2. A X I O M L AW Y E R
Alessandro
Liotta
Life at Axiom:
• Google
• Vodafone
• Amazon.com
Life before Axiom:
• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
• BT
What was your first impression of Axiom?
I sensed Axiom was different the first
time I entered the office. I could tell the
environment was unique. They were picky and
obsessed with getting it right (just like me),
but I still found them to be very approachable
and happy. They had created a spirit in the
office that was contagious.
Did you have concerns before joining?
I wasn’t a very senior lawyer–certainly not
a partner-level lawyer–and I wanted to
be sure that there would still be opportunities
for further experience and progression.
I found very quickly that I was given more and
more responsibility within my engagements.
I was getting direct exposure to clients–which
was very appealing to me–and my confidence
grew as I acquired new skills. I was exposed
to different industries, different business
cultures, different people, and different
approaches to risk management and the overall
management of in-house legal departments.
Every engagement requires you to adapt
and change a little. It’s challenging, but very
interesting and rewarding.
Can you describe an engagement
that was particularly memorable?
My latest engagement at Google has been
completely different from anything else I’ve
ever done. It all developed out of a conversation
with the client where they expressed concern
over a gap in resources. I suggested a potential
solution, in response to which they requested
I draft a formal business case outlining the
idea and potential costs.
Working together with the Axiom HQ team
for support and feedback, I was able to
draft this business proposal (thinking through
the business inside and out) and present
it to the client. They liked it, escalated it
internally and had it approved. It was a great
team effort with Axiom HQ–I led the charge
and HQ completed the picture.
Alessandro Liotta
Axiom Lawyer
WWW.AXIOMLAW.CO.UK
For more information on creating your own path at Axiom,
visit axiomlaw.co.uk/careers/faq
3. A X I O M L AW Y E R
Payal Anand
Payal Anand
Axiom Lawyer
Life at Axiom:
• Credit Suisse
• The Bank of New York Mellon
Life before Axiom:
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
• O’Melveny & Myers
• Debevoise & Plimpton
How have you been able to define
your own career path with Axiom?
When I was in my first interview with Axiom,
I said, “I’d like to work for a prime broker.
I’d like to work for a custodian. I’d like to work
for a fund administrator. I want to understand
all aspects of the asset servicing and asset
management industries so that, eventually,
I can take positions where I can use all the
different skills I have learnt.” I didn’t honestly
think I’d be able to get those roles, not
because I didn’t think I was capable, but
because my background was in private
equity and my CV was not tailored for any
of those engagements.
I quickly realised that Axiom could provide me
with opportunities to gain exposure to a wider
variety of roles. I could go in-house for a
meaningful amount of time, develop my skills,
and get an in-depth understanding of market
practice in an industry, without committing
years to a single job or a single specialty.
Once in a role, there is opportunity for you
to develop and expand that role and find
your own niche in the organisation.
What is your interaction like
with other Axiom lawyers?
I’ve suddenly developed a network of in-house
contacts–lawyers whom I never would have
come across–both inside and outside my
industry. It’s great because we’re all interested
in educating each other on the legal issues
we come across. On the one hand, these
sessions are a form of continuing professional
development; on the other, they can
become magnificent brainstorming sessions
about ways to increase efficiencies in today’s
law departments. It’s like having eyes and
ears in other industries, and we all look out
for one another.
How does the Axiom HQ team
support its team of lawyers?
The HQ teams meet with you often to see how
you’re doing and are genuinely interested in
your feedback. They ask meaningful questions
such as: Are you happy? Is there anything we
can learn from your experience? Can you help
to educate us more about this industry? They
help you feel like the integral part of the
business that you are. You are instrumental in
the development of Axiom’s service capacity.
WWW.AXIOMLAW.CO.UK
For more information on creating your own path at Axiom,
visit axiomlaw.co.uk/careers/faq
4. A X I O M L AW Y E R
Andrea
Platania
Life at Axiom:
• Bank of America Merril Lynch
• Credit Suisse
• UBS
Life before Axiom:
• Barclays Capital
• Weil Gotshal & Manges
• Clifford Chance
How did you first learn about Axiom?
The first time I’d heard of the company was
when we were experiencing a hiring freeze at
my previous job. My boss at the time suggested
we reach out to Axiom and I quickly realised
that the skills of the Axiom lawyers could be
extremely valuable to the business and provide
a more flexible resourcing option.
When I was looking for my next move, I
thought of Axiom. During my first interview,
I was immediately caught by the freshness, the
enthusiasm, the personality and the informal
approach of the entire Axiom team.
What do you see for yourself
in the future with Axiom?
I can see myself finding more ways to involve
myself at Axiom–not just as a lawyer, but also
using other skills I have. I can help recruit
the teams of lawyers I work with on projects,
or I can engage with business development–
helping clients understand the kinds of services
they need and the benefits of letting Axiom
partner with them.
