Meet Gianni Mendes Toniutti | Attorney

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gianni Mendes Toniutti and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gianni, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
In every task I have ever put my efforts in, I have always been (1) very detailed-oriented and (2) particularly repetitive. Whether I am representing a client with my law firm, working out at the gym, or playing a song with my guitar, I always put the upmost attention into details, trying at the same time to be as constant as possible. Perfecting the details is what will make you stand out from everybody else. Constant repetition is what will eventually perfect your skills. I learned that practice makes perfection when I was a kid and had as guitar mentor a very famous Spanish guitar virtuoso, Manolo Sanlucar. He would make me practice hours and hours everyday, and I would hate every minute of it. He was also very keen on paying attention to details, been not satisfied until every note coming out from my guitar sounded clear. Eventually, I understood that only practicing and being constant, day in day out, I would improve my skills. I found this approach extremely useful for any other task I took later in life, including the legal profession. I have also found out that many successful people in the most diverse fields share the habits of being detailed-oriented and constant in their jobs. I might be doing something right!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My life has always been divided between the law profession and music! My father was a guitar player, an “aficionado” of Flamenco, and when I was a child he spent a lot of time with several famous artists of his time, including Sabicas, Andres Segovia, and Felix de Utrera, As a young boy, I picked up my dad’s passion and drive to be a part of the music industry and started playing the guitar when I was just ten years old. After spending extended periods in Spain, I became one of the very few students of Flamenco maestros Manolo Sanlucar and Enrique de Melchor. In 2002, I eventually released my first album, “Colores”, with Enrique de Melchor. The same year, I completed my Juris Doctor degree at the University of Bologna, Italy, and the year later I moved to Miami to pursue a Master in Laws at the University of Miami, Florida. A couple of years later, I gave my bar exam and cleared it in 2005, thus becoming an attorney in the U.S. From there on, I somehow left behind the musician career to focus on my lawyer’s career. In 2009, along with my best friends, I co-founded an Italian-American law firm, TLRT (an acronym for Tosolini, Lamura, Rasile, and Toniutti). Here, I was appointed as the head of the immigration department. Not forgetting my passion for the entertainment, I specialized on visas for artists, and in the last year I have had the pleasure to represent from accomplished international models, to national and international modeling agencies, top 500 Fortune companies, Golden Globe actors and movie directors, Grammy awarded Latin popstars, multi-awarded classical musicians, European and South American top league soccer players, NBA basketball players, and Olympic medalist athletes. Most recently, I have been called by the media the “Lawyer of the VIPs”, a nickname that surely makes me very proud of my accomplishments! I have never forget my passion and dreams, though. I continued playing guitar and composing during the years, and in 2020 I decided to give it a try and auto produce my first Latin pop single. I was honored to collaborate with Tim Mitchell, Shakira’s Grammy-winning producer, along with several other renowned artists I came to know during the years thanks to my lawyer’s career. To my great surprise, the song was quite successful and was even named by several Italian media as Italy’s 2020 Summerhit. I think the song’s videoclip on You Tube has surpassed 600,000 views as of today, something I would have never imagined happening!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
During Covid times, it is not easy to find places to go, but I am sure all this situation will be over soon and we will all be able to go back to our favorite spots! Lately, I have been going to different restaurants, some pretty new and some classics. In the Brickell area, I love to go on the weekends for a drink at the East Hotel, at the rooftop “Sugar”. Always in Brickell, as a good Italian, I have to pass by my friend Stefano Versace’s gelato shop and get a huge pistachio gelato! Sooo good! In South Beach, I love to go to the W for drinks and party and, when I do not count calories, eat a huge pizza at Sorbillo. Finally, you cannot miss a walk around Wynwood, to appreciate the art all over the neighborhood! Wynwood is also perfect for bar hopping! Check out Astra if you are in the mood for something fancy but still cool.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I definitely have to thank my parents, who have supported me mentally and financially during my educational and professional career. I would not be here without their help, love, and support.

Website: https://tlrtlaw.com/en/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gianni.mendes/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianni-mendes-toniutti/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giannimendesofficialpage

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoS9mfLE30CtxPunq8hA7Qg