Finding Her Passion

Day Pitney partner Christiana "Tiana" Gianopulos didn't always know that she wanted to be a lawyer. In fact, she kicked off her career in the banking industry and worked at various senior positions at a "top ten" bank for 20 years. She was inspired to enroll in evening law school classes while managing a national portfolio of insurance industry clients. It was there that she found her passion for trusts and estates. Gianopulos soon took a position in the personal trust division.

"I saw firsthand the importance of thoughtful estate planning, good drafting and experienced administration while managing fiduciary litigation cases," said Gianopulos, who now works extensively in the areas of estate and tax planning, contested probate matters and representation of professional fiduciaries. She also assists clients with planning and compliance for their offshore assets.

Client Eileen Kraus describes what drew her to seek assistance from Gianopulos, saying "What makes Tiana an outstanding lawyer is that, as a client, you know you are being heard. She understands your issues, asks good questions and listens. She is an excellent communicator, which is important because she translates complicated trusts and estates documents in a way you can easily understand them. Lastly, she is a hard worker who values your time and approaches her work with great intelligence."

In 2003, when the Appellate Court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to marry in Massachusetts in Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, Gianopulos helped to establish Day Pitney's LGBT planning practice group, which was among the first in the nation to focus on this field. "The world changes quickly, and we had to be sure that our clients' planning was responsive regionally, nationally and globally," said Gianopulos.

Gianopulos was appointed to Connecticut's State Tax Panel in 2014. Charged with reviewing all aspects of the State's tax policy, the Panel recently presented its recommendations to the legislature.

Deeply committed to the Greater Hartford community, Gianopulos has served on more than a dozen non-profit boards, often as board chair. In 2011, while chair of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center board, she received the Maria Miller Stewart "One Woman Makes a Difference" Award from the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund. "As someone who has spent her professional career working for women's rights and LGBT rights, I always marveled at Tiana's energy. And I wondered how she literally found the hours in the day to do all she did as a volunteer, on top of her hectic schedule as an attorney," said Anne Stanback, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Equality Federation and Tiana's nominator.

TRUSTS AND ESTATES

University of Connecticut School of Law, J.D., 1994

Mount Holyoke College, A.B., 1983

Admissions: Connecticut