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When I reflect on my legal career, I can clearly identify a turning point: the moment I decided to join Axiom in November 2023. After nearly a decade working as corporate counsel across various industries, spending three to four years at each company, I found myself craving something different: more flexibility, more choice, and more opportunity to grow professionally while maintaining control over my career trajectory.
I wasn't new to the legal consulting space when I discovered Axiom. I had actually interviewed with them years earlier, but ended up taking another position with a different consulting firm. After several engagements with that firm, I reached a point where I felt ready for a new challenge and wanted access to opportunities that my previous firm simply couldn't offer.
When I took a fresh look at Axiom, everything clicked. What immediately stood out was the access to some of the best clients in the world, Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies that would have been difficult to reach through traditional job applications. Beyond the client base, Axiom offered something I hadn't experienced elsewhere: genuine flexibility to choose positions and companies that aligned with my career goals, supported by some of the best technology platforms for connecting talent with opportunities.
After weighing all these factors, joining Axiom felt like the logical next step in my career evolution.
An Onboarding Experience That Actually Works
One of my first positive impressions of Axiom was the onboarding process. Having gone through various onboarding experiences throughout my career, I can confidently say that Axiom's approach was both efficient and genuinely useful. I was assigned a talent partner who became my primary contact, helping me navigate everything from locating my first position to understanding how to succeed when submitting applications for roles.
What impressed me most was that I never felt like I was wasting time on unnecessary training or busy work. The process was streamlined, but I still got everything I needed to be successful. My talent partner was incredibly helpful, not just during the initial onboarding, but as an ongoing resource who could answer questions and walk me through processes as they came up. It's clear that Axiom has designed its onboarding to work for different types of people with varying preferences, which sets the foundation for long-term success.
Flexibility That Actually Means Something
One of Axiom's greatest strengths is the genuine flexibility it offer, and I've experienced this firsthand in multiple ways. My first engagement was with a major pharmaceutical company based in New Jersey. Since they didn't have a Washington, D.C. office and I live in the D.C. area, I worked entirely from home. It was a great engagement, and the remote setup worked perfectly for that role and that point in my career.
However, after that engagement ended, I realized I had missed the energy and collaboration that come from working in an office environment. When I expressed interest in finding an office-based role, Axiom was incredibly proactive. Even though my current position at a major tech company was originally designed to be remote, Axiom reached out to my supervisor and the client directly to arrange for me to work from their D.C. office, just three metro stops from my home.
This kind of flexibility—being able to adapt arrangements based on what works best for both the talent and the client—is something I hadn't experienced in traditional employment. It demonstrates that Axiom truly understands that one size doesn't fit all and is willing to advocate for arrangements that help everyone succeed.
💡 Embrace flexible work with Axiom.
Two Types of Culture, Both Valuable
Working with Axiom means experiencing two distinct but complementary cultures: Axiom's internal culture and the culture of whatever client you're supporting. Both have been incredibly valuable in my professional development.
Within Axiom, the culture is what you make of it. If you want to be heavily involved, there are plenty of opportunities, from regular career planning sessions with your talent partner to chances to serve on committees and ways to contribute beyond your primary secondment. I tend to be more involved, so I have regular syncs with my talent partner where we discuss not just my current engagement but also my long-term career goals and how Axiom can help me achieve them.
For new talent who prefer to focus primarily on their engagement work, that's perfectly fine, too. The beauty of Axiom's approach is that you can tailor your level of involvement to match your preferences and career stage.
As for client culture, I've found it refreshing to experience different work environments, meet new colleagues, and adapt to various company cultures. It keeps the work interesting and helps you develop versatility as a legal professional. You learn to quickly assess what different teams need from you, understand their risk profiles, and figure out how to add value in each unique environment.
Opening Doors to Elite Opportunities
Perhaps the most transformative aspect of working with Axiom has been the access to opportunities I simply wouldn't have had otherwise. Both of my engagements have been with Fortune 100 companies, which would have been extremely difficult to access through traditional job applications or online postings. These aren't just any companies; they're industry leaders where I've been able to work on sophisticated, high-impact projects.
