Wolters Kluwer Taps Veteran Dean Sonderegger to Lead ELM Solutions

NEW YORK, NY – January 12, 2026 – Wolters Kluwer has named Dean Sonderegger the new Senior Vice President and General Manager of its Enterprise Legal Management (ELM) Solutions business, a strategic move signaling a deepened commitment to technology-driven innovation in the corporate legal sector. The appointment places a seasoned internal leader with extensive experience in legal software and AI at the helm, precisely as corporate legal departments accelerate their adoption of advanced technologies to drive efficiency and strategic value.

Sonderegger, who brings over 25 years of experience to the role, is tasked with guiding ELM Solutions into its next phase of growth. The move is seen by industry observers as a clear signal of Wolters Kluwer's intent to solidify its position in a highly competitive market, where artificial intelligence is rapidly shifting from a buzzword to an operational necessity.

“Dean possesses a deep understanding of the legal market and a proven ability to drive customer-focused innovation through exceptional leadership,” said Martin O’Malley, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory, in a statement. “His vision and expertise will be instrumental as we continue to advance our capabilities in legal operations and enterprise legal management.”

A Proven Innovator Takes the Reins

Sonderegger is a familiar and respected figure within Wolters Kluwer, having held significant leadership positions across multiple divisions. His career trajectory demonstrates a consistent focus on leveraging technology to solve complex customer problems. Most recently, he led the company’s Financial & Regulatory Reporting (FRR) business and previously served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Canada and Research & Learning businesses within the Tax and Accounting division.

However, it is his tenure as the head of Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. from 2019 to 2022 that most directly informs his new role. During that time, he was a key architect of the company’s push toward rapid, customer-centric digital product development. He championed the evolution of advanced tools designed to enhance workflow and efficiency for legal professionals, including the legal research service Cheetah, which later rebranded as VitalLaw. His reputation as a thought leader on the intersection of law and technology, particularly AI and business transformation, precedes him, with regular commentary in prominent legal and business publications.

This background makes him uniquely suited to lead ELM Solutions, a unit that provides a comprehensive suite of tools for corporate legal and insurance claims departments. These solutions are designed to address the growing pressure on in-house teams to manage workloads, control costs, and deliver measurable business outcomes.

AI at the Forefront of a Transforming Market

The timing of Sonderegger’s appointment is critical. The corporate legal market is undergoing a profound transformation, with AI at its epicenter. Sonderegger himself acknowledged this dynamic, stating, “We’re in an exciting time in the corporate legal market, with AI and other innovative technologies continuing to drive rapid transformation.”

Corporate legal departments are no longer just exploring AI; they are actively implementing it. Recent studies show a dramatic increase in adoption, with many legal teams using generative AI tools weekly. The applications are moving beyond simple automation to more sophisticated functions:

• Contract Lifecycle Management: AI tools now scan, analyze, and extract key clauses from thousands of contracts in minutes, identifying risks and ensuring compliance with internal standards.
• Predictive Analytics: By analyzing historical case data, AI can help legal teams forecast litigation outcomes, estimate costs, and develop more effective legal strategies.
• Invoice Review and Spend Management: AI-powered e-billing platforms automatically review outside counsel invoices against billing guidelines, flagging non-compliant entries and providing deep insights into legal spend.
• Agentic AI: The next frontier, agentic AI, promises to go even further by executing multi-step legal workflows autonomously, such as managing the entire non-disclosure agreement process from request to final signature without constant human intervention.

Sonderegger's vocal advocacy for and deep understanding of these technologies position him to steer ELM Solutions' product strategy toward these high-value applications, helping clients move beyond basic matter management to a more predictive and strategic model of legal operations.

Navigating a Competitive and Fragmented Landscape

Sonderegger steps in at a time of intense competition in the ELM market. Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions competes with major players like Mitratech and Onit, both of which heavily market their AI-native platforms and end-to-end capabilities. These competitors are aggressively courting legal departments that are eager to consolidate their tech stack and escape the inefficiencies of a fragmented landscape filled with disparate point solutions.

One of the most significant challenges facing corporate legal departments is the proliferation of single-purpose software tools that don't integrate, leading to data silos, frustrated users, and a poor return on investment. The market is showing a clear preference for unified platforms that can manage everything from matter and spend management to contract lifecycle and compliance.

This presents a major opportunity for ELM Solutions under Sonderegger’s leadership. His track record of focusing on customer workflows and integrated digital ecosystems suggests he will prioritize developing a more cohesive, user-friendly platform. By delivering a truly unified experience, Wolters Kluwer can effectively address a primary pain point for legal operations professionals and strengthen its competitive position. The challenge will be to innovate at a pace that not only matches but anticipates the needs of a rapidly evolving client base.

The Broader Push for Strategic Value

This leadership change is not happening in a vacuum. It reflects a broader strategic imperative at Wolters Kluwer to embed advanced technology across all its professional information services. The company, which reported €5.9 billion in annual revenues, has consistently emphasized its mission to combine deep domain expertise with cutting-edge software to help professionals make critical decisions. The focus on AI in its legal division mirrors similar initiatives in its tax, accounting, and compliance segments.

For corporate legal departments, this alignment is crucial. The pressure from the C-suite is no longer just about reducing legal spend; it's about transforming the legal function from a reactive cost center into a proactive, strategic business partner. Advanced ELM platforms are the engine for this transformation. By automating routine tasks, providing data-driven insights for decision-making, and freeing up lawyers to focus on high-value advisory work, these tools enable legal departments to demonstrate their impact on the bottom line.

With Dean Sonderegger at the helm, Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions is clearly positioning itself to be a central partner in that journey. His appointment is a definitive statement that the company is betting on a future where legal operations are powered by intelligent, integrated, and user-centric technology.