Meet Our Staff
Assistant Dean of Career Development - Alexis Joyce
Alexis Joyce is the Assistant Dean of Career Development at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law and has served in the office for over ten years. As an expert in student counseling and legal careers, she is an experienced leader in the industry. She has counseled over one thousand law students and presented hundreds of presentations. She was the 2023-2024 Chair of the Law School Career Advisors of Southern California, and she has written multiple articles for the NALP Bulletin.
Alexis counsels students interested in all practice areas, but has a particular focus on students interested in public interest and public service careers. She is the Pepperdine liaison for Public Interest & Government Career Day, a program open to all JD students. She also routinely counsels students on litigation careers at small and midsized law firms.
Prior to joining the CDO at Pepperdine, Alexis worked in the Career Development Office at Southwestern Law School. While in law school, Alexis worked at a midsized law firm that specialized in insurance defense. She also interned for the Ventura Public Defender's Office. Alexis is a graduate of Pepperdine Caruso School of Law and St. John's University, where she received her Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts degrees, respectively.
In her spare time, Alexis is an avid home cook and has a large cookbook collection. She loves watching all sports and is always ready to discuss the latest game/match/race.
Phone: 310.506.6459
alexis.joyce@pepperdine.edu
Senior Associate Director of Career Development - Ann Chang
Ann Chang is the Senior Associate Director of Career Development at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. She transitioned from advising clients in legal matters to advising law students at Pepperdine in November 2021. Ann currently serves on the executive board of the Los Angeles Area Legal Recruitment Association and is an active member of the Orange County Area Legal Recruiting Association, Law School Career Advisors of Southern California consortium, and The National Association of Law Placement (“NALP”). Ann has presented on panels on the topic of law student and judicial clerkship counseling at the NALP Annual Education Conferences and has co-authored an article for the NALP Bulletin.
Ann counsels students interested in any and all practice areas and is the judicial externship and clerkship advisor for the office. She enjoys being a resource for students navigating the start of their legal careers, from offering guidance on job searching and networking strategies to having discussions exploring traditional and non-traditional career paths.
Before joining the CDO, Ann practiced law for ten years, representing clients in litigation matters before both federal and state courts as well as advising clients on transactional matters. She also spent several years as a judicial law clerk for a United States Bankruptcy Judge in the Central District of California. During law school, Ann clerked for a bankruptcy firm, externed in the bankruptcy court, and interned with the then-called California Department of Corporations as well as Lovells, LLP in London. Before law school, Ann spent two years teaching English as a foreign language and second language in South Korea. Ann received her Juris Doctor and Certificate from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law in 2011 and her Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Comparative Literary Studies (ECLS) and Theater from Occidental College in 2005.
Outside of work, Ann loves spending time with her husband and two young kids. You will most likely find them enjoying yet another day at Disneyland, visiting a new state or national park, or eating a delicious meal or snack.
Phone: 310.506.4665
ann.chang@pepperdine.edu
Associate Director of Career Development - Liora Forman-Echols
Liora is an Associate Director in the Career Development Office at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. She received her Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law in 1996 and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University Northridge.
Before joining the CDO, Liora had a dynamic 25-year career as a prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles dedicated to protecting the interests of the City’s most vulnerable residents. Liora prosecuted both criminal and civil enforcement cases involving illegal and unfair business practices, nuisance and human trafficking. Liora has litigated complex multi-defendant cases in civil court against the owners of some of the most violent and narcotics-plagued properties in the City of Los Angeles. She has staffed numerous FBI gang task forces and prosecuted over a dozen criminal jury trials. Prior to embarking on a public service career, Liora was an associate at a municipal law firm where she advised and litigated on behalf of public entities. As a new lawyer, Liora was an associate at a small plaintiff-side civil rights firm where she second-chaired two jury trials at Stanley Mosk Courthouse during her first year as a practicing lawyer.
Liora counsels students interested in all practice areas, bringing her public service background, litigation skills and criminal and civil trial experience to her counseling appointments.
A recent empty nester with a daughter and son working and going to school in New York, respectively, Liora started playing pickleball with her husband. Liora also enjoys her Peloton, yoga, and hiking and plans on learning how to play mahjong this year.
Phone: 310.506.7438
liora.formanechols@pepperdine.edu
Assistant Director of Employer Partnerships - Lina Yen Hughes
Lina Hughes serves as the Assistant Director of Employer Partnerships at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, where she cultivates relationships with legal employers across Southern California and beyond. Lina builds strategic partnerships across law firms, public interest organizations, corporations, and government agencies. She oversees employer–student networking programs to foster a vibrant and supportive professional community.
Prior to joining Pepperdine, Lina founded Yen Hughes Law, a boutique immigration practice serving nonprofit organizations and their staff. For more than two decades, she has represented clients in temporary visa matters, permanent residency, citizenship, immigration strategy, and I-9 compliance. Practicing immigration law since 1998, she is admitted to the State Bar of California and the United States Supreme Court. She earned her J.D. from McGeorge School of Law, an M.A. in Psychology from Pepperdine University, and a B.A. in English Literature from UC Berkeley.
Lina is an active member of the Christian Legal Society and is passionate about attorney wellbeing. She volunteers as one of the Wellbeing Coordinators for American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and hosts a monthly attorney support group online. Lina has presented CLE programs on immigration law, self-care and trauma-informed lawyering. Her work includes co-authoring sections on immigration law in Pastor, Church & Law by Richard R. Hammar (5th ed.), and she has been a guest on the Church Law podcast. She also teaches Immigration Law, Client Interviewing and Counseling, and Human Trafficking Law and Policy in Cambodia for Trinity Law School as Adjunct Faculty.
Lina was born in Taiwan, raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and speaks Mandarin Chinese. She enjoys traveling, escape rooms, playing piano and guitar, and listening to podcasts on theology, law, and culture.
Phone: 310.506.4245
Recruiting Coordinator - Trinity Korn
Trinity is the Recruiting Coordinator in the Career Development Office. She received
her Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Communication Studies from Pepperdine University.
She is responsible for managing recruiting programs to facilitate opportunities for
students, as well as creating weekly newsletters, and updating job boards.
Administrator and Event Coordinator - Jeannie Ruse
As Administrator, Jeannie is the point person for directing students and staff to the appropriate resources to address their questions and any immediate need they may have. She is also responsible for a variety of tasks, including assisting students in making appointments with their counselors, requesting reciprocity from other schools on a student's behalf, helping with the logistics and execution of the Mock Interview Program, and coordinating all CDO sponsored events. Prior to joining the Career Development team, Jeannie was working with the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. Jeannie spent thirteen years at Straus as a Coordinator and Program Administrator for Professional Programs and assistant to the Associate Dean.
Jeannie is also the very proud mother of three daughters.
Phone: 310.506.4634