He chaired the New York Commission on Judicial Nomination from 2019 until his death, and retired from his position as a partner with the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop at the end of 2023.

Elias Leo Milonas, the son of Greek immigrant parents, was born in 1936 and grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan.

[1] Milonas was a partner at the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop, where he specialized in complex commercial litigation, appeals, and alternative dispute resolution.

[1] He has also served as a fellow of the American Bar Association; Director of the Legal Aid Society; Director of the Fund for Modern Courts; board member of the New York Urban League; and board member for the Fund for the City of New York, among other offices.

On February 6, 2019, the New York Commission on Judicial Nomination elected Milonas to be its chair, succeeding Alan Mansfield, who had served that role in an interim capacity since the death of Judith Kaye in 2016.