Meet Our Team

When you work with Villasenor & Associates, you don’t just get the attention of one person, you get the entire team. With combined experience totaling over 60 years in the legal placement field, we offer a level of expertise and proficiency that you simply will not find elsewhere. Partner with us and we’re absolutely confident you will be pleased with the level of professionalism and individual attention you will receive as we help you to explore new career opportunities.

Hector Villaseñor

Phone: 323.936.4880
hector@villasenorandassociates.com

Hector Villaseñor, Founder and President of Villaseñor & Associates, is a 1972 graduate from the UCLA School of Law and has been specializing in the field of attorney placements since 1981, a time when the industry itself was still being developed in Southern California. Hector began his career as a Labor & Employment attorney, working for a number of years with the NLRB, as well as various employers, in counseling, advising, preparing employee handbooks, and negotiating union and non-union matters on behalf of management. After over 30 years working with attorneys, he is keenly aware of the many factors that are at play when determining the direction of one’s legal career and he is personally responsible for hundreds of successful placements. With his unique perspective, Hector is known throughout California as a confident mentor, a trusted advisor, and a pioneer and leader in the recruiting industry.

Carole Howard

Phone: 323.936.4880
carole@villasenorandassociates.com

A native Angeleno, Carole Howard joined the firm in 1985 as a Principal, and has a long professional background in the real estate and securities industries, as well as over 25 years in the attorney placement field. A driving force behind V&A, Carole plays an integral role in managing the administrative duties for the firm, as well as working with associate attorneys throughout California.
Over the years, Carole has become particularly adept at identifying potential placements outside of the obvious active searches that are posted on firm websites. Her intuition has been honed over the last couple decades and continues to improve with each new candidate.

Spencer Villaseñor

Phone: 323.936.4880
spencer@villasenorandassociates.com

A graduate from the University of Michigan, Spencer Villaseñor has been exclusively involved in the legal recruiting industry since 2006. Furthermore, he grew up around the business from a very early age and, as a result, he innately understands the varied complicated layers involved in matching the right attorney with the best firm possible. Spencer began his professional career in the marketing/publicity industries, creating and executing national and regional campaigns for clients such as Microsoft’s XBox, AOL, Reebok, The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas and Pink Taco Mexican Restaurants. After many successful years, Spencer decided to make a career change, joining his father full-time in the legal recruiting business. As he continues to learn from his father and other colleagues, Spencer very much looks forward to leading Villaseñor & Associates into the next generation.

Laura Gilchrist

Phone: 323.936.4880
laura@villasenorandassociates.com

Laura Gilchrist is a graduate of the Santa Clara University School of Law and practiced law for a number of years with Stroock & Stroock & Lavan in the firm’s Century City office. She also earned two B.A. degrees in Rhetoric & Communications and Italian from the University of California at Davis. While at Davis, she enjoyed a semester abroad living in Siena, Italy where she traveled the country, perfecting her Italian and taking in the wonderful culture.
After practicing law, Laura was involved in the non-profit world, devoting her time, energy, and passion to organizations such as The Art of Elysium, Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and Sustainable Nantucket. Moving back to California from the East Coast a few years ago, Laura was delighted to join Villasenor & Associates which has allowed her to reconnect with the legal community and be an integral part of a highly-regarded and long-established organization.