FAQ

Who is Axiom?
Axiom is where high-caliber legal talent meets full-service law firm work. We invented the alternative legal services industry 24 years ago and now serve more than 1,500+ legal departments worldwide, including 68% of the Fortune 100, with 95% client satisfaction. Axiom gives small, mid-market, and enterprise clients a single trusted provider who can deliver a full spectrum of legal solutions and services across more than a dozen practice areas and all major industries at up to 50% lower rates than national law firms.

How long has Axiom been in business?
Axiom was founded in 2000 and has been in business 24 years. Our lawyers have completed over 16,600 client engagements.

Why should I use Axiom?
To do more for less, without compromising quality or incurring additional risk. Your budget is under pressure. Your law firm likely keeps increasing its rates year over year. Axiom can take on a significant amount of the everyday legal work you outsource to your law firm, at rates up to 50% less than you're now paying. Use your current law firm for the complex, "bet the company" work only they should do. But for everything else, call Axiom.

How many lawyers are on Axiom's global bench?
Axiom has access to 14,000+ legal professionals globally. Search our network of high-caliber lawyers.

Who employs Axiom lawyers?
The majority of our lawyers are salaried, W-2 employees of Axiom.

Which industries does Axiom serve?
We work with companies across nearly every industry, including the services, industrials, technology, financial services, and life sciences industries.

What services does Axiom offer?
We're much more than a talent marketplace. Axiom provides everything from hourly, daily, and weekly secondments to full-service legal support across practice areas and all major industry verticals, at up to 50% lower rates than national law firms. With Axiom, you have a single vendor who can give you a broad spectrum of services that your legal department needs today: partner-level experience at associate rates, plus access to an ecosystem of thousands of vetted legal professionals.

What are Axiom's key practice areas?

• Artificial Intelligence
• Capital Markets
• Commercial Contracts
• Corporate
• Data Privacy and Cybersecurity
• Finance
• Intellectual Property
• Labor and Employment
• Legal Operations
• Litigation
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Real Estate
• Regulatory and Compliance

Our lawyers work in many additional specialty areas and can help your company with a wide range of legal needs. 

Is Axiom a law firm?
Axiom launched Axiom Advice & Counsel (AA&C), a modern law firm that leverages Axiom's highly qualified, on-demand attorneys across 14 practice areas—all at a fraction of the rates charged by national law firms. The creation of AA&C, an Arizona law firm, extends Axiom's 24-year history of legal services innovation, creating a new type of firm that can work with Axiom's thousands of lawyers—many of whom are Am Law 100 alumni—and all who are unencumbered by billable hours requirements and the traditional partner pyramid.

From secondments to full-service legal support across 14 practice areas, Axiom now serves 68% of the Fortune 100 with 95% client satisfaction, providing the industry with the broadest range of high-quality legal talent across a spectrum of In-House Solutions and Law Firm Services—all of which help companies better manage their risk and the variability of work requirements to increase capacity and optimize their budgets.

How is Axiom different from traditional law firms or other alternative legal service providers?
Axiom gives you a single trusted provider who can deliver a broad spectrum of in-house solutions and law firm services you need today. Extending our 24-year history of legal services innovation, we've created a new type of law firm with access to thousands of Am Law 100 alumni, all unencumbered by billable hours and the traditional partner pyramid. You now get the best of both worlds: the personal touch, intimate client experience, and rates of a small law firm, with the reach and high quality of Big Law.

How is Axiom different from other talent marketplaces?
Axiom offers a unique combination of both self-service and white-glove service access to an online talent pool of high-caliber vetted attorneys, partners, and other legal professionals.

Is Axiom a temp firm?
Axiom is not a temp agency but offers flexible solutions to meet the legal staffing needs of modern legal departments. Temp firms are not set up to meet the demands of modern legal departments and focus on high-volume, low-complexity work. Axiom has 24 years of proven experience fulfilling the unique, complex legal staffing needs of in-house legal departments, which includes everything from secondments to full-service legal support across 14 practice areas, as well as interim-to-perm hiring services. Learn more about how Axiom compares to legal staffing agencies.

Are Axiom lawyers set up to work remotely?
Yes, Axiom has 20 years of experience in remote engagements, supporting the onboarding and management of thousands of remote relationships.

Do Axiom lawyers carry malpractice insurance?
Yes, Axiom maintains professional liability insurance under a standard Lawyers Professional Liability policy. Proof of coverage can be provided upon request.