How has being an Axiom lawyer
changed the way you practise law?
I was recently asked to cover areas of a project
that I wasn’t very familiar with–certainly not
something on which I considered myself to
be an expert. Soon after arriving I was dealing
with those projects in a way that could only be
achieved because I felt independent, but
supported by the wider team.
It’s a mindset you develop. You operate
outside the political games which so often
overwhelm offices, even entire industries.
You feel more freedom to provide assistance.
In the end, you become more self-aware
and eager to learn, unafraid to engage in fresh
challenges and able to be your own person.
You find more strength and confidence
in yourself than you could have found
otherwise. It’s a fresh approach that (I think),
only Axiom’s model can offer.
Andrea Platania
Axiom Lawyer
WWW.AXIOMLAW.CO.UK
For more information on creating your own path at Axiom,
visit axiomlaw.co.uk/careers/faq
5. A X I O M L AW Y E R
Anna
Delahunty
Life at Axiom:
• Mercer
• Vodafone
• BSI Group
Life before Axiom:
• BT Financial Group
• Linklaters
• Allens Arthur Robinson
How would you describe the quality
of the work you’ve had at Axiom?
Since joining Axiom, I’ve had the opportunity
to work on some of the most rewarding work
I have had in my career. The variety
has kept me continually challenged. As a
litigator you’re often parachuted in when clients
are faced with a stressful situation which, for
me, is when the most interesting work starts!
My current engagement has been particularly
rewarding. After working with the London
legal team for 6 months, the client sent
me back to Australia for two months on
secondment. It was a great experience being
able to partner with the business there.
What kinds of skills do you develop
as an Axiom lawyer that you might not
have developed elsewhere?
As an Axiom lawyer, with each new engagement
comes a new industry, business, and legal
team to work with. The variety of personalities
and skill-sets you can learn from makes you
more business focused and strategic. You
wouldn’t get this type of intensive crash-course
from working in private practice and you
wouldn’t necessarily get it from working for
just one in-house department.
What attracted you to Axiom
and did you have any concerns before
you joined the team?
Like some people, I was wary of the possible
down-time between engagements. I weighed
that against the flexibility that the model gives
you to manage your career and the calibre of
clients and fascinating roles that you’ll get access
to in order to achieve your career goals.
Today I feel more in control of my everyday
work and career because Axiom provides me
with multiple projects in which I’m interested.
It is proof there are new ways to look at
providing legal services which the traditional
private practice model just can’t provide.
Anna Delahunty
Axiom Lawyer
WWW.AXIOMLAW.CO.UK
For more information on creating your own path at Axiom,
visit axiomlaw.co.uk/careers/faq
6. A X I O M L AW Y E R
Conan
Chitham
Conan Chitham
Axiom Lawyer
Life at Axiom:
• Amazon.com
• World Gold Council
• WorldPay
Life before Axiom:
• Withers
• Mishcon de Reya
• Wragge & Co.
When did you first hear about Axiom?
I had been a commercial IP lawyer for the
past 20 years. I had spent time in just about
every size of firm: global, regional, and
London-only boutiques. In many firms,
as you move up, you get more specialised and
narrow your focus. You also get more and
more removed from your clients. I wanted to
get reconnected with business and do a wider
range of legal work. I was actually looking
to move in-house, when someone said to me
that there’s this place called Axiom.
Was the Axiom approach a tough sell?
It just made so much sense, both from a client
angle and also from what I’m trying to do.
I could keep a broad focus, without getting
involved with the bureaucracy of private
practice. It ticked all the boxes: in-house
experience, involvement with a particular
business, skill development, flexibility,
a wide range of work, etc. I was absolutely
sold on it immediately and I’ve been
a person who has thought about law firm
models for a while.
Has the change been worth it?
I see more opportunities to learn and grow
here. Without the barrier of high hourly fees
for my expertise, I’m tapped earlier and more
often to get involved with projects that further
my breadth and depth within a company.
It makes me practise law more holistically–
seeing the business context of our legal
decisions. It’s hard to associate fun and law
sometimes, but this is the most fun I’ve
had in years.
What impact do you and the teams
you work with have on clients?
Axiom lawyers are all interesting people and
I like to think that we add to the excitement,
verve, and general bonhomie of the legal
departments we join. I think we add value
beyond our legal skills.
There are three or four of us working together
on my current engagement, all with 15 or 20
years of qualification. We are people who have
run in-house departments, have served as
global counsel, and who possess the authority
and confidence to talk at board level.
WWW.AXIOMLAW.CO.UK
For more information on creating your own path at Axiom,
visit axiomlaw.co.uk/careers/faq
7. A X I O M L AW Y E R
Dominique
Ashby
Life at Axiom:
• Mercer
Life before Axiom:
• Allen & Overy
• Goldman Sachs
• GE Capital
What part of Axiom’s business
do you find most compelling?
