Passion. Experience. Diligence.
About Us.
We are attorney recruiters with decades of experience in placing expert attorneys within the most coveted law firms and corporations. Founded in 2004 by two of Texas’ most experienced and successful legal recruiters, Amicus consistently ranks as the top legal search firm in each of the three markets in which it has offices – Houston, Dallas and Austin.
We know Texas lawyers and Texas lawyers know Amicus. For our law firm clients, we recruit partners and associates from other law firms. We have opened offices in Texas for national law firms entering the Texas market, recruited intact practice groups for others firms, and brokered substantial practice group migrations. With a 90% retention rate after 3 years of placement (more than double the national average), the return on our clients’ investment in our candidates is superb.
For our corporate clients, we are proud of our success in placing General Counsels, Chief Legal Officers, Associate General Counsels and numerous other in-house attorneys. Nearly all of our corporate engagements are direct referrals from our law firm clients.
We firmly believe that we are nothing without the trust of the individual attorneys whom we serve. As we have always done, we welcome all inquiries and will provide honest, timely and accurate information to all attorneys who seek our counsel.
Get in touch
We at Amicus know that finding the right recruiter is a choice not to be taken lightly. We strive to understand completely out clients’ objectives, meet frequently with our clients, and offer and invite meaningful feedback throughout the engagement to ensure timely and effective results.
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The Amicus Team
Principal
Alysa Schildcrout
As an attorney recruiter, Alysa specializes in the placement of partners, practice groups, acquisitions, and management level in-house counsel. In addition, Alysa has improved the lives of hundreds of law firm partners by placing them in highly coveted roles throughout Texas. In addition to her legal practice, Alysa spends a considerable amount of time advising Energy companies and their executive management teams on strategic hiring decisions. Having placed many senior executives in broad-based energy companies, Alysa has a keen understanding what it takes to be successful in a very dynamic environment.
Alysa graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1989 with a degree in finance and accounting. While at the University of Oklahoma, Alysa was a member of the Big 8 champion gymnastics team and varsity letter winner while on a full scholarship. Upon graduation, she then practiced in public accounting at Deloitte & Touche. Following public accounting, she received her MBA from Texas Tech University in 1994. Alysa has been involved in the recruiting industry since 1996.
When not helping clients find stellar talent and traveling the country for tennis tournaments, she enjoys spending time with her family, husband Andrew, daughter Jordan, twin sons Jacob and Joshua, their five dogs; one 16 year chocolate lab, Goliath, and their four golden retrievers, Ginger, Maggie, Bentley and Duncan.
Office: Dallas, TX & Houston, TX
Email: Alysa@AmicusSearch.com
Principal
Lee Allbritton, Esq.
A native Texan, Lee Allbritton has been engaged in the attorney search and legal recruiting industry since 1997. After leaving the private practice of law where he worked for both a national, AmLaw 100 law firm, as well as a well-known Houston trial boutique, Lee desired to use his legal skills in a different manner. He found in legal recruiting the opportunity to make a real difference in individuals’ lives while continuing to communicate, both verbally and in writing, at the highest level of advocacy.
Over the course of his career, Lee has been responsible for the recruitment and placement of over 1,000 attorneys, including scores of law firm partners, “of counsel” and associates, as well as numerous General Counsels, Associate General Counsels, and other in-house attorneys. Lee’s clients include elite, global law firms; regionally dominant full-service law firms; and practice specific boutique firms throughout Texas.
Lee resides in Austin, but is frequently in Amicus’ Houston and Dallas offices. Outside of the office, Lee and his family enjoy hiking, kayaking and otherwise enjoying the rivers and lakes of the Texas Hill Country. Lee also serves on the Board of the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, a non-profit organization that provides legal representation to low-income citizens.
Lee is a 1989 honors graduate of the University of Virginia and 1993 cum laude graduate of the University of Houston Law Center.
Office: Austin, TX & Houston, TX
Email: Lee@AmicusSearch.com
Mike Danforth
Mike joins Amicus with a long history of success at his own legal search firm. Prior to his career in legal search, Mike was involved in consulting with Booz Allen Hamilton and KPMG Peat Marwick.
He has also served as President of a multi-faceted manufacturing / retail operation and was Vice President and Secretary of a major cosmetics firm. Mike has done graduate work in psychology in addition to holding a Bachelors degree. He was named #1 in serving the legal profession in John Sibbald’s The Career Makers.
Email: Mike@AmicusConsultants.com
Eric Girard
As a Senior Search Consultant with Amicus, Eric brings 15 years of experience practicing in Texas, first with Gardere Wynne & Sewell and, more recently, as the Assistant General Counsel for Highland Capital, a Dallas-based, SEC-Registered investment advisor.
