A FIRM ON THE RISE

For Eric Ganci and Renee Galente, partners in Galente Ganci, APC the road to a career in law began as a winding path, but has been a steady and straight climb upwards since opening their firm in October of 2011. But that’s not to say that the two haven’t had to work incredibly hard to get there. Nor is it meant to imply that the duo did everything on their own, as Renee is quick to point out that as young attorneys, “we have amazing connections, and they are remarkably generous with their referrals.”  Moreover, the support that the friendly pair receives from their alma mater, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, has been unmatched. In fact, the encouragement from the entire San Diego community that the pair has received has prompted Renee to frequently ask her partner, (and soon-to-be husband) Eric Ganci, “How did we get this kind of support?” Humble Beginnings and Hard Work Neither Renee nor Eric had childhood dreams of becoming attorneys.  In fact, Eric had been working as a band director at an elementary school in Illinois, when he simply decided “I wanted to learn more,” he says.  He was soon accepted into a “chance program” through a law school in Chicago. “If I made the grades, the school would accept me in the fall. If not, they would never accept me.  In fact, they told me I could never apply to their school again,” he recalls. He decided to leave his job and barrel into the summer program.  In early August, he found out that he did not make it. Without a job to return to, “I got busy,” he says.  “I spent the next year again as a teacher and reapplying to law schools, and when I came to Thomas Jefferson, I told them ‘I just need to be taught,’” he says. He was accepted and started law school the following year. Renee never had grand dreams of becoming an attorney either.  Her dyslexia made her the butt of both teachers and classmates’ jokes, and as a result, “I always figured I’d never amount to much, so I never tried.”  After high school, as her friends went on to college, Galente, a native San Diegan, was working at Camp Pendleton when “my boss basically shamed me into going to college,” she jokes.  But that little bit of encouragement was all that she needed to earn her bachelor’s degree.  Upon graduation, she considered her next move.  “It was a flip of the coin-one side would have me going to get an MBA, the other was law school,” she recalls.  Since her grandfather had just passed away, “I needed to be able to start a career where I could support my grandmother. I figured with a law degree I could open my own law firm, but with an MBA, I would still need someone to hire me,” she explains. Law school proved to be a wise decision on several fronts. “I did really well in law school, I loved it, and I stopped buying into what people told me about limitations.”  Coincidentally, she also met Eric in a criminal law class and soon after, they spent time traveling together when they both studied abroad in China in 2007. Following  her  graduation  in  May  2008,  Renee  became an associate with Thorsnes Bartolotta   McGuire, while Eric decided to go solo straight out of law school later that year. “I was volunteering, networking, doing contract work.  I would file, make appearances, whatever people wanted me to do. But nothing led to a job offer,” Eric says of his first six months out of law school. When faced with the stark reality that it was likely he was going to go completely broke, he decided to launch his own firm. “I was terrified of being a newly minted lawyer, with no capital while starting my own business,” he says. He knew that he needed a practice area that would require very little overhead. “When I talked about the possibility of going into DUI defense, a number of attorneys told me that DUIs were easy because you couldn’t do much with them,” Eric says.  “What I found, was that you can actually do a lot.  The logistics behind the DUI defense case appealed to me.” He wasted no time in becoming an expert in the niche field. “I spent every dollar I made during my first two years of business on CLEs, certifications, qualifications and education,” he says. That included his training in DUI blood testing (AKA, headspace gas chromatography) by the American Chemical Society, making Galente Ganci APC the only firm in San Diego and Eric one of only about 100 attorneys nationwide to have received this training. Out on a Limb Renee meanwhile was cutting her teeth at Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire.  In contrast to Eric, who relished his niche practice, Renee loved the diversity of her caseload.  “I love being able to become an expert in different areas for the purpose of a current case.”   With both Eric and Renee fairly settled into their respective fields, things seemed to be going well for both of them, except for one thing.  “We never saw each other,” Renee said.  So when Eric started hinting that the two should join forces in a practice, Renee was willing to listen, although admittedly apprehensive about leaving her prominent firm. “I’d been there four years. I was leaving the known for the unknown. Was I really going to risk starting a business during a horrible economy and take no cases with me?” However, “Eric and I figured if we were going to work incredibly long weeks and weekends, we’d much rather do it with each other and for each other. Everything we’d done together so far was successful and we hoped it would translate into running a business together,” she continues. On Halloween of 2011, the two opened the doors of Galente Ganci APC, as a DUI Defense and Civil Litigation firm.  The decision to venture out together has proven successful thus far, though the two continue to enjoy very distinctive areas of practice. “Eric does DUI. People always try to send him other criminal defense cases.  But Eric held strong and stuck to his guns, and does only DUI defense,” Renee says.  On the other hand, as a plaintiffs-only attorney, “my clients are all really different because of my broad practice,” she explains.  However, the one thing all of her clients have in common is that “the person in my office has been hurt somehow, either physically, professionally, financially or mentally.  I focus primarily on personal injury, business disputes and real property litigation.”  From pickling pipes to the repercussions of missing filing deadlines for patent in Europe to the highest and best use of a certain piece of property, Renee loves learning completely new information, through the diversity of her work. Staunch Support Provides Strength However  distinct  their  various  practices  are  the  decision  to collaborate has proven to be a sound strategy, though both are quick to point out that none of it would be possible if it weren’t for the overwhelming support they have received from the legal community and their law school. “Most of our cases have been word of mouth referrals,” Renee says.  