Axinn - The Inside View

In all walks of life, being a trendsetter is worth bragging about. But, as most readers will be aware, salary scales in BigLaw are a particularly BigDeal. In 2025, Axinn raised its salary scale to $250,000 for first year associates while simultaneously adjusting its compensation model so that associates receive a market-rate base level bonus with the potential to earn considerably more on top. That earning potential makes sense when you know what kind of firm Axinn is - specializing in litigation, antitrust and intellectual property, one of the big draws of Axinn is the combination of a compact team with the prestige of an impressive client roster. As one associate put it: “It’s a boutique firm that has the same clientele as the BigLaw firms.”

“…when you’re getting exposed to a lot of really great experiences, usually at a high volume, it’s truly the best…”

“I don’t know any of my friends at law school who are in litigation and are having the number of opportunities that I am,” one told us, “when you’re getting exposed to a lot of really great experiences, usually at a high volume, its truly the best. It’s a huge differentiator from other firms.”  This caliber of work is echoed in both Chambers USA and Chambers Global rankings, where the firm receives recognition for its antitrust work in California, DC and New York (the latter a top-tier nod), as well as top intellectual property and general commercial litigation rankings in Connecticut. Anchored in the capital, this national firm calls Washington, DC home, with further offices in Hartford, San Francisco, and New York.

Axinn is recognized as a Strong Performer for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Strategy & Future

As Axinn’s managing partner Jeny Maier highlights, “our teams are intensely collaborative; we bring in people at all levels who are exceptional at what they do. We empower our associates to contribute from day one.” For Maier, this translates to opportunities for a fresh generation of lawyers to make a difference and contribute, and “that’s something we expect, value, and want to see.” Also on Axinn’s radar is how the firm can best make use of the development in AI: “Axinn has been investing in deliberately working to develop our AI capabilities; we do that in a way that is secure and truly designed to strengthen our ability to deliver the highest quality legal work,” said Maier. The idea, Maier adds, is for the technology to do some of the grunt work that paves the way for a lawyer’s technical expertise: “it’s certainly not a replacement for good legal judgment.”

Read more from Jeny Maier under the 'Get Hired' tab.

Summer Program

Getting substantive work as a summer associate can be a bit of a lottery, but associates were quick to point out that it’s something of a priority at Axinn. One told us that, “you actually make a contribution and a difference,” while another added, “summers get added to case teams the same way a first year would,” which is the most surefire way to prepare for real life at the firm. “Sometimes, summer associates spend their summer getting wined and dined, without doing substantive work,” one associate at the firm explained, “whereas our summers get a true experience of the type of work and the amount. There’s no sticker shock, they know what to expect.” This included plenty of legal research and writing memos. We heard that there are a number of social events that give summers a chance to get to know each other, including tours of the local area, yoga, and pizza-making classes!

The Work

The general consensus was that work allocation isn’t a uniform process. Each group has two staffing coordinators who will often assign an associate their early tasks, but this evolves over time and partners will reach out to associates directly: “I was staffed on cases by the head of my practice group, and other partners I had worked with came into my office and said: ‘Hey, we need your skills on this case’.” Axinn’s antitrust group takes on the largest number of junior associates, with the remainder split between intellectual property and litigation.

“Here it’s less about your rank and more about what you’re competent enough to do, I’ve been bought into things that usually seniors are handling.”

The litigation practice is split between general commercial matters and antitrust litigation, with a focus on both the plaintiff and defensive side: “It’s another sticking point for Axinn, because a lot of other firms just do the defensive side. The fact that we do both makes for a really well-rounded litigator.” The group takes on a relatively small number of junior associates, and the work is mainly staffed by litigation counsel or partners directly. One associate described the set up like this: “Here it’s less about your rank and more about what you’re competent enough to do, I’ve been bought into things that usually seniors are handling.” That level of responsibility means the work is dynamic and unpredictable, “it’s something new every day,” highlighted one associate. Defense-orientated work revolves around defending companies accused of price fixing or monopolizing a market, “it’s a lot of fresh law, not over-developed or entrenched yet so there are opportunities to test your advocacy.” While sources loved the variety of things to get stuck in with, there was plenty of praise going round for the people in the team too: “I just like working with people I like, it could be the sexist case ever, but its all about working with good people!”

