A Little Introduction

Janise Macanas is an Assistant Attorney General with the Utah Attorney General’s Office Criminal Justice Division where she has practiced law for over fifteen years as felony prosecutor.  Janise received her J. D. from J. Reuben Clark Law School, a M.S. from Chapman University and has doctoral studies in Clinical and Counseling Psychology at United States International Univeristy-San Diego.  Janise has previously worked as a counselor, social worker, therapist, teacher, and adjunct professor at Utah Valley University.
 

Born and raised in Hawaii, Janise has been involved in various community, educational, and non-profit organizations and has a proven track record as a leader in the Utah legal community and as mentor to law students.  Janise most recently served as President of the Utah Minority Bar Association, member of the Utah Bar Ethics Advisory Opinion Committee, and currently serves at the Deputy President for Region XV of the Hispanic National Bar Association where she represents Utah attorneys at the national level.

Janise (right corner) "synergizing" with the Utah Minority Bar

 

 

A few trivia facts about Janise is that she was honored to receive the Utah Women of Achievement Award and was recently admitted to the United States Supreme Court.  Janise enjoys traveling around the globe with her family and sharing information relating to lawyering with the community and world at large.

 

Join 13,000+ followers on Twitter @lawyergirl3.

Read Janise's official campaign message  here.

 

Use the Back Door

If you walk into the Matheson courthouse and see one of these long snakey lines at the front, it means you are going to be about 15 minutes late.  How many times has this happened to you? 

 

 

I once saw friends L, D, & A come up to the front sidewalk of the courthouse, but instead of going in, they walked around the side to enter through the back door.  I asked why and they explained that coming in the back door saves time and the hassles of the long lines out front. 

This past summer, I started parking on the back side of the court, enjoyed the sunshine as I cut through the parking lot and came in the back door.  I rarely had to wait in line, the security detail went smoothly, and I felt very satisfied about my choice of using the back door, especially when I saw the snakey lines and lots of attorneys looking stressed at the front entrance.

I love hearing about simple things lawyers do to make work easier and stressfree.  So what's your favorite tip?  Synergize us!
 

 

 

Code Recycling

It's that time again, when my office gives me a new set of the Utah Code to use for the next year.  I feel guilty throwing out my old set which is usually in great condition.  I always wondered if there was an easy way to recycle these gently used editions.  Young lawyers, law students, and solo practitioners might like to have my old set but how would I find out who needed one?

Enter Synergy! 

If you need a 2012 set of the Utah State Code, let me know. 

If you have a set to recycle and share with others, let me know.

And if you have any tips to share about recycling and going more green, let us know. 

Umbrellas

My husband and I were invited to an outdoor wedding at Hidden Falls, and the guests got caught in a big torrential downpour.  Fortunately, I keep a black umbrella tucked away in my car trunk to use as we moved indoors. 

My attorney friend RV, now retired, gave me that black umbrella.  He had a few extras and offered me one as I hurried to court one rainy day. I asked why RV had so many umbrellas and he said, "you never know when a friend will need one, take it, it's yours." 



Over the years, I have found umbrellas to be a great office-friendly gift that is gender-neutral and reasonably priced.  Doesn't hurt to keep an umbrella or two tucked away in your car or office for rainy days and sharing.


" Whatever we possess becomes of double value when we have the opportunity of sharing it with others.” ~ Jean-Nicolas Bouilly
 

     

Free Notary Services?

I had to have a personal document notarized right away.  My bank offers free notary services, but I would have to wait until Saturday to get it done because it is not in Salt Lake.  The other option was to pay about $10 per document and get it done downtown.   







A very simple service that our Bar could offer is free notary services for Bar members.  This could be accomplished by having several notaries on staff at the Bar during regular business hours. 

Having free notary services at the Bar would save a few dollars and valuable time. Bars in other states, already offer the service.

If you feel the same way, this is an example of taking a good idea and working together (synergy) to make it happen so the whole group will benefit. 

"Good ideas are common – what’s uncommon are people who’ll work hard enough to bring them about." ~ (Ashleigh Brilliant)

As your elected representative, I will work hard to bring good ideas to life. 

 

 

 

Today was Good

Children adore anything by Dr. Seuss.   His magical way with words were silly and catchy, and made perfect sense. 

