Beyond Billable Podcast

Pim Betist

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BUSINESS
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AI is reshaping professional services. Beyond Billable dives into how these shifts impact lawyers, consultants, and accountants—featuring conversations with industry leaders and innovators on staying ahead of the curve. Host: Pim Betist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FEB 12

Sarah Wilson-Ward: From firefighting to focus

More regulation. More work. Higher expectations. And somehow, still the same sized legal teams. Sound familiar? In this episode of Beyond Billable, I speak with Sarah about why pressure on legal departments keeps compounding and why technology alone will not get them out of it. She offers a strikingly simple answer to a question many legal professionals are wrestling with right now. Which parts of legal work will be impacted by AI, and which parts truly require the human brain. We unpack how to make that distinction and why it matters in practice. Instead of starting with tools, Sarah argues for a reset. Decide what kind of legal department you want to be in five or ten years. Separate legal judgment from operational work. Only then does technology, including AI, make sense as an accelerator. We recorded this conversation on the Gewoonboot. A great place for law firms and legal departments to step back, slow down, and have exactly the kind of conversations we explore in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

39 min
JAN 22

Christ’l Dullaert: Creativiteit is de echte bottleneck in juridische innovatie

hrist’l Dullaert stelt al decennialang de fundamenten van de juridische beroepsgroep ter discussie, lang voordat AI onderdeel werd van het dagelijkse werk van advocaten en juristen. Zij is jurist, rechtsfilosoof, columnist en auteur van tien boeken, en was een van de eerste stemmen over innovatie in de Nederlandse juridische sector. In dit gesprek onderzoeken we waarom juristen veranderingen vaak wel begrijpen, maar er toch niet naar handelen, waarom AI commissies te beperkt zijn om echt voorbereid te zijn op wat komt, en waarom vertrouwen en duiding belangrijker worden dan informatie alleen. Christ’l deelt inzichten uit haar loopbaan in de advocatuur, haar in house functies bij de Haven van Amsterdam en Vodafone, haar periode in New York bij onder meer Harvard en de Verenigde Naties, en haar terugkeer naar Nederland waar zij een van de eerste interim bureaus voor juristen en notarissen oprichtte. We spreken ook over hoe belangrijk je rechter brein is, het risico van het terugschroeven van de instroom van jonge juristen, de rol van cliënten als aanjagers van innovatie, en waarom een projectmatige Hollywood aanpak beter past bij de toekomst van juridisch werk. Wil je testen of jouw brein meer links of rechts georiënteerd is? In het gesprek komt deze test ter sprake:https://www.123test.com/nl/brein/#its123-testAnchor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

51 min
JAN 22

Christ’l Dullaert: Creativity Is the Real Bottleneck in Legal Innovation

Christ’l Dullaert has been questioning the foundations of the legal profession long before AI became part of everyday legal work. Lawyer, legal philosopher, columnist, and author of ten books, she was one of the earliest voices on innovation in the Dutch legal sector. In this conversation, we explore why lawyers often understand change intellectually but still fail to act, why AI committees are too narrow to deal with what is coming, and why trust and interpretation are becoming more valuable than information itself. Christ’l reflects on her career in private practice, in house roles at the Port of Amsterdam and Vodafone, her time in New York working with institutions such as Harvard and the United Nations, and her return to the Netherlands where she founded one of the first interim agencies for lawyers and notaries. We also discuss the importance of the right side of your brain, risks of cutting junior lawyers too early, how clients are becoming the real drivers of innovation, and why a project based Hollywood model may better fit the future of legal work. Curious whether your brain is more left or right oriented? The test mentioned in the conversation is available in Dutch here:https://www.123test.com/nl/brein/#its123-testAnchor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

39 min
12/18/2025

Knut Magnar on working with legal AI without losing the lawyer’s brain

In this episode of Beyond Billable, Pim Betist talks with Knut Magnar Annestad, founder of the legal AI platform Saga and legal process engineer. Knut Magnar shares his journey from lawyer to entrepreneur and explains why improving legal work often clashes with the billable hour model. He reflects on the moments where doing things better was seen as a threat rather than progress, and why that never stopped him from pushing forward. The conversation then moves to generative AI and legal work. Knut Magnar explains how lawyers can use AI to prepare, structure and challenge their thinking without losing the human judgment that makes legal work valuable. He talks about the risks of using AI as a shortcut, the importance of learning through friction, and why real transformation in law happens in small, deliberate steps. This episode was recorded at Lexpo 2025 and combines personal lessons with practical insights on legal processes, innovation and the role of AI in the legal profession. Disclaimer: we are not affiliated with Saga or with any other legal AI vendor. This conversation is not sponsored, and we do not promote specific AI tools on this podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

