ALSP vs. Legal Staffing Firm: What's the Difference for In-House Teams?
When a GC or legal ops leader asks for "senior in-house help" or "interim coverage," two kinds of provider come up: an alternative legal services provider (ALSP) and a legal staffing firm. They solve the same surface problem (more legal capacity, quickly) through different structures, and the difference shows up in who you get and how they work.
How a Legal Staffing Firm Works
Legal staffing firms such as Robert Half Legal, Special Counsel, and Hire Counsel place contract lawyers into open roles. The lawyer is a contractor for the duration of the assignment, with no salaried structure behind the placement. The model is built for filling a seat, and the firm's role centers on the match.
How Axiom Works
Axiom employs its lawyers as salaried staff. They carry 18+ years of average prior experience, and Axiom places them in named secondments that the client's own team supervises. An engagement runs full-time, part-time, or as-needed, sized to the work in front of the team.
Because the lawyer is salaried and embedded, the client gets a named senior professional who operates as part of the in-house team for the length of the engagement. Pricing sits in a published hourly range of $150-$350, up to 50% lower than top law firms.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Axiom (ALSP) | Legal staffing firm | |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer profile | Senior lawyers with 18+ years of average prior experience | Contract lawyers, varying experience |
| Employment status | Salaried Axiom staff | Contractors with no salaried structure |
| Who supervises | The client's own in-house team | The client, for the duration of the assignment |
| Engagement length | Full-time, part-time, or as-needed | Per-assignment placement |
| Cost | Published hourly range of $150-$350, up to 50% lower than top law firms | Hourly or placement fee set by the firm |
For a team that wants a named senior lawyer working inside the department and supervised by its own leadership, the ALSP structure is the closer fit. For filling a defined seat with a contractor for a set assignment, a staffing firm is built for that. Axiom is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.