Litigation clients: Magnus Carlsen, Alvogen, Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies. Represented Google against claims brought by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and various states alleging that its ad technology dominance stifled competition.

Associates in Axinn’s antitrust group can expect work ranging from civil antitrust litigation to multi jurisdictional mergers and large deals requiring US regulatory approval, often coordinating with local counsel abroad. On the litigation side, the team advises clients on antitrust risks, response to subpoenas, and manages active litigation matters: “Associates will get a good combination of deal work and litigation, they’ll be on one or two deals, and they will come in waves,” said one interviewee. This dual focus also creates well-rounded junior associates: “It’s a buzz word at a firm like this where if you’re leanly staffed you will come in and get responsibility right away, but you have to take ownership. You’re being counted on to produce a piece of a puzzle, and if you don’t, the whole team suffers.” Typical junior associate tasks include combing through the documents that come across their desks, “making sure everything is correct and tidy and being proactive. A lot of the time you’re moving quickly so you have to be comfortable sending out emails to clients or local counsel.”

Antitrust clients: Stanley Black & Decker, Worldpay, Google. Advised AssuredPartners, a portfolio company of GTCR, through the Antitrust Division’s comprehensive investigation following its $13.45 billion sale to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. .

“…most of my communication is with non-juniors and up.”

Much like litigation, intellectual property is a smaller team, where we heard there is “a junior on every matter.” The result is that “it’s clear who is doing what, the partner will divvy up the work and ask you about your availability.” Associates discussed doing due diligence, biosimilars, appeals and tech related patent work, as well as a lot of pharmaceutical patent litigation for those associates who spend time on life sciences matters. Sources also pointed to the fact that work in the tech sector is growing, so, it’s helpful to have at least some degree of aptitude for STEM, as the ability to digest sometimes complex scientific material is a must. Juniors described partners in the team as particularly communicative: “With a group this size, they have to be, most of my communication is with non-juniors and up.”

Intellectual Property clients: Cosette Pharmaceuticals, Honeywell and Carrier and Endo Pharmaceuticals. Represented Alvogen in litigation seeking to clear a way for the company to market a generic equivalent of Ozempic in the United States.

Career Development

“You could go to a big firm where you get lost in the shuffle or come here where you get substantive responsibility on the first day,” said one source. This was the consensus from all interviewees at Axinn too. “A lot of firms start to invest in professional development when associates are older and further in their career, and Axinn does a good job of opening things up early,” echoed another. Axinn offers formal programs that are geared towards personal development, and associates described getting involved in part of pitches directly with clients, writing and research training, deposition training and hearing training. While most associates praised these programs, they all discussed finding the informal prompt sessions more useful, “a lot of classroom-style stuff wouldn’t cut it for me, the on the go training is great.” Junior associates are paired with an associate and partner mentor who are always available to advise associates on areas they feel less confident in.

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 2,000 target 

“Business is booming and those targets aren’t hard to hit.”

As you’ll often find in a career in law, associates did feel that that their schedule could be both demanding and rewarding: “Business is booming and those targets aren’t hard to hit.” Alongside the 2,000 billable hours requirement, associates can dedicate 150 non-billable hours towards development, pro bono, CLE’s, training, writing and presentations. In antitrust and litigation, where practice groups are larger, meeting the requirement is rarely an issue. However, in the smaller IP group, some associates said it can be challenging to reach the target at times.

Associates typically work nine hour days, though 15-hour stints aren’t uncommon when matters heat up: “I didn’t expect the hours to be as heavy as they have been,” one source told us. However, those intense periods rarely last more than a month, and we heard that peers step in when it gets overwhelming. “People here genuinely care, they check in on you and recognize that you’re working heavy hours,” one associate explained. The firm’s recent salary increase, at the time of writing positioning the firm above market, was well-received. “It’s a huge drive for associates” said one interviewee.

