Axiom Lawyer Elayna on IP, Innovation, and Navigating Regulatory Uncertainty
Get to know Elayna at a glance:
- 20+ years experience
- Worked at major law firms specializing in IP and trademarks
- Axiom lawyer since 2008, engaged as head of IP for F50 company
Longtime Axiom lawyer Elayna felt called to IP law from the start. In fact, it was Chicago-Kent College of Law’s renowned IP program that attracted her to the Windy City, after earning her undergraduate degree in journalism from American University in Washington, D.C. She headed to Chicago with a law school scholarship, immersed herself in all things IP, and eventually rose to serve as the student body president.
It wasn’t long before Elayna was climbing the ranks at two large law firms, handling a variety of IP transactional and litigation matters. Trademarks and copyrights quickly emerged as her specialty areas. It was a fast-paced nine years where Elayna earned her chops and fine-tuned her abilities, but she didn’t feel her work or skills were particularly valued.
“Large law firms can be motivated primarily by billable hours and maximizing profits, but Axiom’s focus is very different. Profits are important, but so are fair rates, dedicated servicing, and deep relationships,” says Elayna, who interviewed with Axiom and was immediately intrigued by its unique model. “I’d never been an in-house lawyer before, and Axiom had this hybrid model that felt very entrepreneurial to me. I’d never encountered anything like it.”
She came onboard ready for something new and exciting — and that’s exactly what she got.
“It was the chance for me to really break out of the mold of the large law firm hierarchy,” says Elayna. “It was also a chance to advance very quickly and take ownership of a big bucket of work that I knew I could do.”
Integrating as a Trusted Team Member: The Axiom Advantage
As an Axiom lawyer since 2008, Elayna has now developed a unique approach to legal practice that transcends traditional client relationships. Throughout her 15+ year journey, she's discovered that the Axiom model enables lawyers to become true team members rather than external consultants.
"We become true team members of the clients, and I don't say that loosely," Elayna explains. "We’re truly integrated into their culture. I had a General Counsel (GC) say to me, 'You know, you may get your paycheck from Axiom, but you're one of us.'"
This integration creates powerful professional relationships that span years, sometimes decades. "Some of these clients that I've had have spanned 15 years. So you really become close, very much like a close, trusted team member," she notes.
What makes the Axiom model particularly valuable to Elayna’s clients is the flexibility and innovative approach it fosters. "What I love about Axiom is that we really remain flexible. I think oftentimes lawyers forget that being entrusted with a client's work, it's a gift," she reflects. Not being "beholden to the billable hour" allows Axiom lawyers to be more proactive and creative in their approaches.
Elayna likens her client relationships to "a closely held family business" where everyone has "direct skin in the game on every level of decision-making." This creates a shared investment in outcomes: "A win is everyone's win. A loss is everyone's loss. A problem is everyone's problem."
This approach extends beyond conventional legal counsel into true advocacy. "It's not just that we're giving them advice that they need legally," she explains, but also "advocating for the client in business contexts that might fall outside the traditional legal scope.”
Building Deep Client Relationships to Better Protect Their IP
Elayna hit the ground running at Axiom, joining the team as an interim head of IP for a Fortune 50 company right out of the gate. It was a role that included overseeing a portfolio of thousands of trademarks. After six months, she assumed the position of primary IP counsel for a global financial consulting company. Not surprisingly, she continued on this trajectory and eventually assumed subsequent IP leadership roles for other large companies.
“At large law firms, you have so many clients that it’s difficult to do a focused and spectacular job for any particular client; it’s more of a balancing act,” says Elayna. “At Axiom, you’re deeply integrated with your clients, their goals, their issues. Being able to focus on just a select few clients lends itself to a better overall relationship, and as a result, better service for the clients.”
