New Book by Award-Winning General Counsel Argues Corporate Clients – Not Technology Vendors – Will Drive Disruption of the Legal Industry
So argues veteran FTSE 20 General Counsel and CEO of FjordStream Advisors, Bjarne P. Tellmann, in his new book, Law in the Era of AI: Clients, Firms, and the Future of the Legal Industry (Wiley, April 2026). Here, Tellmann provides a vital client-centric roadmap for law firms, General Counsel and legal service providers navigating the AI era.
Over the coming decade, nearly every major business will fundamentally reengineer its core workflows around artificial intelligence. Companies are becoming “AI factories”, building digital platforms that enable data-driven decision-making and rapid scaling. As clients transform, so too must the legal services that support them. While clients are now operating in this radically different environment, with risk and complexity accelerating at an unprecedented pace, they are still mostly being served by law firms as if nothing fundamental is changing.
In Law in the Era of AI, Tellmann highlights how the legal ecosystem must revise its service models as generative AI transforms the way in which companies operate. Drawing on three decades of global leadership experience and research, Tellmann argues that corporate legal departments – not technology vendors – will be the primary force reshaping legal service delivery.
As companies embed AI into their operating models, they will demand legal services that are faster, more integrated, and aligned with their own technology-enabled workflows. These demands will place increasing pressure on traditional law firm models, driving disruption from the outside in.
The book examines why foundational elements of the current model, including the billable hour and pyramid staffing structures, are increasingly misaligned with client needs. Exploring emerging alternatives, from platform-based delivery models and multidisciplinary structures to new organisational approaches within law firms themselves, Tellmann also identifies the capabilities lawyers will need to remain relevant as AI reshapes decision-making, risk management, and the delivery of legal work.
Law in the Era of AI is a must-read for in-house legal teams, law firm leadership and alternative legal service providers. Tellmann delivers a rare client-centric perspective, offering much-needed practical guidance for navigating the road ahead, not only explaining what clients want, but also the range of new skills the lawyers of tomorrow will need to succeed. As this new landscape evolves, what’s clear is that AI is generating profound technological, organisational, and competitive change that no legal leader can afford to ignore.
Law in the Era of AI: Clients, Firms, and the Future of the Legal Industry is available on Amazon and in all good bookshops from 30th April 2026.