Axinn is recognized as a Strong Performer for Benefits & Quality of Life in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Pro Bono

Those we spoke to agreed that there was plenty by way of pro bono on offer at Axinn, covering work on prisoner rights, custody, asylum, veterans and LGBTQ+ matters. We heard that almost 80% of associates at the firm partake in pro bono cases, as one source surmised, “even though you could take on more pro bono cases, the 150 hours cap limits how much a lot of people do as you don’t get credited for anything after that,” though plenty do move beyond this. A weekly email is sent around to associates to sign up to matters, and there is a pro bono tracker which contains a list of all ongoing ones as well. 

Pro bono hours

• For all (US) attorneys: 3,994
• Average per (US) attorney: 74

Culture

According to one associate, a lot of Axinn’s culture is built on longevity: “It’s not a place for people who want to get a paycheck and move on to other things, everyone is here for the long run.” Associates defined the general culture as being open and having a sense of togetherness. When discussing the dynamic between juniors and seniors, associates were quick to mention how everyone is approachable, one added that “I think every firm has a degree of hierarchy in the structure, but at Axinn, it’s a little more deconstructive than other firms.” Associates are allowed to work from home two days a week and are required to self-report when in the office. Regarding the NY office, associates explained that it has adopted a flexi style, allowing associates to work in communal areas of the firm if they wish; “it all feels open and available” said one source. 

Inclusion

Associates felt that “the firm makes a pretty big effort for affinity groups,” groups which include a Women’s Initiative group, African-American, Black Lawyers, Jewish and a Pacific Islander’s group. As one associate put it: “They are active and meet frequently” adding that “all committees are open to everyone.” Sources also praised how the firm provides associates with funding for sponsorship towards creating affinity groups.

Get Hired

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus

OCI applicants interviewed: 164 (OCI only) 

Interviewees outside OCI:  42 (fairs, candidate outreach/referrals) 

Axinn conducts OCI at 15 schools, attends several job fairs and participates in resume drops at several additional schools each season. At each location, interviewers meet with up to 21 students. Additionally, Axinn participates in Google’s Legal Summer Institute, a unique in-house and law firm experience where 2L law school students are invited to spend the first week of the program at Google followed by a full summer internship with an outside counsel law firm. 

Interviews are conducted by partners, counsel, or associates who are often alumni of those schools. Hiring partners at the firm tell us interviewers look for “bright, motivated and team-oriented” individuals who have a demonstrated interest in one or more of the firm’s practice areas: IP, antitrust and litigation. Candidates will be asked behavioural-type questions, such as describing a situation where they proved to be a reliable teammate. 

Top tips for this stage: 

“Having a summer internship at the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, or the state equivalent of those goes a long way to demonstrating an interest in antitrust.” – a junior associate 

“We look for someone who’s interested in what we’re interested in. When big decisions come out of the DC Circuit, people here are tracking it. Not just because our work is in it, but because we’re interested in it and love it.” – a junior associate 

Callbacks 

Applicants invited to second-stage interview: 60 (OCI only) 

Successful candidates are invited to five half-hour interviews with partners and associates. Here, interviewers will be gauging “candidates’ ability to think analytically, their interest in our practice areas, and their fit within a team-oriented work environment.” Hiring sources continue, saying that “candidates should be prepared to discuss one of their writing samples in detail, examine legal issues they have studied or analysed from all angles, and provide examples of how they embody the attributes we value.” 

Top tips for this stage: 

“They like to see there’s some real intellectual interest in antitrust. My interview was a lot like that – they were making sure I had the chops!” – a junior associate 

“Be knowledgeable, be passionate, be engaged, be yourself.” – hiring partners Ted Mathias, Brian Johnson, Leslie Overton, Dan Oakes, Jackie Lem, Eva Yung and Scott Eisman

Summer program 

Offers: 25 (OCI and other recruiting methods)  

Acceptances: 11 

Successful candidates are hired directly into their desired practice group in the firm’s summer program, which will run for ten weeks from mid-May to mid-July. Summer associates typically get work assignments within their respective groups, but there can be opportunities to work on projects outside of their group as well. Work is assigned by the recruitment staff, but attorneys at the firm can also assign tasks directly. 

