable and congratulated me for all the volunteer work I had done. I was hired on the spot and began working November 12, 2014.

At the time I was the youngest employee they had. I initially stared off as a regular legal assistant, and as the owner’s personal assistant. That position gave me the opportunity to travel and learn so much not only about immigration law but also about how the media world worked. After six months at 19 years old I was promoted to a supervisor position. Such decision angered a few of my co-workers. Not only because was I the youngest supervisor in the firm, but because I was able to get that position in only six months, while the rest of the supervisors had to work years before getting a promotion. Although I was proud of my accomplishments there, I wanted to learn more about law, so after a couple of years I stared working for a different law firm that offered personal injury and family law.

One day, I decided to leave Houston and applied for job outside of the city. At the time I needed change and time for myself away from everyone. I was contacted by a firm in Dallas, Texas. The next day I received a job offer and although it was less then what I expected I took it. I was desperate to leave and start a new life. I quickly accepted the offer and moved to Kaufman, Texas at 21 years old. I rented a room at my cousin’s house and drove an hour to my job every single day. It was not long before I was able to make new friends. I also got to spend time with my cousins and develop a bond I never had while living in Houston.

In Dallas, I got to work with one of the most well-known firms in the area. Although I was very happy in that city I got engaged to my now husband and moved back to Houston after a year. I was quickly able to find a job and after a few months I was promoted to office manager. I knew I wanted, and I needed that position to expand my experience in the legal field. However, going to work was a nightmare. I was often harassed and bullied by a couple of the staff members even as a manager. My former boss ignored every single one of my complaints. I couldn’t take the mistreatment anymore and one morning, I packed my stuff, clocked out, said goodbye to my staff and emailed a resignation letter. That decision changed my life. I had decided to not ever again work for any lawyers, and it was very hard for me to even apply to other jobs. I was tired of the stress and anxiety work caused but I was also very passionate about law and I didn’t have any experience in another filed. My husband pushed me to start freelancing as a paralegal an, so I did. Many times, I felt pressured to just go back to working as a regular employee. As a Hispanic independent woman, I refused to allow my husband to take care of me on his own. However, he made me feel like I could trust him, and he continued to push me every day to hustle.

I stared D&F Services May 1st, 2019. At first, I was only offering paralegal services to the lawyers I trusted and felt comfortable with. As a freelancer I get to choose who to work with and how much I want to get paid. Over time I began using my social media marketing strategy and began to offer more services to the general public. My clients now have a variety of services to choose from my business. I now utilize the skills I learned over the years to help small law firms with stability and growth. I have many services to offer such as social media marketing, resume building, verbal interpreting, faxing, document translations, and much more. My favorite part as is to help others even when I do not get paid. My goal is to keep the community informed about their rights, so I help people find the lawyers that best fit their needs at no cost. I specially use my platforms to keep the immigration community informed about the current immigration laws and encourage them to apply for the type of relief they are entitled to.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey as a business owner has been amazing. Like any other business owner, I have experienced discouragement, lack of creativity and motivation. However, I surround myself with amazing friends who are either lawyers of business owners themselves. Seeing their accomplishments encourages me to work harder and not give up on myself or my business. Even when I feel like I am not doing anything right I am quickly reminded by my husband and friends that I am capable of greatness. They often remind me that I am not an employee anymore, I am my own boss and that I must continue to work with that mentality.

D&F Services – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At D&F services I have a variety of services to offer like resume reconstruction, document translations, interpretations, jail visits, paralegal, notary work and much more. I specialize in assisting solo-practitioners with legal document preparation and at the same time help their small law firms blossom into a well-established company. My goal is to prepare their business with the necessary tools and training. My work ends when they can operate their firm without my assistance. I am mostly known for my knowledge in the immigration law and helping those in need. I am proud to say that my business allows me to help people without taking advantage of anyone and that alone lets me sleep in peace at night. I wake up every day ready to learn and apply new strategies, new laws, new solutions, and I challenged myself to do more for others. I find creative ways to problem solve what others might think is impossible. I make it my duty to provide honest, reliable, accurate, and professional services, and I believe that is what sets me apart from others.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
D&F is just getting started there is a lot more to come. I plan to offer services worldwide. One of my goals is to hire people in and out of the United States. I want to be able to provide safe, well-paying jobs for people who live in Latin America and allow them to work from the comfort of their home. Every day I get closer to my dreams and that helps me stay motivated and focused. I am the type of person who is not ever satisfied with their accomplishments, instead I thrive for bigger and more challenging goals. D&F services will continue to grow and be successful for as long as God allows me to run it.

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