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Elaine Makris Williams, Esq.
CEO and Founder
emwilliams@mslegalsearch.com
Elaine Makris Williams has a twenty-three year track record of recruiting top attorneys for prominent corporations and law firms. She handles exclusive searches for general counsels, division heads, key in-house attorneys, law firm partners, and law firm practice groups. Elaine regularly speaks and writes on attorney hiring and legal market trends and frequently is quoted in legal and business publications. In addition, she has trained law firm partners across the country on marketing and communication skills and has served as an expert witness for attorney employment and recruiting lawsuits.
A former real estate and banking attorney, Elaine practiced at a large Austin firm before joining a national attorney search firm in 1988, where she became a principal/owner. Elaine formed MS Legal Search in 1995.
Originally from Houston, Elaine spent her junior high and high school years overseas. She received her undergraduate education at Mount Holyoke College and The University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated cum laude with Special Honors in the Plan II Interdisciplinary Honors Program. After working in New York City for several years, she returned to Texas and received her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. Elaine serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Houston Area Women’s Center and has chaired its annual Race Against Violence since 2008. Elaine also is an Associate for Jones College at Rice University and previously served on the Board of Trustees for Annunciation Orthodox School, where she chaired the Board's Diversity Committee. Elaine is married to an attorney and has a son in the engineering program at the University of Texas at Austin. |
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B. Cory Hawryluk, Esq.
President
cory@mslegalsearch.com
Cory Hawryluk focuses on partner search for leading law firms. Since 1999, he has placed numerous partners, groups, and section heads, and has helped develop new law firm offices. Cory regularly advises law firm management on partner compensation, strategic lateral acquisitions, outplacement, and the legal marketplace. He enjoys talking to law students about hiring trends, law firm practice, and interviewing skills, and he has spoken at Harvard Law School, Vermont Law School, The University of Texas School of Law, The University of Houston Law Center, and Saint Mary’s University School of Law.
Before joining MS Legal Search, Cory was the Managing Partner for the Texas offices of an international recruiting firm. He received his B.A. from Middlebury College in Vermont, and his J.D. from Vermont Law School. Cory served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Mary Lou Robinson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and the Honorable Harold R. DeMoss, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Following his clerkships, he practiced labor and employment law in Houston with Bracewell & Patterson, LLP (now Bracewell & Giuliani).
A resident of our Houston office, Cory sits on the Board of Directors for CanCare, a Houston-based cancer support charity, where he is Chairperson of its Financial Development Committee, and where he and his wife, Barbara, are active volunteers. Cory previously served as Chair of the Houston Development Committee for Special Olympics Texas. Additionally, he serves as a board member on the Interstate Municipal Utility District in Houston. |
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Amber Alonso, Esq.
Executive Vice President
aalonso@mslegalsearch.com
Amber Alonso has fifteen years of experience in law and human resources. She has developed expertise in cultivating strong leadership, developing workforce talent, facilitating conflict resolution, and advancing morale through positive employee communications. She enjoys assisting organizations with all people-related issues.
Amber has practiced law with law firms and in-house. She worked in the labor and employment sections of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld and Bracewell & Giuliani, and she was named a Texas Super Lawyer in Labor and Employment Law. Following her law firm experience, Amber moved in-house with Valero Energy Company, where she oversaw labor and employment matters as the company grew from 3,500 to more than 20,000 employees. Amber later became Human Resources Director at one of Valero’s Gulf Coast refineries, and she recently served as Human Resources Manager at Child Advocates, Inc.
Amber is originally from San Antonio, where she served as Chair of the Board of Goodwill Industries. She received her J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law and her B.A. from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. When she is not working or playing “dress-up” with her young daughter, Amber enjoys gourmet cooking. |
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Judy Hudson, Esq.
Senior Director, Chicago Office
jhudson@mslegalsearch.com
Judy Hudson has more than a decade of experience in attorney recruiting, and specializes in recruiting experienced lawyers for corporations throughout the country. Judy has partnered with companies of all sizes - from small, privately-held companies to the Fortune 100 - to conduct searches at all levels of in-house counsel, including general counsel, deputy general counsel, chief intellectual property counsel, senior counsel, and entry-level counsel. In addition to her in-house practice, Judy places associates and partners with law firms, and is particularly effective at working with attorneys looking to move within or to the Midwest, as well as with law firms looking for niche talent.
