Ian Bolden Finds the Right Balance at Akima

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In 2018, Ian Bolden found himself at an impasse. The private practice attorney had garnered incredible experience in real estate, oil and gas, and civil litigation. By any metric, Bolden, current director and corporate counsel at Akima, was an unmitigated success. He rose from economic instability in San Antonio where, out of his eight hundred high school graduating class, the attorney knows of only one other person who became a lawyer, and one became a physician. Bolden had done it, against great odds. But in 2018, while his gratitude remained, his heart was heavy.

“I remember seeing that Anthony Bourdain had taken his life,” Bolden explains. “Around the same time, Kate Spade did the same. And it just took me back to a few years prior when an older attorney I knew from back in the day passed away. There were so many people at the funeral. But you know what? The next day, the world kept spinning. Regardless of whether you have a dream job or are famous or wealthy, work isn’t going to be the only thing that makes you whole.” 

In 2019, Bolden decided to go in-house at Akima, whose work in federal government contracting runs the gamut from facilities and ground logistics, IT, and protective services, among others. It’s incredibly demanding work, especially with the growth the company has experienced in recent years, but for Bolden, it’s the right balance of challenging work but also the time to focus on his family and holistic health.

“I wanted to go somewhere where there was a mission that was important to me,” Bolden says. “I took a chance in coming here, but over time, I figured out that I’m good at this. I can take the time to research an issue when I need to and not worry about billable hours or staying up until midnight trying to make a deadline.”

That doesn’t mean the transition in-house was easy. Bolden’s predecessor gave him some advice that proved true. He told the lawyer that it would take him six months to start feeling remotely comfortable in understanding the true scope of his role. In that time, Bolden joined a small but mighty legal team with a focus on labor and employment as well as litigation management.

At present, Akima’s growth and expansion into new markets continues to provide new and interesting challenges. Bolden says his department is focused on streamlining processes for a company that is made up of many different businesses. Additionally, his team is working to create more readily accessible institutional knowledge so that turnover or retirements don’t throw a wrench in the works.

“Every time there is a personnel change, you have to figure out not just their own workflow and process, but how to adapt that for the next person coming in,” Bolden explains. “We’re heavily focused on streamlining our processes and ensuring the company can scale to meet the demands that come with the growth we’ve seen over the last few years.”

Bolden has already been promoted since coming to Akima as a staff attorney, but the attorney’s journey to the law somehow seems more challenging than any legal role he may ever tackle.

The lawyer-to-be grew up in a trailer home in an unincorporated area of Texas, within the San Antonio metropolitan area. In his early childhood, his mother worked constantly to support her family and his father wasn’t around. The only job Bolden even considered growing up was teaching or law enforcement.

“I had no exposure to professionals, for the most part,” Bolden remembers. “I only knew what I saw, and that was teachers and police. I’m fortunate that I was pretty good at school. I think it would have been very easy to go down a different path.”

Bolden got a job at a law firm through a friend and was encouraged to pursue law school by mentors at the firm. But first he had to make it through undergrad, where he worked part-time at the law firm, part-time as a pizza delivery driver, and went to class during the day. Law school was the same, working full-time and attending class at night.

“It was a lot,” Bolden says, laughing. “I remember seeing the bar passage rates in Texas at the time and they weren’t great. I remember wondering even if I managed to make it through law school, would I be able to be an attorney?”

Bolden’s concerns these days are primarily his ten-year-old daughter and ensuring her wellbeing. The attorney knows what it means to grow up without a father around, so he’s an active presence in his daughter’s life.

The lawyer is also an avid exercise enthusiast and loves games in all forms. When time permits during evening winddown, you can find him enjoying the latest videogame releases with his daughter or playing Spelling Bee and Connections with his wife, who is also a lawyer.

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