Summer associates are assigned two mentors and get regular training programs. Social events range from virtual smaller team-building events to larger office-wide programs. The firm’s summer associates can expect to travel to other offices and have ample opportunities to attend depositions, court hearings and trials. Summer associates receive offers directly from their chosen practice group, and they tend to stay in that group throughout their career at Axinn. 

Top tips for this stage: 

“We encourage summer associates to seek out opportunities of interest, such as working on particular matters of interest (including pro bono opportunities) and sitting in on depositions.” – hiring partners Ted Mathias, Brian Johnson, Leslie Overton, Dan Oakes, Jackie Lem, Eva Yung and Scott Eisman

Interview with Jeny M. Maier, managing partner

Commercial strategy, market position and trends

Chambers Associate: How would you define your firm’s current position and identity in the legal market? What differentiates your firm from your peer firms in the market?

Jeny M. Maier: I would focus on the fact that we are in a very elite position in the practice areas that the firm specializes in, which are antitrust, intellectual property, and high-stakes litigation. If you look at where we find ourselves this year and for the last several years, we have been achieving record profitability because we have continued to perform exceptionally well for our clients. We are in the same conversation as firms that we are alongside in litigation, or those we are on major antitrust M&A matters with; that would be firms like Kirkland, Latham, Paul Weiss, Skadden, and Gibson Dunn. Those firms are our peers, and in my view, what sets us apart is that we have a different way of practicing. Our teams are intensely collaborative; we bring in people at all levels who are exceptional at what they do. We empower our associates to contribute from day one, and we tend to recruit associates who are initially interested in our practice areas; sometimes, they have backgrounds in economics for the antitrust practice or government experience, but we really welcome and encourage contributions from our lawyers at all levels. So, if you want to encapsulate it, I will say Axinn is a leading antitrust, intellectual property, and litigation firm, and we’ve been entrusted with some of the most complex and high stakes matters by our clients. So, the work really does place us in that elite specialist firm category, but we’re working side by side with some of the top 50 firms.

CA: Have there been any developments at the firm over the past year that you’d like law students to know about?

Maier: As you may have seen, the firm really does continue to lead on associate compensation. The intention behind our announcement earlier in the year regarding the new salary scale was to reflect our gratitude for the truly exceptional work that our teams deliver on behalf of our clients. In the last year, additional noteworthy developments have been our award-winning rebrand – which gained a lot of recognition in the marketplace – and also our move to our new New York office in Rockefeller Center, which is beautiful and reflects the collaborative way we approach our work. The office was designed purposefully to encourage greater work between individuals in the office and facilitate collaboration, and we have seen this combination foster growth in demand for our work. Also, with the growth in our talent, we have hired a number of new lawyers – partners and associates across the board – throughout the years. The high-profile complex matters that we’ve undertaken over the course of the last year underlined that Axinn has become a truly leading firm in our practice areas and has been for years.

CA: Are there any domestic or international events/trends that are affecting any of the firm’s practices at the moment? Are there any trends that you think are affecting the business of law firms more generally, and how is that playing out with your firm?

Maier: We have a very large antitrust practice, and we regularly work on matters that have global consequences. For example, there’s growing scrutiny of M&A matters around the world, and we are working with regulators in those jurisdictions. Other issues that have grown to become more global in nature would be scrutiny around digital markets and AI, pricing algorithms etc. In order to address these developments in a greater enforcement climate, we have invested in expanding our antitrust team in particular with some experienced senior FTC talent, which positions us well to provide the kinds of insights into the agency enforcement priorities.

A couple of other trends I want to mention: on the litigation side, our trials practice has been seeing more claims around defamation and the antitrust issues that go along with that. We’ve seen plaintiffs in litigations try to bundle together defamation claims with antitrust claims to frame these defamation claims like antitrust matters. That’s been something we’ve seen and will continue to see going forward.

Also on the litigation side, another interesting trend is malpractice and breach of duty claims in an uncertain economic climate, like the one we find ourselves in now. We expect our clients to be looking to their lawyers for difficult issues that can sometimes lead to malpractice and breach of duty claims, and the firm has had success in the recent past in defending other law firms against malpractice cases.