Eric specializes in placing partners and practice groups with a variety of private firms, ranging from elite, global law firms, to practice-specific boutique firms in Dallas, Houston and Austin. Eric’s broad-based legal experience makes him uniquely qualified to serve both his clients and candidates by bringing a thorough understanding of the diverse skill sets required to be successful in either private practice or in-house, thus ensuring his clients are provided the ideal candidate, while also giving the candidate confidence that the only roles for which they will be recommended align with the candidate’s express wishes.
Eric grew up in Austin and has lived and worked in Dallas since 1996. Prior to law school, Eric spent eight years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
In his spare time, Eric enjoys spending time with his wife, Lisa, daughters, Isabella, Ava, Olivia and son, Jack.
Email: Eric@amicussearch.com
Shayna Shalet
Shayna joined Amicus in 2021, following a decade of success in placing experienced legal professionals with numerous law firms in Dallas and the surrounding metroplex. Known for her work ethic and cheerful disposition, Shayna works tirelessly to ensure her candidates gain a competitive advantage in the lateral market.
A native Dallasite, Shayna studied pre-law and and government at the University of Texas, before returning to Dallas to begin her career. Shayna and her husband, Larry, have two adult children and one granddaughter, and live with a very proud and bossy chihuahua/dachshund mix!
In addition to recruiting, Shayna is an active and passionate contributor to her community, working closely with senior citizens and their families as they navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with the ever changing world of elder care. Outside of the office, Shayna is most excited about playing competitive pool, and has competed twice in the APA World Championships in Las Vegas.
Email: Shayna@amicussearch.com
Jana Mura
Jana joined Amicus in 2021, following a dynamic career in public accounting, finance and recruiting, in both the United States and Canada. Naturally curious and intuitive, Jana is adept at understanding the subtle differences and nuances of a particular position, making her an ideal advocate for her candidates.
A licensed CPA, Jana has worked for private professional service companies as well as large, public, multinational corporations. She began her career in Dallas with Arthur Anderson, and next spent a number of years with ARCO, Frito-Lay, and AT&T Wireless before her family relocated to Calgary, Canada, where she resumed her CPA practice.
A native Texan with lifelong ties to the DFW Metroplex, Jana obtained a degree in Accounting from Texas A & M University in 1990. After 8 years in Canada, Jana was thrilled to return to Texas in 2021, where she enjoys traveling and visiting her two college student sons at UT and OU, neither of whom had the good sense to attend A & M!
Email: Jana@amicussearch.com
Ned DeJarnette
Ned joined Amicus' Houston office in 2022, following several leadership roles in Financial Services, Transportation & Logistics, and International Trade. Multilingual and multicultural, Ned grew up in a State Department family, spending his formative years in Latin America, West and Central Africa. These experiences have made Ned uniquely well positioned to embrace diversity, change and the unexpected, always with a smile and a story to share - traits which make him a particularly effective recruiter.
Although Ned has lived all over the world, he and his wife, Sara and their three children have lived in Texas longer than anywhere else and have embraced the energy and can-do optimism of the Texas culture. A lifelong soccer and rugby player, Ned gets his exercise today trying to keep up with his three very active children – two sons, one at St. Thomas High School and one at Western Academy, and a daughter at St Michael's.
Ned received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and his MBA from Tulane University in New Orleans where he met Sara, and where you are just as likely to bump into Ned as you will under the tunnels of downtown Houston.
Fluent in Spanish, French and Portuguese, Ned's English isn't half bad either. He loves working on uniquely challenging searches, often requiring native fluencies in other languages and international travel. He is masterful at finding common interests and puts in extraordinary efforts to make the right matches for his candidates.
Email: Ned@amicussearch.com
Gary Katz
Gary joined Amicus in 2023, following 11 years of successfully placing accounting and finance professionals in DFW. Known for being personable, professional, and punctual (with a penchant for alliteration), Gary takes the time to get to know his candidates so he can place them in a position that best suits their needs.
Gary grew up in Dallas and earned his BA from Texas State and his MBA from The University of Texas at Dallas.
When off the clock, Gary spends his time with his wife Shannon, their sons Grant and Sean, their daughter Layla, and their two dogs Gordo and Luna.
Email: Gary@amicussearch.com
Sharon Rowe
Sharon joined Amicus in 2013. She brings twenty five years of experience in office management, administration and accounting. Her experience is a combined result of working for large Oil & Gas Exploration companies, law firms, and several international boutique architectural firms. Now, she adds eight years administration supporting the legal recruiters of Amicus. As Amicus Office Manager, Sharon enjoys combining her management, accounting and organizational skills with her human resource experience in supporting our recruiters.
A native Texan, Sharon was born and raised in Dallas.
Email: Sharon@amicussearch.com