Prior to opening our Midwest office, Judy was a Managing Director in the Chicago/Milwaukee offices of a global attorney search firm, and also ran her own successful legal recruiting firm. She practiced commercial litigation with two prominent Chicago law firms prior to becoming a recruiter. Judy received a BA, with distinction, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989, and a JD from the University of Chicago in 1992. Judy enjoys spending time with her husband, two very active children, and an extremely spoiled Australian Labradoodle.
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Kristin Johnston, Esq.
Senior Director, Dallas Office
kjohnston@mslegalsearch.com
Kristin Bliss Johnston graduated cum laude from Southern Methodist University and received her J.D. from SMU’s Dedman School of Law in 2002. Her legal experience includes insurance coverage, risk management, legal malpractice, and general negligence litigation in Dallas for a national law firm, a local law firm, and a large corporation. While practicing law, she was active in her firms’ attorney recruiting and hiring programs.
Kristin is a Texas native, having grown up in the Dallas area. She enjoys running and yoga, and she volunteers with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She currently resides in Uptown with her husband. |
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Mary Emma Civins, Esq.
Director, Austin Office
mcivins@mslegalsearch.com
Mary Emma Civins, a former practicing attorney, has a background in career counseling. She opened MS Legal Search’s Austin office after serving as Director of Public Service Programs at the University of Texas School of Law’s Career Services Office. While working in the Career Services Office, Mary Emma advised students on their legal careers through counseling and programming, and she developed relationships between the students’ prospective employers and the law school. Prior to joining the Career Services Office, Mary Emma was an assistant district attorney in Dallas County where she prosecuted a broad range of crimes, including family violence assault cases, burglary, and murder. She successfully tried over thirty cases before juries.
A graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, with undergraduate degrees in English and Art History from Emory University, Mary Emma is originally from San Antonio. She also is active in the community, including volunteering for the American Cancer Society, and serving on the Dell Children’s Council. When not recruiting or volunteering, Mary Emma relishes every minute in her role as a mom. |
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Jillian Rogers, Esq.
Director, Houston Office
jrogers@mslegalsearch.com
Jillian Rogers graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with Highest Honors, and she received her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law where she was Class Representative and Vice President of the Student Bar Association. Jillian practiced corporate and securities law at an international law firm with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and general commercial transactions in the energy industry.
Before law school, Jillian was selected to serve as an Official Host of The University of Texas where she represented the University throughout the state. She also was involved with Austin’s number-one-ranked radio morning show as a producer and co-host. Jillian enjoys community service and has volunteered with St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Wooldridge and Ben Milam Elementary Schools, and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. |
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Annie Kerr, Esq.
Director, Houston Office
akerr@mslegalsearch.com
Annie Kerr is a former corporate attorney and press secretary for a United States Congressman. She received her J.D. with honors from The University of Texas School of Law and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from The University of Texas at Austin, earning a degree with high honors in the Plan II Interdisciplinary Honors Program. Before entering law school, Annie worked in Washington, D.C. as a press secretary, developing and implementing the communications strategy and acting as the spokeswoman for a Member of Congress. She practiced law in the corporate section of a Houston-based international law firm, where she focused on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets transactions and general corporate governance matters and actively participated in the firm’s attorney recruiting program.
Annie was born in Houston and raised in a small town in West Texas. She has volunteered at Yellowstone Academy, a non-profit, faith-based private school serving children in poverty in Houston, and she is a member of the American Heart Association's Young At Heart young professionals group. |
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Michelle Orchard
Assistant Director
morchard@mslegalsearch.com
Michelle Orchard graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in political science and economics. She loves to travel and studied abroad in both Rome and London. While in London, Michelle interned for a criminal defense firm where she gained exposure to the British legal system. She plans to attend law school.
Michelle is an avid lacrosse player. She was president of the women’s team at Rice and has coached at a local high school. Michelle also enjoys exploring Houston and is a recent devotee of weekly bingo in the Heights. |
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Melissa Mayer
Chief Financial Officer
mmayer@mslegalsearch.com
Melissa Mayer has more than fiftteen years of experience providing financial services, project management, and advice to small and mid-sized private companies including cash management, corporate development, and operational budgeting. She also has extensive experience in real estate finance and sales, mortgage banking, and placement of structured debt in capital markets. These transactions include major institutional quality office buildings, industrial properties, retail asset acquisitions and dispositions, mortgage financing, real estate company recapitalizations and private equity placements.
Melissa, a native Houstonian, earned a BBA in Economics and a MBA in Finance from the Cameron School of Business at the University of St. Thomas. When she’s not busy with her two children, she enjoys the Houston art scene and traveling.
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