The End of the Billable Hour with Bjarne Tellmann, CEO of FjordStream Advisors

Bjarne Tellmann spent 30 years as a general counsel at Haleon, Pearson, Coca-Cola, and Aramco. Now, as CEO of FjordStream Advisors and author of "Law in the Era of AI" (Wiley), he argues that the disruption of the law firm model will not come from startups - it will come from clients.In this episode of CZ and Friends, Cecilia Ziniti joins Bjarne to unpack what he saw from the inside of some of the world's largest legal departments, why most firms are paralyzed right now, and what in-house leaders should do about it.What you will learn:Why the billable hour model is facing a Nokia moment, and what the "job to be done" shift means for law firms.How Bjarne cut legal costs by more than 40% at Pearson without simply laying people off.The two things in-house teams do that no outside firm can replicate: being proactive and being pragmatic.Why AI governance is now a third engine of in-house value, alongside productivity and pragmatism.What the "AI factory" model means for how companies will consume legal services by 2030.How to build a legal department culture where people understand the "why" behind the work.Practical tips for GCs facing board pressure on AI adoption.About Bjarne Tellmann: Bjarne is the CEO of FjordStream Advisors and the author of "Law in the Era of AI," published by Wiley. He served as General Counsel at Haleon, Pearson, Coca-Cola, and Aramco. Before law, he was a professional actor in Norway, doing film and TV work before coming to the US for theater school. Follow Bjarne:@Bjarne Philip Tellmann on LinkedInFollow us on all social platforms to get each new episode when it drops.⁠@Cecilia Ziniti⁠ on LinkedIn⁠@CeciliaZin⁠ on Twitter/X⁠@GC AI⁠ on LinkedIn@gcai on X⁠gc.ai⁠ website