Building a career requires one to be consistent, determined, and focused. While establishing a stable professional life, many people overlook essential parts of their life, such as spending time with family or doing something they love. It is due to this reason; one’s life becomes boring and dull, which ultimately makes a person second guess their professional choices. It makes them doubtful about whether it was the right decision or not.
Building a career does require one to stay focused and determined, but it does not demand a person to give up on every aspect of their life. People need to understand that maintaining a balance between their career and personal life is critical for their mind’s health. The way people spend their lives after work determines how well they can channelize stress and stay mentally healthy and happy. When it comes to maintaining a balance between one’s career and life-out-of-work, there is one man that is taking the lead – Gianni Mendes Toniutti, a professional US lawyer.
The life of this Brazilian-born immigration lawyer is the epitome of the perfect balance between profession and personal life. While working for clients, he serves as a serious professional, but when he is out of office, he is an entirely different personality. In addition to being a law professional and co-founder of one of America’s top law firms, TLRT, Gianni is a prominent influencer on Instagram.
From Italy to the United States – Stepping into the World of Law
Gianni Mendes Toniutti was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and was raised in Bologna, Italy. He was a passionate individual since the beginning and hoped to establish a successful career in law. He was equally passionate about playing guitar and always dreamt of performing in front of big audiences. The young Gianni completed his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Bologna, Italy, in the year 2002. To continue his education in law, he decided to move to the United States. In the year 2003, Gianni left Italy and went to Miami, Florida, to complete his master of laws at the University of Miami.
When he moved to the United States, he planned to return to his country once he completed his master’s. The liveliness of the country and the elite lifestyle forced Gianni to change his mind and stay in the country. He passed his bar exam in 2005 and began applying at law firms all over the U.S. Gianni sent his resume to over a hundred law firms, and he only got rejection replies. It did not break his courage, and he kept trying until one day he received a call from a prestigious litigation law firm in California. The firm got his resume online, and they found him to be the perfect fit as they were looking for an Italian American lawyer. Within a week, he successfully filled the position in Los Angeles to work on a temporary project, and it marked the start of his law career. According to Gianni, his experience at this first job was amazing and the ‘best days’ of his life.
Setting up a Well-Reputed Law Firm
Gianni, along with his Italian partners, now best friends, co-founded in 2009 TLRT, an Italian-American law firm, which contains the initials of all the founding partners. It is an acronym for Tosolini, Lamura, Rasile, and Toniutti. He serves today as the head of the firm’s immigration department and represents from business investors to individuals in the entertainment, including models, actors, singers, painters, and athletes. By his colleagues and clients, he is often referred to as the ‘guru’ of immigration.
The TLRT partnership proved immensely beneficial. Starting as a boutique law firm, TLRT is now one of the most respected Italian American law firms on the east coast. The firm operates in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Rome, and Milan.
Building a Personal Brand
Gianni had always been the owner of a vibrant personality. While on one hand, he wanted to become a successful lawyer, he did not think of giving up on his love for music and entertainment. Gianni is an influencer on Instagram today with more than 70,000 followers. He is working tirelessly to create a personal brand, and his profile is full of his photos in a Zen pose. The social media influencer is spreading motivation through his posts.
In the year 2017, he got an opportunity to enhance his digital footprint. He uploaded a video on his account that seemed like a fake commercial in a Zara store. The video was two minutes long, which featured Gianni entering the Zara store and pretending to be a human mannequin. The video featuring the not-so-serious Italian lawyer was able to acquire more than 260,000 views on Instagram and over 30,000 views on YouTube. It was a social experiment that helped Gianni become a viral phenomenon.
Gianni Mendes Toniutti is living his life in a perfect balance. While he does not let his love for entertainment and music intervene with his profession, his profession does not intervene in his personal life. He is a man with a lively personality who has the skills to be a serious-professional while seamlessly managing his personal affairs. He is not only the co-founder of a respected law firm but also a major social media influencer. Gianni serves as an example for people who believe laying the grounds for a stable career requires them to give up on other important things in life. Gianni did not gain success overnight; he applied in more than a hundred law firms until he landed on his first job. It did not force him to give up, and he kept trying. His life is filled with innumerable lessons for people who give up on their dreams and on things they love when building a career for themselves.