I recently found my worn out copy of One Fish, Two Fish, Red, Fish, Blue Fish . . .

and turned to this familiar jingle:



What a great tip!  Those silly fish reminded me that having a good day is important.  When you have a good day, then you want more good days ahead. 

As lawyers in this profession, we have demanding and stressful days at work.  We are by nature, competitive, perfectionists, and ambitious.  Finding balance and keeping a good perspective are key.  Work should not wear us out to the point that we forget about the other aspects of life that are fun and enjoyable.  Who wants to feel, act, and look worn out all the time?


So take a hint from those silly fish. . . what about today, was it good . . . was it fun? 



Synergize! us and share your lawyer tips for making the day a "good one."
 

Rock Your Vote NOW

From the Virtual Desk of Janise Macanas:

The reason behind this blog is to introduce myself as candidate for Third District Bar Commissioner.  I wanted to connect with thousands of voters fast and postage was too expensive to reach you.

Candidates usually canvas the neighborhood, knock on doors, and introduce themselves.  So today I am knocking on your virtual door with a blog, Synergy!




One day in court, my friend QT asked "why are running for THIS anyway?"  I said, "because I care." 

I want a Bar where Bar members feel connected and everyone knows your name. 
I hope to serve on the commission because I would like to see a few good changes in the way we practice law in Utah.

Putting myself out there got me out of my comfort zone of doing nothing about things I care about.  Please get out of your comfort zone and help decide the elected official who will represent you.  Vote and encourage your friends to vote too.  Ballots went out Sept 27 and polls are open until October 11.  


Together, we can synergize and shape the future. 
  


 

Group Interests First

"Ants are good citizens.  They place group interests first." ~ Clarence Day

When it comes to our Bar association, this quote makes perfect sense. 

As your elected Bar Commissoner, "group interests" will come first. 

Please remember to vote. 

 

Tracking Receipts

I was out to lunch with GQ at the Oasis Cafe and he needed to keep the lunch receipt to track his business expenses.  Rather than worry about folding it up, putting it in his wallet, then retrieving it later, he took out his iPhone and snapped a picture of it. 

Not many lawyers realize that the iPhone can be a useful tool if you have to track receipts.  Receipt tracking – the traditional way – is tedious. 

 

Instead check out OneReceipt, a popular mobile application that is free, simple, and covers it all. 

 

OneReceipt

 

You can just forward the receipts to your ‘@onereceipt.com’ account and don't worry again about cluttering up your purse or wallet and retrieving them all later at the end of the month. 

 

 

 

What mobile apps or tips do you use to track your receipts?

Get Synergized

Synergy means "working together" and happens when people with different yet complementary skills cooperate. 

In almost every industry, cooperation happens daily, so as lawyers in the Utah legal community, why not be synergized ?

The growing popularity of social media proves that people want to connect, share, collaborate, cooperate, and join together -- this appeals to me and I hope it appeals to you. 

I know you have ideas to share.  I can't want to hear from you.   

Synergy! (the blog), aims to remind us that working together is much more rewarding than working alone.    

Get Synergized!

 

Gym Membership vs. Bar Membership

How many of you belong to a gym? 



 


Please read my campaign statement about Gym Membership vs. Bar Membership.  There are a lot of things I hope to accomplish, if elected to represent you.  If you feel the same way, please make sure to vote!



P.S. Online ballots were emailed on Sept 26. If you did not get your ballot, the best solution is to contact the Bar at (801) 531-9077, tell them you want to vote, and insist on being helped. Polls are open until Oct 11 at 5pm. Don't give up on voting no matter how inconvenient the process, your vote is needed and will make an impact. Send a message to the Bar that you want a part in shaping the future and vote Janise Macanas for Commissioner.

 

Consider Blogging

Have you thought about starting a blog to grow your law practice?

Consider this:

"Blogs are powerful business development tools for attorneys and other professionals.

Blog posts create a written record of authentic thought leadership, opinion and authority, and dramatically expand the digital footprint of a firm or individual.

But more importantly, blogs enable attorneys to amplify and extend their networking with clients, prospective clients, and referral sources." 

The free do it yourself (DIY) tools out there are easy to use for first-time bloggers. 

If you like the look and feel of this blog, I used a free template from Blogger.

Blogging is also a great way to create synergy with your clients and extend your network.