On the IP side, we are seeing a likely increase in AI related patent disputes, so we do expect that going forward, there will be increasing patent litigation in AI, but a lot of questions are yet to be resolved. As technology and the legal landscape evolves, our team here at Axinn is very well positioned on the technological side in our IP group to bring trial experience – including first chair trial experience in semiconductors and other related technologies. On the life sciences IP side, we’re also seeing developments in biosimilars and FDA regulatory rules around that, how that will lead to patent challenges and enforcement of intellectual property rights in those cases. So, we’ve got our fingers in a lot of exciting areas of the law, and the future looks great.

CA: What is your firm’s commercial strategy focusing on, and how do you expect the next year to unfold?

Maier: Our strategy for growth has been something that we have been very deliberate about, and our objective is to align that growth with client demand. That’s where we bring real strength to the table. We’re not growing for the sake of growing, but because there’s demand for the strong services we provide. Part of that includes developing internal talent, and that has always been a core strategy for Axinn. I joined the firm ten years ago as a very senior associate, and the thing that has always struck me is that we have truly exceptional associates. Our job here as partners is to ensure those associates grow into successful partners, and that is something the firm invests a lot of time, energy, and resources in. It really differentiates us in terms of the associate experience at Axinn. So, that would be things like mentoring, training, business development training, and other support so that our lawyers really are ready to level up and perform above their seniority level. This allows them to take on high-impact substantive roles on our case teams.

CA: Beyond attracting top talent, do you see this influencing Axinn’s culture or the way associates experience career growth at the firm?

Maier: Yes – you see this in our talent development, the growth of our promotion classes year over year, and the success of our associates, counsel, and new partners. It’s a really virtuous circle: we prepare our associates extremely well to become successful partners, and that allows them to grow not only as individual lawyers, but also to grow a practice and expand the entire firm’s practice. It’s something that we are very proud of.

Inside the Firm

CA: How is the firm evolving to accommodate the needs/expectations of the next generation of lawyers?

Maier: Our culture really does address that, at least in my view. Axinn’s culture embraces allowing our lawyers at all levels to be engaged and to be contributors from the earliest days of them joining the firm. From where I sit, I think the younger generation of lawyers want to be able to make a difference and contribute, and that’s something we expect, value, and want to see.

CA: What advantages and challenges do boutique firms like Axinn offer compared to bigger BigLaw firms, especially for associates who want hands-on experience early in their careers?

Maier: It’s exactly that: Axinn really makes sure our associates are involved and feel like they are truly part of the team. The way that we practice involves giving associates, even junior ones who show a desire to be involved and contribute from day one, opportunities to be visible to clients and in joint defense arrangements and with other law firms. They’re not just nameless, faceless people behind a curtain, because that’s truly no way to run a firm or to have a career.

The Legal Profession

CA: How do you predict the legal profession will change in the next five years? Are there any particular challenges the industry is facing?

Maier: The entire industry is grappling with how the world will change in AI. Axinn has been investing in deliberately working to develop our AI capabilities; we do that in a way that is secure and truly designed to strengthen our ability to deliver the highest quality legal work. We want to ensure that we use technology in a way that gives our lawyers time to do more substantive work, to bring insights to the fore, and to make them better prepared to lead and work on complex matters. So, it’s a way that we think will allow our lawyers to provide deeper analysis, allowing them to focus on the things that really matter. So, AI is being used securely and accurately when we do use it, and our teams are using it responsibly with the ultimate goal of having the technology augment and support our lawyers’ abilities to provide good judgement; but it’s certainly not a replacement for good legal judgment.

The Fun Bit

CA: Throwing it back to law school: it's been a long day of classes and studying. What's your go-to easy meal to have before you crash?

Maier: In my law school era, I would order Thai food.

CA: What was the first concert you attended?

Maier: I went with my parents to see The Beach Boys.

CA: Thinking about the ways in which the legal profession is developing, what is the one skill you have learnt in your career that you think is key for young attorneys to learn?

Maier: The key is to be flexible, but also to trust your judgment and have a point of view.