Elaine Makris Williams is the founder of MS Legal Search. She has a twenty-year track record of recruiting attorneys for in-house and law firm openings. She is a regular speaker and author on legal employment matters, and is frequently quoted in news publications on attorney hiring and economic trends in Texas. Elaine has also trained law firm partners at firms across the country on marketing and communication skills. A former practicing attorney, she handled banking and real estate work 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, creating a structure unlike any in the industry, where her recruiters (who do not work on commission) function as a team so that clients and candidates alike benefit from the recruiters' collective efforts and contacts.

Originally from Houston, Elaine spent her junior high and high school years overseas, was educated at Mount Holyoke College, and graduated cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin, with Special Honors in the Plan II Interdisciplinary Honors Program. She received her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, and prior to law school worked in New York city as a legal assistant for a law firm and for a real estate development corporation. Residing in Houston with her husband and son, Elaine has served on the Board of Trustees for Annunciation Orthodox School, where she chaired the Board's Diversity Committee.

Stacy Humphries has a unique perspective on legal recruiting. A principal of MS Legal Search, she joined the firm in 2004 after practicing law in both law firm and in-house environments where she was involved with attorney hiring decisions. Stacy's first contact with MS Legal Search was as a client in early 2003. At that time she served as the Vice President of Legal Affairs for the Houston Rockets organization and she was faced with an ever-increasing workload. Stacy selected MS Legal Search to recruit an assistant counsel for her department.

Stacy grew up in New Jersey. She graduated magna cum laude with Phi Beta Kappa honors from Duke University and cum laude from Harvard Law School. She began her legal career with Alston & Bird in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon moving to Houston in 1996, she joined Vinson & Elkins, where she handled mergers, acquisitions, and other business transactions for clients primarily in the healthcare industry. Stacy was active in firm recruiting at Vinson & Elkins and was appointed by the firm's managing partner to chair the firm-wide Recruiting Committee.  Stacy currently serves as an elected member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC), and she is a member of the Early Childhood Committee of the Becker Early Childhood Center.  Stacy lives in West University with her husband, Scott, and their sons, Jackson and Sam.

Lisa Durham joined MS Legal Search as a principal in 2007 and is the head of our Dallas office. Formerly, Lisa was a partner in the M&A and securities sections of Jones Day. She was a member of the firm’s recruiting committee and was one of two partners in charge of the integration of new associates into the firm. Lisa’s longevity as a practicing attorney, experience with the interviewing process, and work with associates give her an insightful edge in evaluating the qualifications and long-term potential of attorney candidates.

Lisa graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1994 where she was a member of the Order of the Coif. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Trinity University. Lisa is a Colorado native but has lived in Dallas for more than 12 years. She serves on the board of directors of Reading & Radio Resource (formerly North Texas Taping and Radio for the Blind) and is active with the Dallas Museum of Art.

Amy Nelson is a graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law, and she holds an LL.M. in International Commercial Law from the University of Nottingham in England. Amy practiced in the corporate section at Jones Day in Dallas for three years, where she advised both privately and publicly-held clients on a variety of matters including stock and asset acquisitions and dispositions, commercial real property leasing transactions and securities law compliance. She was active in the firm's attorney recruiting and hiring process, and she coordinated work assignments for the firm's summer associate program in Dallas.

Amy has lived in Texas since she was six years old and considers herself a Texan, despite her Midwestern roots. She has traveled to more than 35 countries and plans to visit more, but in Houston she is often spotted walking her dog or running around Memorial Park.

Kristen Olson is a graduate of Emory University and the University of Texas School of Law. She practiced law at Jackson Walker in Houston for two years, where she worked in general commercial litigation with an emphasis on media-related cases and clients. Kristen participated actively in firm recruiting at Jackson Walker and was appointed to serve on the Houston office’s Hiring Committee. Prior to law school, Kristen worked in the media industry in New York City. She programmed websites at Oxygen Media, assisted at Harper's Bazaar, and wrote and edited for JD Jungle Magazine. She also interned on Capitol Hill, at the White House, and at George Magazine.

Kristen enjoys pro bono legal work, volunteering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and participating in the Houston Marathon and the MS 150. She resides in the Houston Heights with Izzy Olson, a very spoiled and happy labradoodle.