Gianelli Nielsen, PLC

Overview

It was 1973 that insurance entrepreneur Louis “Bud” Gianelli decided to pursue his long abandoned dream of a career in law, pushed aside as he started a family with his wife Jackie. Though Freese and Gianelli, the claims adjustment service he helped found, was thriving, Bud finally made the decision to follow his heart. He finished the law degree he had pursued nearly 20 years earlier and started a law practice, Law Offices of L.F. Gianelli, in Modesto with the intent of using his years in business management to fill a gap in local civil law. Had circumstance not intervened, Bud might have pursued his dream alone. Yet, in a span of just a few years, each of his three sons opted to follow in his footsteps. Eldest Son Michael was studying to become a history teacher when, on a whim he decided to accompany a friend to the LSAT and see how he’d fare on the qualifying exam. His scores showed an aptitude for law and decided to attend University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law. After putting in time at another firm, Michael moved to his father’s practice and broadened their specializations to include litigation. When son David crossed over to law as well, it was after several years in the accounting field. As a result, David brought with him knowledge of estate planning and trust and probate law, further rounding out the growing firm. Son Jim also began a career in law, opting to branch off on his own in Sonora.