After practicing law for over 30 years, including time at both law firms and in-house roles, Paul has found his ideal legal engagement as an Axiom lawyer embedded at a leading technology company. Paul's specialty is working on commercial contracts, describing himself as "a transactional attorney" who helps his client "spend money" wisely through vendor agreements and statements of work.
What makes his arrangement through Axiom so unique and rewarding compared to previous roles? For Paul, the main benefits come down to flexibility, autonomy, and being a truly integrated part of the business team he supports.
Escaping the Law Firm Treadmill
Earlier in his career, Paul felt trapped in the typical environment at major law firms, with grueling billable hour expectations. "Everybody still has billable hours," he acknowledges about practicing law in general. "But the horrible pressure of a law firm is just literally life-shortening, and it’s all in response to stress."
By contrast, while he still has deliverables and some stress in his current engagement, Paul says it's "just 1% of what I would've had at a firm." He considers moving on from law firms "the best thing I ever did" and is "happiest and proudest of getting out of that sort of rat race."
As Paul bluntly puts it, "I knew a lot of people in law firms that had beautiful homes and great cars and never got to enjoy either one of them. They're always at work."
Variety and Continuity
Another major upside Paul highlights about working through Axiom is that "you can typically do short-term engagements with high-end clients." Attorneys have the option to experience a diversity of in-house legal work across different companies and industries.
"If you want to, you can have all the variety in the world, which does not happen in a law firm," Paul explains. "That's probably the biggest pro for Axiom."
Many Axiom lawyers take advantage of the ability to have "beach time" between gigs to travel or pursue other interests. However, Paul has opted for continuity, having now been engaged with his Fortune 100 tech client for nearly six years through a series of rolling six-month contracts."
"I'm a pretty unusual Axiom attorney in that I had a couple of small gigs before my current client, but when I got placed there, honestly, I would stay as long as they'll have me," Paul shares. "It's a fantastic gig. I love the people I work for and with, so I wouldn't change."
Being Part of the Business
In Paul's view, one of the most rewarding aspects of working in-house at a company - whether directly or through an arrangement like Axiom's - is that "you're much more a part of a team and you're actually knowledgeable in the product or service that's being provided as opposed to ‘Which client am I dealing with now? What's their industry? Let alone their specific product issues.’"
He elaborates: "I really feel like a valued member of my client’s team, even though I don't work for them. The clients are program managers or engineers who typically have no idea how to get things through the legal processes. So I really feel valued."
By being embedded on-site with the business (albeit remotely since COVID-19), Paul has visibility into the big picture of what the company is trying to achieve and can provide counsel accordingly. His work spans the client's two core divisions and he interfaces directly with the business owners.
"I'm doing statements of work, which is helping them spend money on vendors, specifically the client's two main services," Paul describes, "and what we're really doing is spending the client’s money on mostly researching how to improve the service’s functions, how to make it more representative."
Respected Experience
With 30+ years practicing law (and at least half of that as a General Counsel) under his belt, Paul appreciates that Axiom respects and values his experience - and the client does too. They trust him to get the job done without micromanagement.
As he puts it, "I've been doing this long enough. Just give me the work, just shovel it in my direction and I'll happily process it and get it out the other end. So actually, that's one of the things I like most."
Knowing that he has the experience to handle what they throw at him, his direct manager at the client company has the advantage of taking a hands-off approach instead, focusing on empowering Paul to succeed. "I love that I'm not managed," he notes. "She's just checking in to see, 'Hey, are you doing okay? Is there anything you need? Are there problems that I haven't heard about?'"
Freedom and Fulfillment
Beyond the day-to-day work, Paul feels his Axiom engagement provides the flexibility to fit his legal career into a full, rewarding lifestyle. An avid sailor who lives on his boat, Paul was able to do legal work remotely from Mexico for a stretch and would start many mornings there with a swim before logging on for the day.
He admits he's "easily distracted" with diverse passions like motorcycling, bicycling, scuba diving, and flying as an instrument-rated private pilot. Having a steady income without the face time demands of a law firm allows him to pursue these hobbies on his own schedule.
When asked if Axiom has helped his career, Paul turns the question around and emphasizes how glad he is to have left the law firm world. Axiom, it seems, has helped Paul find career fulfillment by freeing him from the traditional grind while still engaging in meaningful, valued work.
Advice for Other Attorneys
When asked what advice he'd offer other lawyers who may be considering a role with Axiom, Paul enthusiastically replies, "I would absolutely say come on in."
He continues: "Because the reality in my experience - and everybody that I know at Axiom - has had really positive experiences. Obviously it's not indentured servitude, you could leave at any time, but most of the contracts are relatively short by definition. You could try on different clients and indeed different areas of law, assuming you're able to get up to speed on it. It's a lot more flexible than almost any other career path."
For attorneys feeling stuck in the law firm world or interested in exploring in-house work without committing to a single company, Paul's story demonstrates how Axiom can provide a happy medium: challenging legal work that leverages one's experience, fosters work-life balance, and enables professional growth. As he puts it, Axiom is "a way to sort of survey the industry and see what you're most interested in."
The Benefits of Bringing in an Axiom Lawyer
For companies looking to add experienced legal expertise to support their in-house teams, engaging a veteran general counsel like Paul through Axiom offers compelling advantages. With Paul's 30 years of legal experience, including in-depth knowledge of commercial contracts, he is able to immediately step in and provide value, describing himself as "a responsible adult" that business partners can turn to for guidance on navigating legal processes.
Axiom's ALSP model enables a company to bring on a seasoned lawyer with a wealth of knowledge for a defined engagement without the long-term commitment and expense of a full-time hire. The attorney can focus on a specific body of work, such as Paul's focus on vendor contracts and statements of work, and ensure those processes are handled smoothly and efficiently.
In addition to legal acumen, an Axiom lawyer can bring an outside perspective that comes from working across different companies and industries. "We’ve got a very diverse group of lawyers," Paul notes about Axiom. "My peers come from all these different areas ... but they've been successful. And some of those folks are some of the best lawyers because they see both sides."
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