The firm’s senior shareholder answered some off-the-wall questions for the Daily Journal of Commerce’s online newsletter.
Yesterday’s Briefly Legal PDX had an interview featuring Jody Stahancyk. As a follow-up to being recognized at the Leadership in Law awards in March, they wanted to find out more about what makes legal leaders like Jody tick.
BrieflyLegalPDX
3 Questions: A Quick Conversation with Jody Stahancyk
In March of this year, the DJC held its first Leadership in Law awards as a way to recognize local attorneys with more than 10 years of experience. And while the profiles we wrote at the time for each of them were interesting, we felt they left us wanting to know a little more about what really makes these legal leaders tick.This week, we talk to Jody Stahancyk, senior shareholder at Stahancyk, Kent & Hook in Portland.
Briefly Legal: What is one of the most amusing or unusual memories you have from law school?
Jody Stahancyk: In 1971, at the conclusion of my first year of law school, Crook County and the City of Prineville employed me to run the law library in the morning and the swimming pool in the afternoon. Early one morning, Judge John M. Copenhaver called me into his office and informed me that “one of my kind” had just been appointed as a judge. Taken off guard, I said “A law student?!” Embarrassed, he replied, “No, a woman.” That was the day that Helen Jackson Frye was appointed to the Oregon Circuit Court.
BL: If you could choose a fantasy career that is totally different from practicing law, what would it be?
Stahancyk: The fantasy career I would choose would be to be an entrepreneur, but in fairness my multi-location operation and non-traditional methods of providing services are actually entrepreneurial so I have had the best of both worlds. Being a professional usually constitutes the antithesis of being an entrepreneur since one expects you to follow the rules and the other to break the rules; my recipe allows for both.
BL: In your opinion, what is the best legal movie or novel ever?
Stahancyk: The best legal novel would be The Paper Chase.