In Her Own Words: Attorney Gloria Petroni

Name/Title/Company: Gloria M. Petroni, Ltd.

Number of years with company: 3

Number of years in the profession: 37

Education: JD in law, and Masters in Taxation

Last book read: The Martian

Favorite movie: The Martian

Favorite musical group or genre: Rolling Stones

Spouse, kids or pets: A great boyfriend of nearly five years with an 11 and 13 year old and a golden retriever, Molly.

Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Tell us about your company and the duties of your position.

Gloria M. Petroni: I am the owner of Gloria M. Petroni, Ltd, aka Petroni Law Group, and I help people in the area of family law and estate planning and small business.

NNBW: How did you get into this profession?

Petroni: My father was from Italy and had to get lawyers to help him from time to time. I found that intriguing.

NNBW: What do you enjoy most about working in your field?

Petroni: I learn about totally different lives and businesses than mine and it is challenging in finding solutions for people with family conflict or conflict with third parties.

NNBW: What is the most challenging part about your job?

Petroni: Most of my clients just want the pain to stop, but getting out as soon as possible may not be the wisest course for them.

NNBW: What advice would you give someone who wants to get in your profession?

Petroni: This profession is so diverse because you have to become a specialist in so many areas to do your job. I have to understand real estate, business, trusts, stocks, all sorts of other assets and many different kinds of liabilities including taxes.

NNBW: What was the best advice anyone ever gave you either professionally or personally?

Petroni: It was “invest in yourself.” That means keep learning and stretching yourself and attend educational seminars that are sometimes costly to get the best professional training in all the cutting-edge issues in my field.

NNBW: Has there been someone who was especially influential in helping you establish your career or in reaching your higher goals? If so, who and how?

Petroni: My father became a self-employed farmer who always stretched himself to be better even though he came to this country when he was 16 and could not speak English.

NNBW: Do you belong to any professional/networking organizations? How has membership benefitted your career?

Petroni: Yes. I am a Certified Family Law Specialist in Nevada, and I am on the Northern Nevada Estate Planning Council and Entrepreneurs Organization. Through these organizations I obtain education and deal with issues that appear different on the surface to all of us, but show us that as humans much of our core concerns are the same. Primarily, these organizations allow me to meet others from very different professions, which broaden my horizons and give me peers for outside referrals if necessary.

NNBW: Is there any educational advancement that is essential for someone in your career field?

Petroni: One can’t just go to law school. There are master’s programs in law that are a growing field. I have a master’s in taxation.

NNBW: How do you manage your time between the responsibilities of your profession and your personal life?

Petroni: I get up at 4:45 a.m. to attend a work out class at 5:20 a.m. and then I journal about gratitude for 30 minutes and get to work between 7:30 and 8 a.m. I generally take Saturday off to ski, golf or do something fun, and work part of Sunday.

NNBW: Do you have a favorite vacation spot?

Petroni: I love Tahoe City, Calif. It is a small town right on beautiful Lake Tahoe where there are boat slips and wonderful restaurants and shops and fun people and activities. It is hard to beat the beauty of Lake Tahoe. My best friend has a wakeboard boat and boat slip at Tahoe City which is less than an hour from Reno.

NNBW: If you had enough money to retire right now, would you? Why or why not?

Petroni: I would not retire right now regardless. I am not done serving people with their problems and helping find solutions. If I am not learning, I fear my brain would die. I am energized by the challenges I am faced with every day. I have dealt with personal pain and work to help others get through their pain to the other side.

NNBW: If you had the chance to have dinner with someone, who would that be and why?

Petroni: I would have dinner with Elon Musk. He is such a visionary from the lithium battery, to solar boxes to Space X. He is one of the primary movers of my time.

NNBW: Last concert or sporting event attended?

Petroni: Attended the last 49er and Patriot game in San Francisco in November and got to see them practicing on the field, and was in “the tunnel” to see Tom Brady and the other Patriots wait in the tunnel until they ran on the field. I was also on the field during the National Anthem. It was an experience I will never forget.

NNBW: Why did you choose a career in northern Nevada? What do you like about living/working here?

Petroni: An individual who is young or old in Nevada has a chance to get to the top of his or her career if they are smart working and passionate.