After studying law in Switzerland and having worked there as a lawyer during two years and a half, I wanted to pursue studies in aeronautics. I therefore enrolled in a Master’s degree at a Montréal university reputed in that field. I was drawn to Greater Montréal all the more because I liked the metropolitan area, something I’d realized after visiting my sister who already lived there.
I intended on going back to Switzerland after my Master’s degree, but as I was really fond of life in Greater Montréal and Québec at large, I wished to explore my potential for integrating professionally here. I gave myself two years to find a job in my field, but in the end, I found one immediately after completing my studies.
During my first year of work in Greater Montréal, in view of obtaining a recognition and equivalence of my Swiss degrees, I followed the requisite courses and took the bar exams at the Barreau du Québec. Today I work as a lawyer for a Québec law firm specializing in local business law.
I appreciate the open-minded spirit and values of Quebeckers, especially those pertaining to men-women relations, to the importance of family and to the integration of newly-arrived immigrants. When I passed a job interview, I never felt any reticence at the idea of hiring a woman who was in her childbearing years. And the atmosphere in my workplace is very democratic: all good ideas are taken into consideration, whether they come from a senior or a junior lawyer.
Though I wasn’t planning on settling down in Greater Montréal, I’m very glad I did!