Attorney-turned-legal-operations-professional (LOP) Sharon reflects on her journey and the importance of legal operations in in-house legal projects.

Three years ago, Sharon made a pivotal career decision. After years as an in-house attorney buried in contracts and striving for better efficiency, she took a leap into the world of legal operations. What drove this transformation wasn't a rejection of legal work. It was a desire to amplify her impact in a way that traditional legal roles hadn't allowed.

"I wanted to work on meaningful projects and high-impact work on my own terms," Sharon explains of her decision to join Axiom in 2022. That shift from practicing law to optimizing how legal work gets done has proven to be more than just a career pivot; it's become a platform for driving tangible, immediate change for organizations navigating the increasingly complex intersection of legal work, technology, and operational efficiency.

The Legal Operations Advantage

Sharon's background as an in-house attorney, predominantly in healthcare law and commercial real estate law, gave her an insider's perspective on the daily challenges legal departments face. "Most of the time I was buried in contracts and trying to become more efficient," she recalls. She had helped build legal departments from the ground up, but something was missing. The work felt reactive rather than transformative.

"Typically, I spent my days in meetings and management and doing a lot of the work that I didn't enjoy as much as innovating the delivery of legal department services," Sharon reflects on her previous in-house roles. The administrative day-to-day transactional legal work, while necessary, often overshadowed the strategic work she was most passionate about.

When she transitioned to Axiom, the difference was immediate. "Coming to Axiom, I was able to go right in on these very specific projects, implementing, for example, contract lifecycle management and getting my hands dirty, allowing my legal knowledge to mix with my operations and technology knowledge to really help Axiom clients," she says.

This blending of legal experience with operational and technological know-how represents the core value proposition of legal operations. It's not just about understanding the law but understanding how to make legal work more effective, more efficient, and more aligned with broader business objectives.

💡Meet other professionals transforming how legal work gets done. 

One engagement that exemplifies Sharon's approach involves a Fortune 500 energy company's electric vehicle business. "It was really exciting to learn a new business," Sharon shares. "And I think the work that I did there was highly impactful."

The engagement wasn't without its challenges. "We had a couple of roadblocks but resolved them quickly and achieved the desired outcome," she notes matter-of-factly. This resilience and problem-solving mentality is characteristic of effective legal operations work, where the path forward isn't always clear, but the commitment to finding solutions remains constant.

Another memorable engagement involves implementing contract lifecycle management for "a large multinational company." Sharon's description of the work reveals the multifaceted nature of legal operations: "I learned a lot and made a big difference in their contracting life cycle."

What makes these engagements particularly powerful is the combination of immediate, measurable impact and strategic value. Unlike traditional legal work that might focus on reviewing contracts or providing advice on specific matters, legal operations work transforms the systems and processes that enable all of that work to happen more effectively.

"Working at Axiom, as opposed to my past career as an in-house attorney, allows me to lead complex, large, meaningful projects for incredible clients," Sharon explains. "The work I do has immediate impact, and I can use strategic thinking as well as my legal background to deliver for the client." 

Building Reputation through Results

In the Axiom model, career advancement looks different than it does in traditional legal settings. "The trajectory isn't straight up. It's more like a jungle gym," Sharon observes. "And it's because each opportunity opens a new opportunity."

This structure directly rewards performance. "There is a reputational aspect, too. When you work hard and achieve success for clients, their positive feedback helps you build a solid reputation, and you're more likely to get future engagements," she explains. "So I just do my very best work for the client, and it speaks for itself through client reviews and the success of a project."

This performance-based model aligns with Sharon's desire for autonomy and impact. Rather than climbing a predetermined ladder, she's building a career based on the value she creates for clients and the experience she has gained along the way.

And what makes legal operations particularly effective is the ability to focus exclusively on high-impact work without the distractions that often accompany traditional legal roles. Sharon can target specific pain points, whether by implementing new technology, streamlining contracting processes, or helping legal departments adapt to changing business needs, and dedicate her full attention to solving those challenges.

This focused approach benefits both Sharon and her clients. Organizations get someone who can dive deep into their specific operational challenges without being pulled in multiple directions by day-to-day legal matters. Sharon gets to work on the kind of transformational initiatives that might take years to implement in a traditional in-house role, if they happen at all.