For Elayna, it’s a model that expertly blends the in-house and outside counsel experiences, or what she calls “the best of both worlds.” Elayna and her team are deeply connected to each client’s goals and culture and are uniquely situated to work very closely with the stakeholders and business heads of the companies they represent. In other words, they know how each project and each deal they handle could affect their client’s goals and position globally.
“As Axiom attorneys, we’re counseling our clients holistically, which often saves them money and allows us to be more effective and efficient,” she says. “We have the benefit of a true internal perspective to drive how we handle each matter for our clients.”
Elayna shares an example: When a long-time Head of IP was transitioning out of a company, the situation was anything but straightforward. Navigating a delicate handover with limited cooperation, Elayna stepped in as interim leader, ensuring continuity during a turbulent time. For a year, she not only kept operations running smoothly but also forged strong relationships, streamlined workflows, and provided leadership with newfound transparency. By the time a permanent replacement was found, the department was in a far stronger position than before. For Elayna, this experience wasn’t just about problem-solving. It was the essence of what makes Axiom unique: stepping in when clients need it most, delivering immediate impact, and leaving lasting improvements. “It was one of the most fulfilling and meaningful Axiom engagements I’ve ever had,” she recalls. “I would do it all again in a heartbeat.”
As the legal landscape evolves, particularly around emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Elayna has positioned herself as a subject matter expert, creating bespoke educational programs for clients: "We were able to do a very specialized AI presentation just for that client with all the legislative history they needed, all the legal changes, case law rundown."
Navigating IP Protection Amid Regulatory Uncertainty
With each executive order and policy change from the current administration, intellectual property protection faces new challenges and pivots. Elayna’s extensive experience allows Axiom's Fortune 100 clients to better maintain their competitive edge despite unpredictable regulatory shifts.
When asked about pressing IP concerns under the current administration, Elayna identifies tariffs, origin components of trademarks, and global treatment of intellectual property as key issues. "For intellectual property lawyers, it's origin and ability to protect," she explains, noting these matters are "shifting and changing, particularly in the area of AI."
The regulatory landscape changes daily: "Calls for regulatory changes including calls to clarify IP laws, the tariff situation, and other relevant matters are changing constantly and rapidly. It's a moving target. So it's very exciting, but it's one area where I'm hoping that my time spent watching, tracking, and studying these changes will serve those who don't have time in the legal industry. It’s so rewarding, being able to work with them exactly on what they need ... being there for them as the subject matter expert on this area that they may have fleeting knowledge of."
Elayna serves not only her clients but also fellow lawyers by staying up-to-date with changes in the regulatory landscape. Her Axiom-hosted CLE, Geopolitical Landscapes: Intellectual Property and the Second Trump Administration, explores how the global economy and geopolitical positions are affecting commerce and IP.
And in today's market, she refuses to be a bottleneck. "Being able to be flexible with your client and saying I'm not going to hold this up... What I can do is advise you on the risks, some potential workarounds, and then if they assume the risk, you go to market!" she muses. "Everything's a business risk, right? But if you never go to market for fear of risks, you're not going to make money."
Given recent trade developments, Elayna has shifted focus: "I've asked clients to focus more on trade secrets because of the climate that we're in... Trade secrets are not typically relied on so much by companies because you don't have that nice and neat piece of paper that says, 'Hey, I own this.'" She recommends "very robust contractual provisions, a strong trade secret program for each proprietary asset,” and ensuring clients follow through with protection plans.
During uncertain times, tight IP portfolio management becomes essential. "By the very nature of IP, our clients have a monopoly or competitive advantage over their IP assets," Elayna notes. She observes that uncertainty brings "spikes in infringements" and people becoming "more litigious," requiring heightened vigilance: “Intellectual property is the lifeblood of a company. It should remain a priority regardless of market or geopolitical conditions.”
Balancing Career Success and Personal Fulfillment
Elayna’s role with Axiom has allowed her the freedom and flexibility to pursue personal passions, fostering both professional and personal growth. For Elayna, the past few years have been transformative, marking a period of self-discovery and a deeper alignment between her career and her interests.