Managed Services was immediately appealing
to me. The opportunities are quite different
from the standard secondment. It’s about
efficiencies, business solutions, looking outside
law to see how things can work in a more
effective way and applying that knowledge to
the function of in-house legal departments.
Ultimately, it comes down to solving the daily
challenges GCs face.
What aspect of Managed Services
appealed most to you?
I love the interaction with people. To see
a solution, you need to interact with people
on the ground, be it the legal team, the
business side or the management board.
You’re trying to fit pieces of a puzzle together–
asking where their structures and processes
come from? Which ones are historic?
Which have grown organically? Being able
to pick that picture apart, and then put it back
together so that it works more efficiently,
more effectively, and in a way that gets
the most out of the people in the organisation
is what excites me.
How would you describe your
fellow Axiom lawyers?
One of the things you’ll notice is that they’re
alert to the things going on around them.
Axiom lawyers have already taken the step
outside the traditional model–they want
to learn more. They want to experience things
outside one particular area. This is great for
commercial teams because immediately they’re
more switched on to the business around them.
They see the context and are more equipped
to hit the ground running.
What does Axiom look for in new hires?
Axiom recognises that your value as a lawyer
is not only tied to past experience and
knowledge, but also to your ability to process,
analyse, and problem-solve. With the mind
of a business lawyer and a bit of training,
you can have real impact regardless of tenure.
Dominique Ashby
Axiom Lawyer
WWW.AXIOMLAW.CO.UK
For more information on creating your own path at Axiom,
visit axiomlaw.co.uk/careers/faq
8. A X I O M L AW Y E R
Geraldine
Gobbi
Life at Axiom:
• Citigroup
• Goldman Sachs
Life before Axiom:
• Travers Smith
• LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae
• Ashurst
Has your day-to-day life changed
since joining Axiom?
I’ve been given the opportunity to be
autonomous as a lawyer and be directly
accountable to clients, which is rarely the case
when you’re working at larger law firms. To
be honest, I’ve enjoyed the work so much that
I’ve been subsumed by my engagements and
probably work even more hours than before–
but I do it willingly. I thought I was looking
for better hours, but now I realise what
I really wanted was more interesting work.
Can you describe a project that was
particularly memorable?
At my first engagement, I ran a project that
touched over 50 countries. Walking into the
situation, I found no structure to speak of.
I had the opportunity, together with another
senior lawyer I was working with, to put that
system in place and then manage the
development of those ideas. There was still
teamwork throughout the process, but I was
given a lot of control. It was an amazing
opportunity that I don’t think I would have
been given at a law firm.
How would you describe the team
of junior Axiom lawyers you manage?
They are amazing. In my current engagement
I’m managing 21 junior lawyers. They’re of
diverse nationalities, from different jurisdictions,
and speak many languages. They’re hungry
to be lawyers and to continue their legal
journey. They’re open to guidance and react
well to it. And they’re an incredible
support to me in my efforts. They astound
me every day.
What skills do the junior Axiom lawyers
on your team develop?
The skills you pick up and polish in an
environment like this are priceless:
communication (for starters), flexibility,
and the ability to work autonomously, or
as part of a team. It’s incredibly rewarding
to influence the team’s careers, to help
them get off to a good start, remind them
of why they are lawyers in the first place,
and help them develop their personal
“brands” as lawyers.
Geraldine Gobbi
Axiom Lawyer
WWW.AXIOMLAW.CO.UK
For more information on creating your own path at Axiom,
visit axiomlaw.co.uk/careers/faq
9. Life at Axiom:
• Accenture
Life before Axiom:
• Baker & McKenzie, London,
Moscow and Amsterdam
When did you decide to swap
your previous path for Axiom?
Over the years, I’ve watched corporate partners
at different firms. Aside from maybe one person,
I could see that I didn’t want that lifestyle.
I didn’t want to struggle and work my way
up the ladder only to reach the top and realise
I had been climbing the wrong ladder for
my own personal and professional development.
I knew it would be better for me to explore
other options and to find opportunities
to gain different experiences.
Can you compare your responsibilities
as an Axiom lawyer to those when you
were at a law firm?
In private practice you’re often a hired gun.
You come in, do a specific legal task, and then
you’re out. Commercial decisions are handed
over to the client for them to resolve. Getting
involved in the pre-negotiation stage, the
negotiation of heads of terms, the post-merger
integration stage, and the general commercial
discussions that underpin the transaction
–all of which are usually out of your scope–
are now within reach. You can be part of
it all. It has been incredibly interesting work
and a great experience.
How would you describe the quality
of work you’ve had at Axiom?
