Alexi Machek Velez, Esq.

Background

A decade at the intersection of legal strategy and firm leadership.

Alexi Machek Velez is a general counsel and chief operating officer with over a decade of experience in regulatory strategy, complex litigation, advising nonprofits and movement organizations, and corporate governance. She has advised executive leadership and partners on the legal and business challenges of running a law practice or nonprofit organization—balancing compliance obligations against growth objectives and building the governance infrastructure that lets firms and nonprofits scale responsibly.

Alexi founded Ethos and Edict Law PLLC to bring that same counsel to firm and nonprofit leaders directly: legal advice on the regulatory and ethical questions specific to practicing law and running a law firm or nonprofit, and management consulting on the operational decisions that determine whether a firm or organization runs well.

Career Highlights

• 2025 – 2026

  COO & General Counsel

  Boutique Law Office

  Primary legal and operations advisor for a growing, specialized D.C. firm. Supervised staff and attorneys. Reviewed and edited firmwide substantive briefing. Prepared internal financial analyses and legal guidance memoranda. Handled employee immigration law and employer-sponsored visa process. Managed summer associate program. Drafted internal strategy recommendations. Litigated a full docket of cases. Tracked firmwide KPIs. Prepared marketing strategies.

• 2021 – 2025

  Deputy Chief Operating Officer

  Elias Law Group LLP

  Rapidly promoted through executive leadership roles at a top-tier litigation firm. Led firmwide legal operations, practice management strategy, and financial oversight of the litigation practice group and client litigation budgets. Designed a rigorous conflict-vetting process across a large, competitive client base. Supervised attorneys as counsel on high-stakes cases and staff while a member of firm leadership. Spearheaded a data migration effort from one document management system to another. Cut discovery overhead by 95% within six months while leading a cross-functional data migration and developing predictive budgeting tools. Drafted the template engagement letter, standard operating procedures, internal policies, and ESI agreements. Advised on attorney ethics issues and myriad "firm as the client" issues ranging from employment law to contract and vendor agreements. Handled and supervised multijurisdictional litigation for the highest-profile progressive, nonprofit, and Democratic organizations.

• 2018 – 2021

  Litigation Associate

  Perkins Coie LLP

  Represented institutional clients in complex civil, criminal, and regulatory matters in state and federal courts, including a landmark voting rights victory and a precedent-setting regulatory hearing outcome.

• 2016 – 2018

  Staff Attorney

  American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey

  Led statewide policy reform efforts and secured a landmark ruling addressing debtors' prison practices. Argued more than ten cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court and Superior Court, Appellate Division.