At the pharmaceutical company, I took on the challenge of helping negotiate and implement national pharmaceutical contracts with suppliers. This wasn't work I had done before, though I had experience with large distribution contracts in other industries. The transferable skills were there, but the specific industry knowledge was new. What made the experience exceptional was that the client was more than happy to let me take on significant responsibility and learn new skills. I was able to lead the effort while having strong colleagues there to support me, and together we accomplished something meaningful.
This engagement also allowed me to develop expertise in areas I hadn't worked in before: data privacy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, HIPAA, and other healthcare-related regulatory matters. These skills have proven invaluable, as they transfer across industries and make me a more versatile attorney.
💡 Explore the diverse work of Axiom lawyers.
The Power of Professional Networks
One unexpected benefit of working through Axiom has been the networking opportunities. When you're embedded in a company for an extended period, you don't just work with your immediate team. You become part of the broader organization, developing relationships across different groups and departments.
About halfway through that engagement, an attorney went on maternity leave, and the leadership wasn't sure how to reallocate her workload. They asked if I'd be willing to step in and help out in a different group, working on different types of transactions than my original engagement covered. It was a fantastic opportunity to broaden my skill set and meet new people throughout the organization.
These relationships don't end when your engagement does. I still keep in touch with former team members, we're connected on LinkedIn, and they let me know about job openings and opportunities. When hiring managers are sifting through hundreds of resumes from unknown candidates, having colleagues within the company who can vouch for your work, work ethic, and cultural fit is an enormous advantage.
Skills That Transfer and Compound
My time at Axiom has also taught me how skills from one industry engagement enhance your value in completely different sectors. The data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI expertise I developed in pharma made me a much stronger candidate for my current role at a tech company. You might assume pharma and tech are entirely different worlds, but the legal and regulatory challenges often overlap in fascinating ways.
When I interviewed for my current engagement, I was able to demonstrate not just knowledge in these areas, but actual leadership experience in facilitating complex transactions and contracts to completion. If you can successfully supervise transactions where you need to be vigilant about privacy issues or review AI contracts in one industry, those process skills and substantive knowledge travel with you wherever you go.
A Different Way to Build a Career
For lawyers considering a move to Axiom, I'd encourage you to think about whether this model aligns with what you want from your legal career. I spent almost a decade in traditional in-house roles, typically staying at each company for three to four years. While that path taught me a lot, I found myself wanting more independence in choosing my next client and more freedom regarding the subject matter I worked on and the people I worked with.
The traditional model often means you're stuck if you find yourself in a role that isn't quite what was advertised, which happens more often than we'd like to admit in our industry. Maybe there's more work than expected, or the colleagues aren't what you hoped for, or the company culture doesn't fit. In traditional employment, you often feel obligated to stick it out for several years regardless.
With Axiom, you have genuine options. I've never had a bad engagement, and I think that's partly because Axiom works with high-quality clients and hiring managers. But if an engagement isn't working out for whatever reason, you can wrap it up professionally and move on to something that's a better fit. You're not trapped for years, and there's no stigma attached to having multiple engagements. It's actually expected and viewed positively, as it helps expand and enhance your experience.
On the flip side, if you find an engagement you really love, there are often opportunities to extend or even convert to a permanent role. It's like having a "try before you buy" opportunity that benefits everyone involved.
As I approach my two-year anniversary with Axiom, I'm more convinced than ever that this was the right choice for my career. I've gained experience across multiple industries, worked with some of the most respected companies in the world, developed new skills that make me more marketable, and built a network of relationships that will benefit me throughout my career.
The flexibility Axiom offers isn't just about work arrangements, though that's certainly part of it. It's about having agency over your professional life in ways that traditional employment often doesn't allow. It's about being able to take on challenges that stretch your capabilities, work with clients who inspire you to do your best work, and build a career that reflects your evolving interests and goals.
Ready to Take Control of Your Legal Career?
For Legal Professionals: If you're an experienced attorney looking for more flexibility, access to elite clients, and the opportunity to shape your own career trajectory, I encourage you to explore what Axiom has to offer. Whether you're coming from a traditional law firm environment or in-house counsel roles, Axiom provides a platform to leverage your existing skills while continually expanding your expertise across industries and practice areas. The combination of high-quality clients, supportive talent partners, and genuine flexibility creates an environment where legal professionals can thrive on their own terms.
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.