"Working at Axiom, I can choose the projects I want, do the work I want, and learn so much along the way," Sharon says, highlighting the professional development opportunities that come with this model. Each engagement becomes a chance to expand her knowledge and tackle new challenges.

Flexibility as a Force Multiplier

The flexibility that Axiom provides isn't just about work-life balance, though that's certainly a benefit Sharon values. "I've taken full advantage of the flexibility that working with Axiom has allowed, setting my own hours if I want, getting errands done, throwing in a load of laundry," she shares candidly.

More fundamentally, flexibility enables better work. "I work almost 100% remotely. So it's really given me back my life and allowed me to use the hours I used to use commuting to do work," Sharon explains. Those reclaimed hours translate into more energy and focus for client work, and the remote nature of the role means she can serve clients anywhere without geographic constraints.

"Flexibility is one of the top reasons I love working for Axiom," Sharon says. But this flexibility also comes with responsibility. Sharon must be adaptable, ready to learn new industries and business models quickly, and be able to work effectively across different client environments.

💡Embrace flexible work with Axiom.

For those considering a similar path, Sharon emphasizes the importance of adaptability and client focus. "The advice I would give to somebody joining Axiom would be to be flexible because Axiom clients' needs vary," she shares.

Speed matters too. "Look to learn their business quickly," Sharon advises. In legal operations work, understanding the business context isn't optional. It's essential to identify the right solutions and gain stakeholder buy-in.

Sharon also encourages new Axiom legal professionals to "take advantage of the support Axiom offers as an employer, and lean into that. They listen, innovate, and make your work rewarding." This emphasis on leveraging available resources reflects Sharon's pragmatic approach to work: Use every tool and support system at your disposal to maximize your impact.

And perhaps most importantly: "Have fun." This might seem like throwaway advice, but for Sharon, it speaks to a deeper truth about finding work that aligns with your values and interests. When you're doing work you find meaningful and impactful, enjoyment follows naturally.

The contrast between Sharon's previous career and her current remote legal career is striking. "I went from being stressed out, just constantly busy working late at night" to having "a life, learning what I like, and getting involved in new activities, like volunteering," she reflects.

This transformation goes beyond mere work-life balance. "It's been the best thing I've ever done," Sharon says. "Plus, I'm developing myself professionally on each engagement. So there's the added bonus of developing my own legal operations skills."

When Sharon says, "I've never been happier," it's not just about having more free time or less stress, though both are true. It's about finding a role where her legal background, operational mindset, and desire for meaningful impact converge. It's about doing work that matters, on her own terms, while continuously developing new capabilities.

The Future of Legal Operations

Sharon's journey illustrates a broader shift happening across the legal industry. As organizations recognize the value of operational excellence in their legal departments, professionals like Sharon who can bridge the gap between legal experience and operational strategy become increasingly valuable.

The work Sharon does, like implementing contract lifecycle management systems, streamlining processes, and bringing strategic thinking to legal operations, represents the kind of transformation that legal departments need to remain effective in an increasingly complex business environment. And by doing this work through the Axiom model, she can bring her experience to numerous organizations, multiplying her impact in ways that traditional employment models wouldn't allow.

"Best of all, I guess it's doing it on my own terms," Sharon says of her current role. Those terms include working on initiatives that have immediate impact, using both strategic thinking and her previous legal experience, continuously learning and developing new skills, and maintaining the flexibility to live a full life outside of work.

For Sharon, the shift from law to legal operations wasn't an exit from the legal profession but a way to make her legal knowledge more powerful, more strategic, and more impactful than ever before.

Learn more about Sharon's journey and insights on implementing contract lifecycle management technology in our previous spotlight: Axiom Legal Operations Professional Implements Contract Lifecycle Management Tech for Clients

For Legal Leaders and Organizations: If you're seeking top-tier legal talent that can integrate seamlessly into your team and hit the ground running, Axiom's network of experienced attorneys offers exactly what you need. Our talent brings diverse industry experience, proven track records with major companies, and the agility to adapt quickly to your specific needs and culture. When you work with Axiom, you're not just hiring a lawyer; you're gaining access to a professional who has chosen to work with the best clients and is committed to delivering exceptional results.