- 09.04.26
- Reading time: 5 Minuten
Managed services bridging the gap between humans and AIPublished in: Digital Law 2026 – Handelsblatt special edition dated 9 April 2026
AI handles routine tasks. People make decisions. It sounds simple – but it isn’t.
In the legal sector in particular, the question arises as to how humans and machines actually work together in day-to-day practice: who bears responsibility? Who reviews, who decides, and who is liable?
The Handelsblatt special publication *Digital Law 2026* brings together the key insights into the legal market of tomorrow: from AI in law firms and the Data Act to the future of the legal profession. These are issues that occupy our minds on a daily basis. We are delighted to be part of this publication with an interview featuring our Executive Board members Dr Georg Berger and Nils Oberschelp on “Managed Services: The Human-AI Interface”.
You can find the full German-language edition here.
If you’d like to read straight into it – our article on Digital Law 2026:
Dr Georg Berger and Nils Oberschelp, the heads of the rapidly growing managed services provider Clarius Group, discuss the opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence, the interplay between technology and consultancy – and why their services appeal to businesses of all sizes
Dr Berger, Mr Oberschelp, you provide services in the legal and financial sectors. To what extent is AI changing this business model?
Dr Georg Berger: We help companies streamline their legal, compliance and financial processes – as a managed services provider with our own technology platform. This is important to bear in mind, because whilst AI can automate a great deal today, software does not take responsibility for its results. In our areas – legal, compliance and financial operations – however, someone must take responsibility for ensuring that a result is correct. That is why we combine AI-supported technology with expert knowledge, tailored to the specific case. Where the client wishes, we assume full responsibility for the results, including legal liability. The client determines the balance between maximum efficiency and maximum protection.
Nils Oberschelp: Routine cases in legal advice can be automated. We have recognised this for some time, and it is set to increase significantly. We are witnessing the industrialisation of the legal sector – something lawyers are not particularly keen to hear. But that is precisely why we need a model that combines the two.
Dr Georg Berger: High-tech meets high-brain – this is the formula that sums up the consulting business of the future in the legal and finance sectors. Today, clients naturally expect high-quality, AI-powered software, as well as genuine process integration and what is known as ‘human-in-the-loop’ approaches.
What exactly does the Clarius Group do?
Nils Oberschelp: We help companies outsource and optimise their support functions in two main areas: legal and compliance on the one hand, and financial operations on the other. In the finance sector, for example, we handle the entire accounts receivable management process, credit risk assessments and claims management. We manage the entire finance operations for a large international group. This is now one of our largest business areas. We are therefore just as attractive to heads of legal departments as we are to finance directors.
Dr Georg Berger: As a technology-driven managed services provider, our speciality is precisely what we discussed at the outset: the close integration of technology – our proprietary, AI-driven software solution – and personalised consultancy. In this context, clients determine the scope of the services, whether this involves individual tasks or the complete management of entire departments, such as finance and accounting.
Nils Oberschelp: We are one of the few independent managed services providers in Germany to offer legal, compliance and financial operations from a single source using our own technology. We currently have around 200 clients, and that number is growing all the time.
What services do companies typically ask for?
Dr Georg Berger: Corporate legal and compliance departments require a great deal of specialist legal knowledge to ensure that all regulations, documentation and reporting requirements are met correctly. This is no easy task, particularly as changes and new developments are frequent. There is significant demand in this area. Through our consultants, we offer expertise in all relevant areas of law, such as commercial, employment, civil and contract law; in addition, we provide the expertise of compliance specialists, TÜV-certified data protection officers and occupational safety specialists.
Nils Oberschelp: Examples of our work include the Cyber Resilience Act, the NIS 2 implementation and the General Data Protection Regulation. When you engage us, we ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Legal and finance operations need both: people and AI.
For which companies does it make sense to work with the Clarius Group?
Dr Georg Berger: Size doesn’t matter. We work for large international corporations that entrust us with entire areas of responsibility, as well as for medium-sized clients who appreciate that we don’t charge high fees every time a legal issue arises, but instead offer them a fair and reliable pricing model. And above all, thanks to our technology, we’re very fast.
Nils Oberschelp: Self-employed individuals can turn to our subsidiary, janolaw. It offers software-based, fully automated solutions for standard legal queries – that is, cases where no individual advice or personal liability is required. Thousands of small businesses in Germany rely on it.
You emphasise how important the connection between people and machines is. What does that look like in practice?
Dr Georg Berger: Our software, the ‘Solutions Suite’, brings together all the tasks we undertake for a client within a single interface, ensuring clarity and control. We automate standard tasks as far as possible, but never leave anyone to cope with the technology on their own: our colleagues provide support and advice wherever individual solutions, complex cases or time-consuming special tasks are required. We see this integration as the future not only of legal advice, but essentially of all tasks within legal and financial operations. It is our aim to be one of the technological pioneers in this field on the German market.
Could this type of service eventually be fully automated?
Dr Georg Berger: We’re already doing that today, but only in areas where mistakes are allowed to happen, because a certain degree of fault tolerance is a basic prerequisite for fully automated solutions. On the other hand, even in the foreseeable future, no client will accept purely AI-based solutions when it comes to legal requirements, data protection or compliance. Legal advice is legally bound to personal liability. An AI cannot assume this liability. Our lawyers can. That is a structural advantage that cannot simply be digitised. The same applies to data protection or compliance regulations.
Nils Oberschelp: That is why we rely on AI-powered software solutions, but we deliver far more than just a tool. We work directly within our clients’ processes. Our teams are often integrated as if they were an external department. This fosters a great deal of mutual trust. This integration of legal and financial services will play an even greater role in the market in the future.
What is your pricing model?
Nils Oberschelp: What matters most to our clients is that their requirements are met reliably. That is why we work with fixed-price agreements and outcome-based pricing. In other words, we are paid for the results we deliver, not for the number of users connected to the system on the client’s side.
Your Financial Services division is also growing particularly strongly. Why?
Nils Oberschelp: Because it is precisely this combination of AI and human expertise that is crucial there. AI can handle many routine tasks, such as in claims management or credit scoring. But when it comes to complex cases, experience is needed, and sometimes negotiation skills too.
What role does the size of a managed services provider play?
Dr Georg Berger: More clients mean more expertise and even better systems, which benefits both sides. We have demonstrated that an independent managed services provider can thrive in the market and grow significantly. In the long term, we aim to evolve from a technology-driven service provider into a platform infrastructure supported by our legal, compliance and finance experts. We are ready to take the next steps. And we are convinced that the market is too.
Your personal contact
Matthias SchulzDirector Sales
- +49 40 257 660 967
- +49 40 257 660 919
- m.schulz@clarius-group.com
- www.clarius-group.com