My current engagement is in an industry that
was fairly new to me. I’m beginning to learn
the intricacies and terminologies–sometimes
it can seem like a different language–but
the exposure and experience have been
fantastic. There have been a large variety of
deals, including joint ventures, business
acquisitions, and share purchases spanning a
great number of jurisdictions. It’s challenging,
in a good way. Any initial concerns I had about
Axiom, because it was new and unfamiliar,
quickly vanished once I saw the quality
of my first engagement and those of other
Axiom lawyers.
What has been your experience
with Axiom HQ?
The culture and atmosphere are friendly
and welcoming. It’s refreshing, really.
As a lawyer, we don’t work with the
HQ team on a day-to-day basis, but it’s
comforting to have that support.
Ivan Hanna
Axiom Lawyer
WWW.AXIOMLAW.CO.UK
For more information on creating your own path at Axiom,
visit axiomlaw.co.uk/careers/faq
A X I O M L AW Y E R
Ivan Hanna
10. Life at Axiom:
• World Gold Council
• WorldPay
• Xchanging
Life before Axiom:
• Video Networks
• Clifford Chance
• Russell McVeagh
What initially interested you in Axiom?
What really appealed to me was the fact that
you’re part of a firm. It couldn’t feel more
different to being an independent contractor,
when it’s quite easy to feel alone and as
if you don’t belong anywhere. With Axiom
you identify yourself as being part of the firm,
first and foremost, and that is reassuring.
I remember going to an Axiom party before I
was even officially an Axiom lawyer and
I was immediately impressed. It had been
so long since I’d walked into a company and
thought that the people all genuinely seemed to
enjoy where they worked. It was refreshing.
How is Axiom different from private practice?
What you immediately recognise is the lack
of the typical hierarchy that is found in so many
firms and businesses. Instead you’re recognised
for your experience. Nobody is striving for
promotion or to be more visible than someone
else. You don’t get any of the politics. You just
focus on interesting work.
Can you describe your relationship with
other Axiom lawyers and HQ?
Recently, I finished an engagement where I
was one of 16 Axiom lawyers, all sitting on the
same floor together. There was a real sense of
camaraderie there, especially because the team
was managed by Axiom lawyers. But it’s not
always the case that you’re part of a team.
On engagements where you might be the only
Axiom lawyer on the job, the Axiom HQ team
does a lot to make you feel a part of the local
team. There are practice groups, mentoring
assignments, happy hours, lunch groups and
parties. At practice groups, which are CPD
accredited, Axiom lawyers or external speakers
give presentations to each other about
particular developments in law.
There is a warmth and friendliness
in everything my Axiom colleagues do.
Whether working as part of a team,
or remotely with a client, I always feel part
of the Axiom community.
Jennifer Allen
Axiom Lawyer
WWW.AXIOMLAW.CO.UK
For more information on creating your own path at Axiom,
visit axiomlaw.co.uk/careers/faq
A X I O M L AW Y E R
Jennifer Allen
11. A X I O M L AW Y E R
Kelli Read
Life at Axiom:
• Alix Partners
• The Bank of New York Mellon
• Lexis Nexis
• QCDA
• RBS
• WorldPay
Life before Axiom:
• PwC
• The Cambian
• GI Partners
• Principal Finance Group,
Nomura International
• Herbert Smith
Have you found the work as an Axiom lawyer
to be challenging and satisfying?
Absolutely. In one year alone I was able to
oversee the demerger of a large government
agency (even testifying before Parliament),
lead the representation of WorldPay in its
spin-off from RBS (managing a team of
8 Axiom lawyers), and then go on to head a
team of lawyers at an American multinational
bank, where among other things, I represented
the bank in its freezing of Gaddafi’s assets.
What kind of impact do you have
on your clients?
As an Axiom lawyer, I can deliver advice in
a construct that is far-removed from the
paradigm of hours billed within the confines
of law firm offices, far from the messy realities
of management decision-making processes
and business pressures.
During a recent engagement, I was able
to participate in board meetings, gain the
trust of the CEO, and integrate fully with
the client, becoming a valued member of the
senior management team. I had oversight
of the entire legal function and was able
to revamp the way in which day-to-day work
was handled, changing perceptions of Legal’s
ability to add value and bringing efficiency
and proactivity to the department. When it
came time for me to move to my next
engagement, one of the managers said that
I had become a real force for change and
that I had left a legacy of better corporate
and individual behaviour in terms of
commerciality. To hear that was amazing.
Why is Axiom a good fit for you?
I love a challenge. I love a steep learning
curve. I love rolling up my sleeves and going
to work. I now have the variety of work I’ve
always craved. It gives me the opportunity
to effectively recreate myself every time I take
on a new engagement.
Kelli Read
Axiom Lawyer
WWW.AXIOMLAW.CO.UK
For more information on creating your own path at Axiom,
visit axiomlaw.co.uk/careers/faq
