Joking that he hates the phrase “follow your heart”, it is hard to say that Bjarne Tellman has ever done anything but.
Awarded the Praeses Elit Award by Trinity Law Society (Law Soc) yesterday, Tellmann is the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for Pearson – the world’s leading learning business, with expertise in educational courseware and assessment – and counts stints at Director of Coca Cola West and a Scandinavian actor as part of his employment history.
He fell in love with law after watching the television show LA Law, explaining that it brought together all of his interests. Throughout the talk, Tellmann was keen on reiterating the need to follow unintended paths.
Author of Building an Outstanding Legal Team, Tellmann had plenty advice for the future graduates gathered. Number one was to always have a plan. Knowing what one is going to do at least three years in advance, according to him, allows you to stay focused and determined when it comes to achieving your goals.
His second piece of advice, stemming from his own path in life, was to always be open to unanticipated opportunities. Throughout his talk, he spoke of how he seized unanticipated opportunities which led him to the success he has today.
Anyone currently facing into graduation will know that time flies, so Tellmann’s third piece of advice, to invest in long term gains such as friends and family, will come as a welcome relief. Quoting David Brooks, he said to “live your eulogy and not your CV”.
Tellmann also joked about the impact millennials are making on the workforce. “Millenials are fun”, he jokingly quipped. According to him, the group are constantly seeking a purpose in the workforce and don’t have the patience for the rituals that he and his colleagues went through 20 or 30 years ago. However, he believes it is a strength of millennials because they are constantly looking for diversity within the workforce.
Tellman is adamant that firms should promote a more “sports team” mentality whereby a three year goal of productive output is more beneficial than a firm with a “family” mentality that may be more disingenuous. If in-house law, like he practiced for many years, is something you’re interested in, you need the foundation of practicing at a law firm because you cannot “exercise judgement… right out of law school”.
Tellmann spoke of the impact that artificial intelligence-based learning and computer programming. In Pearson, in particular, the “transition has been bumpy” to artificial intelligence and digital learning and that a more “subscription-based learning” will be predominant in the future. Tellmann, is nonetheless excited to see how technology and future graduates will impact the industry in the near future.