41 min
11/13/2025

Be Like Water: Arne van Oosterom about leading change in the age of legal AI

In this episode of Beyond Billable – Driving Conversations, Pim Betist takes Arne van Oosterom for a drive to explore what transformation really means in the age of AI. Arne is the founder of DesignThinkers Group, known for helping global organisations navigate change and reimagine their cultures. Together, they unpack how law firms and legal departments can adapt before disruption forces their hand. They discuss why change always starts with people, how fear blocks innovation, and what leadership must do to make transformation stick. If you’ve ever wondered how to prepare your firm or department for the uncertainty ahead, this conversation is for you. Key insights Success can be dangerous. When everything is going well, urgency disappears. Arne explains how giants like Nokia and Kodak missed the moment to adapt — and why law firms should challenge comfort before disruption does.Change is constant, not an event. Transformation isn’t a project with a finish line. It’s a mindset of continuous adaptation built on trust and honesty.Start small, but start now. Big transformation plans fail because they try to change everything at once. Arne shares why creating safe spaces to experiment builds real momentum.Flip the pyramid. True change demands a new kind of leadership — one that serves rather than commands. Leaders must create the conditions for others to excel. Arne leaves us with one simple principle for the future: Change isn’t something to complete — it’s something to live and breathe all of the time. The firms that thrive will be those that stay curious, stay honest, and build trust into every decision. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 min
10/23/2025

Rutger Lambriex on Why Young Lawyers Are Secretly Using AI

For this Driving Conversation, I take Rutger Lambriex for a spin. After more than twenty-five years with EY Law and HVG, including a decade in New York as managing partner, he recently joined Venturis Consulting Group. We unpack the question every firm should be asking: “How will we earn our money in five years?” Topics we cover: •⁠ ⁠The client–firm win–win matrix: where sustainable value actually sits •⁠ ⁠Moving from hours to outcomes: value-based pricing that aligns incentives •⁠ ⁠Productised contracting built with clients (templates, automation, thresholds) •⁠ ⁠Preventative, business-tuned regulatory and compliance services •⁠ ⁠Operating like a corporate: real roles for tech, finance, and BD •⁠ ⁠The “soft governance” partners must model for adoption to stick If you’re rethinking your model, pricing, and client relationships in the age of AI, this one’s for you. Beyond Billable – Driving Conversations is a collaboration with NIO Nederland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

44 min
10/09/2025

Steven ter Horst: hoe Houthoff met legal AI een leiderschapspositie innam

Onze host Pim Betist bespreekt met Steven ter Horst van Houthoff hoe het topkantoor vroeg inzette op generatieve AI en dit succesvol wist te verankeren in een first mover advantage. Steven deelt lessen over adoptie, harde cijfers en waarom een multi-tool stack onmisbaar is. We behandelen: Hoe Houthoff een early mover werd met generatieve AI Hoe een gedisciplineerde uitrol eruitziet (training, “use it or lose it,” meetbare adoptie) Waarom je op dit moment meerdere tools nodig hebt om legal AI te laten werken De moeilijke onderdelen: uitgeverscontent, kennisintegraties, DMS-beperkingen Houthoff 2030: het modelleren van de impact van AI op vaardigheden, pricing en het opleidingsmodel Pricing: waar fixed fees logisch zijn en waar het urenmodel nog steeds de voorkeur heeft Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

41 min
10/09/2025

Steven ter Horst on Houthoff’s journey to Legal AI leadership

Our host Pim Betist is joined by Steven ter Horst of Houthoff to unpack how a top-tier firm moved early on generative AI and made it stick. Steven shares adoption lessons, hard numbers, and why a multi-tool stack is essential. We cover: How Houthoff became an early mover with generative AI What a disciplined rollout looks like (training, “use it or lose it,” measurable adoption) Why you currently need multiple tools to make legal AI work The hard parts: publisher content, knowledge integrations, DMS constraints Houthoff 2030: modeling AI’s impact on skills, pricing, and the training ladder Pricing: where fixed fees make sense and where billable hours still win Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

36 min

AI is reshaping professional services. Beyond Billable dives into how these shifts impact lawyers, consultants, and accountants—featuring conversations with industry leaders and innovators on staying ahead of the curve. Host: Pim Betist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creator

Pim Betist
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

24
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Pim Betist
Show Website

Beyond Billable Podcast