Axiom Global Inc. Offers New Model for Delivering Corporate Legal Services

Despite earning large incomes at large law firms, some attorneys are unhappy with their overall quality of life.  Some corporate clients need legal services from Big Law attorneys, but are unhappy with the high fees that large firms must charge to cover their operating expenses.  Many of those clients cannot justify the expense of full-time, permanent in-house counsel.  Is there an alternative that addresses these concerns?

Yes.  Axiom Global Inc. and other firms like Outside GC, LLC, in Boston and Phillips & Reiter, PLLC, in Houston offer a new type of service model that meets more of the needs of the lawyers and clients who seek something different.

Let's consider Axiom Global Inc., the largest example of this new kind of firm.  The attorneys who work for Axiom have been trained by large law firms.  By keeping its over costs low, Axiom can provide clients with highly-trained lawyers on site for much lower rates than its more traditional Big Law competitors.  Axiom's attorneys work either from home or at the client's offices, so Axiom saves money on office expenses.  This new arrangement gives clients major benefits including the flexibility to hire attorneys as needed and savings of as much as 25% to 50% on their legal fees as compared to services provided by traditional large firms.

There are plenty of benefits for the attorneys who work for Axiom, too, including:

• the ability to take (unpaid) time off between their assignments;
• pay that is about the same as it would be at a large firm, except that there is no annual bonus;
• time to pursue personal interests and spend with their families;
• benefits that continue during breaks between assignments; and
• no pressure to bill large numbers of hours.

There are a few drawbacks to working for the new type of firm.  For one thing, attorneys do not receive an annual bonus and are not paid during breaks between assignments for clients.  For another, lawyers practicing under this new model do not enjoy the prestige of working at a large firm.

New firms like Axiom won't replace Big Law; large, complex cases will still require the resources of large firms. However, for attorneys who are unhappy with their practices at big firms, Axiom and similar new firms offer an alternative that can help attorneys achieve a happier work-life balance.

By Steve Imparl, guest blogger