INTERIM LEGAL & COMPLIANCE · SWITZERLAND
Interim Legal Counsel and Compliance Specialists in Switzerland
Interim legal counsel and compliance specialists strengthen your team in Switzerland temporarily – for a vacancy, maternity leave, a workload peak, KYC remediation or a regulatory project. Alpinum Solutions AG in Zurich provides lawyers and compliance professionals from junior to senior level: through staff leasing (Personalverleih) or freelancing, part-time or full-time, as an individual or a team. Your company sets the tasks and priorities.
Switzerland is our home market: Alpinum Solutions AG is based in Zurich and holds the cantonal staff leasing licence and the SECO licence. We are a specialist provider of temporary legal and compliance support in Switzerland, Germany and Austria – not a law firm. Our clients are legal and compliance teams at banks, insurers, industrial and technology companies, as well as law firms. You decide per assignment whether your professional works at your premises, hybrid or remotely.
Suitable profiles are usually available within 48 hours. We agree the start date with you – depending on availability, notice period and onboarding.
INTERIM LEGAL AND COMPLIANCE IN SWITZERLAND
Interim legal counsel and compliance specialists in Switzerland: typical assignments
KYC, AML and banking compliance
Banks, asset managers and other financial intermediaries bring in compliance specialists for KYC remediation, KYC file reviews, transaction monitoring and alert handling – individually or as a task force with a team lead. The professionals work to your instructions, processes and systems; responsibility stays with your line management and compliance function. Duration: a few months until the project is complete. Workload: usually full-time. More on AML, KYC & financial crime compliance.
Legal counsel for a vacancy or maternity leave
An interim legal counsel handles the legal department’s day-to-day work until the role is filled or your colleague returns from maternity leave: contract review, advising business units and managing outside counsel. Duration: typically several months, including onboarding and handover. Workload: 20 to 100 percent, depending on the role being covered. See vacancy cover and parental and maternity leave cover.
Regulatory projects and workload peaks
New requirements, contract backlogs, internal investigations or transactions tie up capacity your team does not have. Project lawyers and compliance officers take on defined work packages, for example in banking and financial markets law or regulatory change. Duration: aligned with the project phases. Workload: full-time in peak phases, reduced afterwards.
Leading the legal or compliance function
If the head of the function is absent or the role is being refilled, an interim head of legal takes over leadership, prioritisation and reporting. Companies without their own legal department use a fractional general counsel on fixed days per week. Duration: several months or longer.
Examples from practice (anonymised)
KYC task force at a Swiss financial institution: in 2025 Alpinum provided a task force of eight compliance officers including a team lead, each full-time through staff leasing. The team handled KYC remediation, KYC file reviews, transaction monitoring, alert handling and documentation; the team lead reported to in-house compliance. Profiles were available within 48 hours, the team started around two weeks after the order, and the project was completed in ten months.
M&A transaction in Switzerland: an internationally active industrial company reinforced its in-house corporate/M&A team for twelve months with a senior legal counsel (full-time, staff leasing), starting around two weeks after the order. The counsel supported the cross-border transaction from due diligence through signing and closing to integration. Result: team relieved, transaction successfully completed.
Lawyers and compliance professionals from junior to senior
We staff legal and compliance assignments at every level. The right level depends on how independent, complex and leadership-heavy the work is; the most common level is experienced.
| Level | Experience | Typical roles | Typical tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | 0–2 years | Junior legal counsel, KYC analyst, project lawyer | KYC file reviews, document review, standard contracts per playbook, research |
| Mid (experienced) | 3–6 years | Legal counsel, compliance officer, AML specialist | Review and negotiate contracts, assess alerts and files, advise business teams, coordinate outside counsel |
| Senior | 7+ years | Senior legal counsel, head of compliance, interim head of legal, team lead | Lead teams and task forces, support transactions, decide escalations, report to management |
Interim professionals can also take on formal functions, for example as a compliance officer with regulatory responsibility or as a data protection adviser – through staff leasing or freelancing, depending on your requirements and the regulatory framework. For the money laundering reporting officer, such rules may exclude an external mandate or require staff leasing; legally required independence and responsibilities are maintained.
