Elaine spent her early years in Houston, TX and her junior high and high school years in Milan, Italian. She began her undergrad education at Mount Holyoke College, a liberal arts college located in South Hadley, MA and finished at The University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated cum laude with Special Honors in the Plan II Interdisciplinary Honors Program. Elaine earned her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law. She is married to an attorney and has a son who is majoring in Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.
When the legal recruiter isn't working, she enjoys movies, art, cooking, eating out, working out, traveling and reading. She is currently reading Jack D. Hodge's The Power of Habit: Harnessing the Power to Establish Routines that Guarantee Success in Business and in Life, although nine out of every ten books she reads will be fiction.
Elaine's Successful Career Path and Tips for Legal Recruiters
What does it take to become a successful legal recruiter? Elaine noted three qualities most successful recruiters possess: knowledge of the market, an established network, and key personality traits. Knowledge of the legal market includes being familiar with law firms, corporate legal departments, the nuances of corporate cultures, different practice areas, and trends in the legal industry. Elaine also pointed out that it is essential for a legal recruiter to establish a network. "Having a network is important. Recruiters must know attorneys as well as the law firms and companies that hire them."
In addition, Elaine believes a recruiter must have certain personality traits in order to be effective. "A recruiter has to connect to candidates and clients (it helps to be an extrovert), and he or she should be creative, flexible and resilient. It's important to be credible and trustworthy. If you are not trustworthy, you will diminish your reputation - which will eventually catch up with you. You also need to be grounded and self- confident. A candidate or client is not going to entrust you with their business or career if you don't believe in yourself."
Elaine also discussed her strengths as a recruiter. "I have the ability to listen to candidates and clients and I understand who they are and what they want. I help my candidates and clients understand what is important to them. I am also a creative problem-solver."
What is Elaine's advice to new recruiters? "You've really got to be committed, hard-working, and resilient to be successful. When you become a recruiter, you are creating a foundation, and you need to be patient and persistent, especially since permanent placements don't always happen quickly."
Considering her twenty-five years of experience in the legal recruiting industry, many readers may want to know where Elaine sees the legal field in the next five years. The candid recruiter admitted that many employers do their own recruiting. She acknowledged that what happens in the next five years depends on the economy, but Elaine is confident that good recruiters will be around for a long time. The businesswoman stated that high-level, successful attorneys will not apply for positions over the internet. The best candidates are usually not looking, they're busy working: they need to be sought out and enticed to make a move.
What does Elaine look for to find the right fit? What makes a great candidate? "It's important to listen to the client and deliver the academic credentials and experience they're seeking - unless they just don't exist. It's also about the candidate's character traits. When I meet the candidate I almost always know if he/she is right for the position."
In regards to what makes a great candidate, Elaine asserted, "In addition to credentials and experience, they have to have enthusiasm for the job and be interested in adding value to the employer."
What is the recruiter's recipe for a perfect match? "It's not my recipe, it's my client's. My job is to understand what they want and find it."
How does Elaine tackle obstacles? "I face them and try to develop a plan to handle them. As a business owner, I have a responsibility to set an example and I think about how any plan would affect my employees." Elaine revealed that whenever possible she likes to sleep on the more challenging issues that concern her. She said that although by nature she is action-oriented, if she waits to act or respond one of two things often occurs: she comes up with a creative solution or the problem actually resolves on its own.
When asked if she learned something of value from her mistakes, Elaine replied, "Almost always."
Where does Elaine derive her confidence? "I have a high drive to do the best and be the best. It's not about me; it's about the clients. I have done this for a long time and I have an excellent track record. I'm also practical, focused, creative and resilient. I absolutely love what I do and anticipate the challenge of each new search."
Professional Associations, Non Profit Organizations, Mentoring and Favorite Quote
Elaine is a member of the Texas State Bar and her firm is a certified member of the Women's Business Enterprise Alliance (WBEA) and the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC), a voluntary organization of legal recruiters who adhere to the highest ethical standards in the profession and attend numerous best practice classes.
Elaine is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Houston Area Women's Center and serves as an Associate for Jones College at Rice University, where she supports students in academic, intellectual, and community endeavors. She is also a former Trustee and head of the Diversity Committee for a private school in Houston. Elaine's firm is a member of the Corporate Guild of Dress for Success-Houston, an organization that helps low-income women re-enter and succeed in the job market. MS Legal Search also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and the search firm is a five-year recipient of the Anti-Defamation League's Community of Respect designation in recognition of the firm's commitment to support diversity and respect in the workplace.
Does Elaine have a mentor? "Not just one person; I'm constantly learning from and am inspired by leaders who bring out the best in their employees."
Elaine's favorite quote is by Thomas Paine: "Lead, follow or get out of the way." She thinks the quote is pithy and clever - in addition to being good advice.
Motivation, a Rewarding Position and Goals
What motivates Elaine to be a recruiter every day? "a) I know the perfect candidate is out there, waiting for my call, b) I really enjoy speaking to and meeting new people, and c) I like solving problems for my clients."
Does Elaine find her position rewarding? "Yes, I like working with and helping people. I'm also fascinated by what makes them tick and I enjoy guiding them in discovering what is most important to them." The straightforward recruiter also discussed the downside of her position. "I don't like people who are dishonest and waste my recruiters' time or fail to value what we do. Although we try not to take ourselves seriously, we definitely take our work seriously. We all have high-achieving professional backgrounds and bring those same standards to our work as recruiters."
Does the Texan have goals? "My goal is to continue handling more international work and to have the highest quality attorney search firm. We describe ourselves as 'Small but Mighty' and I think that sums up our goal to provide personal, focused, and effective service."
