By Teresa Killeen
Washtenaw County Bar Association
Elizabeth Janovic grew up in a small lake town in northwest Indiana, Koontz Lake, with a population of less than 1,500 out-side of the summer months.
Janovic played basketball, track, soccer and golf in high school, and graduated with a class of 42 students. After high school graduation, she received her bachelor’s in business and a certification in secondary education from Saint Mary’s College and served in the U.S. Army 428th Military Police Company and as a cadet in the University of Notre Dame Army ROTC.
During law school, Janovic served as an executive board member on the MSU College of Law Entertainment and Sports Law Journal, and as president of the Student Bar Association. She completed SCAO-approved civil mediation training, and interned for U.S. Senator Carl Levin and the Resolution Services Center.
After law school, Janovic worked as assistant corporate counsel in the legal department at Hino Motors Manufacturing in Farmington Hills. She then moved to New York City where her first position was at Knovel. She started with the company as an executive assistant to the CEO, and worked hard to achieve a Corporate Counsel position where she worked primarily on contract management, HR issues, and mergers and acquisitions. She then worked as an associate with a group of medical malpractice defense attorneys at Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan LLP in NYC.
After moving to Ann Arbor, she worked as an attorney and mediator at Wilson P. Tanner III, PLC and concentrated in all facets of family law cases including domestic mediation.
Janovic currently works as a judicial attorney for Judge Tracy E. Van den Bergh at the Washtenaw County Trial Court in Ann Arbor.
What jobs did you have before you became an attorney?
I had some great jobs before I became an attorney: working for my dad doing land surveying; waitressing and bartending at various places during and after college; as an associate at
Lowe’s in the outdoor lawn and garden area; and as a platoon leader in my Army Reserve unit.
What would your second career choice have been?
A chef. I love to cook. I would probably have a food truck.
What is your favorite movie or book?
My favorite book is “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas. My favorite movie is a three-way tie among “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby;” “The Shining;” and “The Silence of the Lambs.”
Describe a perfect day off.
The perfect day off for me would be a sunny day on or near the water, with a fishing pole in my hand, enough fish in the basket for dinner, and all my favorite people stopping by to join me as they please.
What are your favorite local hangouts?
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market, Pinball Pete’s, Argo Park Canoe Livery, Detroit Street Filling Station/North Star Lounge.
Why do you choose to be a member of the WCBA, what is the greatest benefit you have enjoyed as a member?
I can’t imagine practicing in Washtenaw County without being a member of the WCBA. I appreciate knowing attorneys whose practices are so different from mine, and socializing with folks I don’t otherwise run into.
Favorite part of your job?
I like to solve problems and it’s even better when the solution is crafted to fit the needs of the parties in a creative way that works just right for them. The best part of my day is watching people leave with a plan to move forward.
What is your favorite productivity hack?
To-do lists. They run my life (in a good way)!
What are you listening to lately (Music/podcast/audio)?
I am almost always listening to Elton John and lately listening to Brandi Carlile. I am reading “The Women” by Kristin Hannah.
What’s an essential part of your daily routine?
Obsession by Calvin Klein.
What career advice would you give your younger self?
Be as nice as you can be, and don’t let those who aren’t able to do that get you down. You never know what someone is going through.
(Reprinted from Res Ipsa Loquitur, with permission from the Washtenaw County Bar Assocation.)
Washtenaw County Bar Association
Elizabeth Janovic grew up in a small lake town in northwest Indiana, Koontz Lake, with a population of less than 1,500 out-side of the summer months.
Janovic played basketball, track, soccer and golf in high school, and graduated with a class of 42 students. After high school graduation, she received her bachelor’s in business and a certification in secondary education from Saint Mary’s College and served in the U.S. Army 428th Military Police Company and as a cadet in the University of Notre Dame Army ROTC.
During law school, Janovic served as an executive board member on the MSU College of Law Entertainment and Sports Law Journal, and as president of the Student Bar Association. She completed SCAO-approved civil mediation training, and interned for U.S. Senator Carl Levin and the Resolution Services Center.
After law school, Janovic worked as assistant corporate counsel in the legal department at Hino Motors Manufacturing in Farmington Hills. She then moved to New York City where her first position was at Knovel. She started with the company as an executive assistant to the CEO, and worked hard to achieve a Corporate Counsel position where she worked primarily on contract management, HR issues, and mergers and acquisitions. She then worked as an associate with a group of medical malpractice defense attorneys at Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan LLP in NYC.
After moving to Ann Arbor, she worked as an attorney and mediator at Wilson P. Tanner III, PLC and concentrated in all facets of family law cases including domestic mediation.
Janovic currently works as a judicial attorney for Judge Tracy E. Van den Bergh at the Washtenaw County Trial Court in Ann Arbor.
What jobs did you have before you became an attorney?
I had some great jobs before I became an attorney: working for my dad doing land surveying; waitressing and bartending at various places during and after college; as an associate at
Lowe’s in the outdoor lawn and garden area; and as a platoon leader in my Army Reserve unit.
What would your second career choice have been?
A chef. I love to cook. I would probably have a food truck.
What is your favorite movie or book?
My favorite book is “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas. My favorite movie is a three-way tie among “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby;” “The Shining;” and “The Silence of the Lambs.”
Describe a perfect day off.
The perfect day off for me would be a sunny day on or near the water, with a fishing pole in my hand, enough fish in the basket for dinner, and all my favorite people stopping by to join me as they please.
What are your favorite local hangouts?
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market, Pinball Pete’s, Argo Park Canoe Livery, Detroit Street Filling Station/North Star Lounge.
Why do you choose to be a member of the WCBA, what is the greatest benefit you have enjoyed as a member?
I can’t imagine practicing in Washtenaw County without being a member of the WCBA. I appreciate knowing attorneys whose practices are so different from mine, and socializing with folks I don’t otherwise run into.
Favorite part of your job?
I like to solve problems and it’s even better when the solution is crafted to fit the needs of the parties in a creative way that works just right for them. The best part of my day is watching people leave with a plan to move forward.
What is your favorite productivity hack?
To-do lists. They run my life (in a good way)!
What are you listening to lately (Music/podcast/audio)?
I am almost always listening to Elton John and lately listening to Brandi Carlile. I am reading “The Women” by Kristin Hannah.
What’s an essential part of your daily routine?
Obsession by Calvin Klein.
What career advice would you give your younger self?
Be as nice as you can be, and don’t let those who aren’t able to do that get you down. You never know what someone is going through.
(Reprinted from Res Ipsa Loquitur, with permission from the Washtenaw County Bar Assocation.)
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