How do I begin an engagement with Axiom? 
Tell us about your legal needs and priorities to see relevant legal talent from our bench with the experience you need. We’ll propose a solution that could range from one lawyer focusing on a specific project to a sophisticated, structured team. 

How does Axiom onboard lawyers to new engagements?   
Axiom has 24 years of proven experience working with many clients, vendors, and invoicing platforms to aid onboarding. We partner closely with our clients throughout the lawyer onboarding process and use detailed checklists and methods to ensure our lawyers are effective from day one.  

How does Axiom maintain lawyer-client privilege? 
Axiom lawyers are bound by the same ethical rules governing lawyer-client privilege that all lawyers engaged in the practice of law must follow. To ensure privilege remains in place, specific client legal work is not discussed with Axiom business team members. If required, Axiom can put an NDA in place. 

Why do lawyers work for Axiom?
Axiom empowers our lawyers to reimagine their legal careers. Axiom lawyers can choose engagements that fit their experience, interests, and preferences; gain access to innovative clients and work with the world’s best companies; and balance their life and legal practice. Our lawyers have 18+ average years of PQE. Learn more.

How do Axiom lawyers compare to industry standards for diversity and inclusion?
At Axiom, diversity is core to our values and our business. Our lawyers are more diverse than industry standards according to the ABA and NALP; 55% of our lawyers are women, and 34% of our lawyers identify as racial or ethnic minorities. In 2020, Axiom achieved Mansfield Certification, as announced by Diversity Lab. For more information please read our latest Diversity Report.

Is Axiom's talent as good as my current law firm's?
90% of clients rate Axiom lawyers as equal to or better than lawyers from a law firm. Axiom now serves 1,500+ legal departments worldwide and 68% of the Fortune 100 with 95% client satisfaction.

Are Axiom lawyers generalists or focused on specific practice areas?
With 14,000+ lawyers and legal professionals globally with a wide range of experience, we employ generalists as well as subject matter experts available for many practice areas, including data privacy, labor and employment, derivatives, trademarks, and real estate.

Are Axiom lawyers dedicated to one company or multiple?
In most cases, our lawyers work with one company at a time. However, some lawyers may choose to take on multiple part-time engagements.

Can I engage an Axiom lawyer to manage outside counsel?
Yes, most of our lawyers have extensive in-house and private practice experience managing outside counsel. A significant portion of our lawyers have been in your position, handling projects or internal matters while effectively liaising and managing outside counsel.

I need the lawyer to use a specific technology, such as billing systems, CMS, or security software – can Axiom support that?
Yes, our lawyers can use client tools and technology, although Axiom doesn’t train lawyers in specific software or deploy software independently.

How much do Axiom lawyers get compensated?
An Axiom lawyer’s compensation package is comparable to that of an in-house position, and years of experience, geographic location, and other qualifications are considered. Lawyer compensation consists of three items: 1) base salary; 2) benefits (medical, dental, disability); and 3) paid vacation.

How does Axiom check lawyers’ references?
Our reference check process involves obtaining references from at least 3 of the lawyer’s former supervisors. These are robust and meaningful checks as opposed to simply verifying employment dates.

Who are Axiom's clients?
Our current clients include 68% of the Fortune 100, as well as major players in all industries, including 10 of the 20 largest banks in the world, 9 of the 10 largest technology companies in the world, and 19 of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Learn more about the industries, practice areas, and clients we serve.

Does Axiom work with law firms?
Yes, our clients include law firms. For many of our commercial clients, our lawyers often work alongside law firms.

What’s Axiom's client satisfaction rate?
95% of our clients are satisfied with Axiom.

Does Axiom have case studies?
Yes, our list of case studies is constantly growing. 

What is Axiom's pricing model?
Axiom billing arrangements are designed to provide both value and spend predictability for our clients. Axiom’s pricing is based on a fixed hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis, which delivers cost certainty to our clients. The price is driven by the lawyer’s rates and depends on the number of days or hours per week the lawyer is working. For questions about custom billing structures, please contact us.

How often does Axiom invoice?
Axiom engagements are typically billed on a weekly or monthly basis.

How does Axiom set its rates?
Our secondment pricing is based on two factors: 1) lawyer experience level, skill set, geographic region, and practice area; and 2) engagement structure: reserved flat fee (full-time, part-time) or variable hourly. Contact us for more precise rates and fees.

How much can I save by working with Axiom?
Axiom gives you partner-level experience at associate rates across practice areas and industries, plus access to an ecosystem of thousands of highly vetted legal professionals—all at up to 50% lower rates than national law firms.