Elayna shared that the flexibility in her work at Axiom has allowed her to truly elevate her life in ways that weren’t possible in big law. “The last three years have been really kind of change points in my life for the better. I like to use the word ‘elevated’,” she said. Her journey includes engaging with thought-provoking geopolitical lectures and events, diving deeper into tennis, and even stepping into a leadership role at the America Eurasia Center, a not-for-profit think tank.
“I started attending lectures and meetings on geopolitics ... which gave me a totally different perspective on how I view my work,” Elayna explained. This new knowledge has helped her become a more engaged practitioner, providing valuable insights to her clients.
The ability to explore these new dimensions of knowledge and work has enhanced her passion for her legal practice. “Over the last three years, I’ve become a slightly more involved practitioner because of the knowledge I’ve gained on the outside,” she said, describing how her exposure to global trade and political dynamics enriches her approach to her legal work. Elayna’s experiences have empowered her to care more about the broader implications of her clients’ work, emphasizing that, “I care a lot more about what companies are doing in this country because it has a global effect.”
She also credits Axiom's leadership for enabling this unique balance, highlighting how the company's values align with her personal growth. “Axiom truly is a global company, and staying true to ourselves ... I think that’s going to make us unstoppable,” she reflects, showing gratitude for the company’s commitment to maintaining a work environment that supports both professional development and personal fulfillment.
An Agile Model: How Axiom Allows Lawyers to Respond to Urgent Client Needs
Elayna reflects on the unique flexibility and responsiveness Axiom offers, emphasizing how the model has allowed her to be more agile in addressing clients’ needs, particularly when faced with sudden regulatory shifts or other urgent challenges.
She highlights that Axiom’s structure, which she emphasizes is free from the constraints of traditional billable hours, enables her to focus on what truly matters: providing high-quality legal support in a timely, cost-effective manner. “At Axiom, it’s not about the billable hour structure,” Elayna explains. “It’s about how you approach the client relationship. This flexibility allows me to dedicate time to becoming a subject matter expert and build direct relationships with key decision-makers in Washington.”
Through these connections, Elayna gains valuable insights into the global landscape, which she uses to guide her clients. “Being involved in the America Eurasia Center has given me a window into what’s happening globally, like what’s going on in places like Singapore or Ukraine,” she notes. “It’s incredibly valuable in understanding the broader picture and delivering informed, agile solutions.”
Elayna’s ability to pivot quickly and meet client demands is a testament to Axiom’s flexible model. She recounts an instance where her team handled a high-pressure project: “We had a very high-volume client work that required all hands on deck. We were able to deliver an incredible amount of work by Monday morning, something that would have been difficult in a traditional law firm model.”
The ability to respond rapidly and efficiently is a hallmark of Axiom’s approach. As Elayna puts it, “I’ve never had to say no to a client’s urgent need. The flexibility we have at Axiom makes it possible to address unexpected fires, and clients know they can count on us in these high-pressure moments.”
For Elayna, the agility fostered by Axiom’s model is about more than just getting the work done; it’s about being there when clients need it most, whether that’s managing a crisis or offering a steady hand during challenging times. "We're the problem solvers, not the ones demanding work," she says. "The trust and partnership we build with our clients is what makes this job so meaningful."
This unique approach to legal practice, where flexibility, responsiveness, and expertise converge, has allowed Elayna to thrive during her time at Axiom, and it’s this adaptability that makes Axiom such a compelling solution for modern legal challenges.
In times of regulatory uncertainty, having the right legal talent can make all the difference. Just as Elayna stepped in to provide critical leadership, Axiom lawyers are ready to support your team with agility and expertise. Stay ahead of the evolving landscape; consider onboarding Axiom talent, expand your knowledge with our CLE "Geopolitical Landscapes: Intellectual Property and the Second Trump Administration," and explore what a career with Axiom could mean for you.