Attorneys at Casey Gerry, Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire, Klinedinst, Gomez & Iagmin, and Higgs Fletcher & Mack are amongst the many large firms in San Diego who have sent business to both Eric and Renee.  “As a newer firm, we are able to take cases that don’t make good economic sense for some of the larger firms. The fact that they think of us is a huge honor,” she continues. In return, Galente Ganci APC pays out generous referral fees.  “All it takes from the attorney is saying ‘Hey, call Eric or Renee’ and we’re happy to send them a referral check at the end,” Renee says. Moreover, the two feel absolutely indebted to Thomas Jefferson School of Law.  “We love that school.  Neither one of us would be lawyers without their support. They are the only reason we are practicing law,” Renee says.  Eric adds “We graduated at a really difficult economic time. The professors are always available, and the relationship with the school doesn’t stop after graduation.” Rising To The Occasion Of Giving Back Given the gratitude Renee and Eric feel towards their peers in the legal community and the education they received, it is not surprising that the two are incredibly active in giving back to the community.  Renee serves as the President of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law Alumni Association, while Eric serves as Vice President.  Both are active in the Lawyers Club of San Diego, San Diego County Bar Association, and San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association. The firm also participates in Rady’s Children Hospital Celebration of Champions annual event, helps to put on an annual Halloween party for the teens at St. Vincent De Paul, and regularly host charity drives for various organizations throughout San Diego each year. However, for Eric and Renee, the best way to give back to the community that has so supported them is to provide top notch service to their clients.  For Eric, that has meant finding the field where he could separate himself from the pack, and branding himself an expert through a vast number of trainings and certifications.  He is qualified to train police on DUI field sobriety tests and investigation, and has been named one of San Diego Metro Magazine’s Best Lawyers in San Diego, DUI/ DWI for 2012.   He has also received the San Diego County Bar Association Outstanding Service by a New Lawyer, 2011. His research and writing have appeared in the 2011 and 2013 supplement of California Drunk Driving Defense and the first chapter in Strategies for Defending DUI Cases in California, both Thomson West publications Renee too has carved a strong reputation for her excellent work in civil litigation.  “We are young lawyers but we are very serious about being trial attorneys,” she says. To that end, Renee has furthered her own education by attending the prestigious Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College.  She has also been recognized  by  San  Diego  Metro  Magazine  in  2012 as a Top 40 Under 40,   the San Diego County Bar Association for Outstanding Service by a New Lawyer, 2013 and was named a Top Young Influential by the San Diego Daily Transcript this year. The firm also takes specific measures to ensure clients are given personal, professional attention.  For Eric and Renee, that means that all business calls and emails are returned the same day.  Moreover, says Renee, “We act like regular people.  We’re not going to give them the heavy, dark wood, and the formal speech that people might expect from a lawyer.  We know that our clients come to us when they’re in a really bad place and we try to give them a refuge when they’re working with us.” However, their friendly demeanors should not be mistaken for either of them being a push-over. “We are nice, and light-hearted, but we push back. We are going to fight. We don’t churn and burn cases. We are always ready to go to trial,” Renee explains. The Next Steps As a newer firm, Galente Ganci, APC is making the most of technology as a way to market to new clients and referring attorneys.  “Social media is a great way to connect and promote yourself for newer attorneys who might not have the same budget as big law firms. We have been able to make our voices heard through Facebook, Twitter, and our website which we built ourselves,” Renee says. Indeed, in the 18 months since Eric and Renee teamed up, Galente Ganci APC has realized steady growth, but its partners are quick to be mindful of their workload. “We are careful about how many cases we take on,” says Eric.  Yet, the firm expects to take on more work in coming months as their practice grows.  “We have one associate now, and we see ourselves hiring our two law clerks after they graduate. We plan on growing as a business but keeping our small firm feel,” Eric says. RENEE GALENTE » EDUCATION • Park University, B.S. Business Management & Marketing, magna cum laude, 2004 • Thomas Jefferson School of Law, magna cum laude, 2008 » PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS • American Association for Justice • California DUI Lawyers Association • Consumer Attorneys of San Diego • Enright Inn of Court • Lawyers Club of San Diego - Board Member (2012-2015) - Treasurer (2012-2014) • North County Bar Association • San Diego County Bar Association - New Lawyer Division, Civil Litigation Section Representative (2012) - New Lawyer Division, Mentorship Chair (2011) • San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association/Defense Lawyers Club • San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association - Vice President (2013) • San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association Scholarship Fund - Board Member (2012-2013) • Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Alumni Association - President (2012-2013) - Board member (2011-2013) • Human Rights Campaign, Federal Club Member ERIC GANCI » EDUCATION • Northern Illinois University, B.A. in Music Education, 2002 • Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 2008 » PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS • Consumer Attorneys of San Diego • California DUI Lawyers Association • Lawyers Club of San Diego - Photography Co-Chair (2011-2013) - Champagne & Chocolates Affair Co-Chair (2012) • National College for DUI Defense • San Diego County Bar Association - New Lawyers Division Board of Directors, Community Service Chair (2012) - New Lawyers Division Board of Directors, Newsletter Chair (2011) • San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association • Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Alumni Association - Vice President (2011-2013) Contact: Galente Ganci APC 110 West C Street, Suite 712 San Diego, California 82101 619-241-2173 (Civil Litigation) 619-241-2111 (DUI) www.GandGTrialLawyers.com Renee@GandGTrialLawyers.com Eric@GandGTrialLawyers.com