Case study: senior legal counsel as parental leave cover in an international industrial group

A senior legal counsel in the in-house legal department was going on parental leave. The role covered ongoing legal questions from the business, contract management and support for day-to-day operations. None of this could be put on hold for several months.

Without cover, the company would have had to spread the work across the existing team or send much more of it to outside law firms. That would have added to the legal department's load or increased external legal spend. The company therefore wanted someone at the same level of seniority who could fit in quickly and carry the work forward independently.

Alpinum Solutions presented selected senior legal counsel profiles within 48 hours. The assignment ran as staff leasing, legally Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (German temporary agency work): the professional worked full-time and was integrated into the client's legal department for the duration of the assignment.

How the company steered the assignment

• Reporting line: the senior legal counsel reported to the in-house legal department and its head of legal.
• Right to give instructions: the company held the right to give professional instructions; the legal department set priorities and approvals.
• Tasks: ongoing legal advice to the business, contract management and support for day-to-day operations.
• Handover: a one-month overlap at the start allowed an orderly handover of open matters, contacts and deadlines.

Alpinum remained the point of contact for the company and the professional on contract, terms and duration. The legal work itself was directed by the client's legal department.

The legal department stayed fully operational during the nine-month absence. Ongoing advice, contract management and operational support continued in-house instead of going to outside law firms. As a result, spending on outside counsel fell by around 40–50 %.

The one-month overlap at the start meant the cover began with full knowledge of the matters. For similar situations, the case points to three lessons: plan early, choose cover at the same level of seniority, and build a handover period into the term.