Axis Law Chambers

Section 1: Basic Information

Axis Law Chambers started its business in 2011. The firm has offices in Lahore and Islamabad and a liaison office in Karachi. The firm has represented cases in Multan, DG Khan, Bannu, Peshawar, Gawadar and Quetta. The firm provides almost all kinds of legal services. The bulk of the work is related to Commercial, Dispute Resolution, Pro Bono, Constitutional, Human Rights, transactional and White-collar crimes. The firm does not entertain custodial disputes (in family law) and murder and theft cases. There is both lower courts and higher courts work.

Section 2: Structure of the Firm

Axis Law Chambers is a large-sized firm with 25 lawyers in the Lahore office and 3-5 lawyers in the Islamabad office. There are 7 partners in the Lahore office and 1 partner in the Islamabad office. The hierarchy among the associates is ‘Senior Associate (3 levels)’, ‘Associate (3 levels)’ and ‘First Year Associate (equivalent to intern)’. These levels of Associate and Senior Associate positions are fluid and promotion from one level to another is based on the performance and time of the associate at the firm. There is an accounts department at the firm while the human resource department is managed by the partners.

Section 3: Hiring Mechanism

Axis Law Chambers has a very structured mechanism for hiring of interns and associates.

Internship: Axis offers two batches of internships in the summers. The applications open in January and close in February. The exact dates are announced on the website. Preference is given to second-year law students (e.gi ‘Senior Batch’ at LUMS). Axis is the earliest to open and close its applications among other law firms in Lahore. The internships are 4-6 weeks long. There used to be a stipend for the interns in the past but since covid, there has been some fluctuation. Now the decision of paying a stipend to interns varies every term. The firm refused to share a range of the stipend that is generally paid to the interns. The firm aims to familiarize the interns with different kinds of the work that firm is doing. The responsibilities of the interns include research, preliminary drafting and accompanying the lawyers to courts. Through its internship program, the firm aims to shortlist candidates for the ‘First Year Associate’ position at the firm after their graduation.

Associate: Applications for the ‘Associate’ position open in January on the firm’s website. An email is sent to the Law schools to inform the graduating batches about vacancies. There are two rounds of interviews. After selection, the candidate is required to complete probation of 3 months which can be extended depending on their performance. The firm did not disclose a salary range and mentioned that it is market competitive. An associate can receive a performance-based bonus after every quarter or six months. The firm offers an annual salary increment which is again subject to performance. The beginner associates are not eligible for Finder’s fee. However, after working for 2-3 years at the firm, the associates are encouraged to bring and maintain clients. The cut/incentive/bonus for bringing business to the firm is decided on a case-to-case basis. There is a partnership track at the firm. Moreover, the firm offers provident fund and health insurance. The provident fund was structured by LUMS Alumnus working at the firm.