From briefing to start
01 · Clarify the need
In a first call we clarify practice area, tasks, level, languages, location, workload, duration and model – and whether the work requires a specific qualification or function.
02 · Receive profiles
Within 48 hours we propose selected candidates from a pool of more than 7’500 legal & compliance professionals we have personally interviewed, assessed and vetted.
03 · Meet and select
In short interviews you assess expertise, working style and fit; you make the selection.
04 · Start and support
We prepare the staff leasing or mandate agreement, access and onboarding together and agree the start date with you. Our Zurich team supports the assignment, with a first review after two to four weeks, through to the handover. A move into your team (temp-to-perm) is possible.
Who directs the work in staff leasing and freelancing
Staff leasing: your company directs
The hallmark of staff leasing is that the agency transfers substantial authority to give instructions to the client company (Art. 26 AVV, as of 30 Oct 2026). You set tasks, priorities, approval limits and contacts; the professional works as part of your processes and systems.
Alpinum remains the employer
The agency remains the employer. It concludes a written employment contract with the professional and a written staff leasing agreement with your company that also states the costs (Art. 12, 19 and 22 AVG, as of 30 Oct 2026). The contracting party in Switzerland is Alpinum Solutions AG.
Freelancing: independent within the mandate
Freelancers deliver their services independently within the agreed mandate. In both models we set out authority to represent, access rights and escalation paths in writing before the start.
Staff leasing, freelancing and permanent hires in Switzerland
Staff leasing (Personalverleih)
Commercial staff leasing requires a licence in Switzerland. The operating licence is issued by the cantonal labour office; leasing staff abroad also requires a SECO licence. The licence is unlimited in time and valid throughout Switzerland; staff leasing from abroad into Switzerland is not permitted (Art. 12–15 AVG, as of 30 Oct 2026). Alpinum Solutions AG holds the cantonal licence (Amt für Wirtschaft AWI) and the SECO licence. More on legal & compliance staff leasing.
Freelancing
Whether a person is self-employed is assessed in Switzerland by the AHV compensation office case by case, based on the actual economic circumstances rather than the contract label; key criteria are own business risk, free organisation of work and several clients (Art. 5 and 9 AHVG, AHV/IV leaflet 2.02, as of 30 Oct 2026). Anyone working by the hour, bound by instructions and integrated into the team, is usually treated as employed – then staff leasing fits. For defined mandates freelancing can fit; we clarify this with you before signing.
Permanent hires
For permanent positions we offer executive search and permanent recruiting. Private recruitment in Switzerland requires a licence if it is carried out regularly and for a fee (Art. 2 AVG, as of 30 Oct 2026); Alpinum Solutions AG holds this licence.
Germany and Austria
If your team works across borders, we also provide professionals for assignments in Germany and Austria – with the appropriate model and contracting party.
How much does an interim lawyer cost in Switzerland?
In Switzerland, day rates lie between CHF 600 and CHF 1’800+ depending on level (excl. VAT, as of 18 Oct 2026):
- Junior (0–2 years): CHF 600–800 per day, CHF 75–100 per hour
- Experienced (3–6 years): CHF 800–1’200 per day, CHF 100–150 per hour
- Senior (7+ years): CHF 1’200–1’800+ per day, CHF 150–225+ per hour
The specific rate depends on practice area, languages, workload, duration and on-site presence. A worked example is in our guide “what an interim lawyer costs” (link below).
Office and contact
Alpinum Solutions AG · Zurich office
Lintheschergasse 15
8001 Zurich, Switzerland
Mon–Fri 08:00–18:30
Phone +41 43 508 94 82
Email info@alpinumsolutions.com
Contact for Switzerland: Christian Steinmetz, Founder & CEO, MLaw (University of Zurich). Further offices in Frankfurt and Vienna.
Let’s discuss your needs in Switzerland.
Briefly describe the task, practice area, workload and preferred start. Our Zurich team will propose a profile, model and approach.
Practice areas, roles and occasions
For specific tasks, find the right service page here – from KYC remediation to interim head of legal.
Frequently asked questions about interim lawyers and staff leasing in Switzerland
Does a provider of lawyers through staff leasing need a licence?
Yes. Commercial staff leasing requires an operating licence from the cantonal labour office, plus a SECO licence for leasing abroad (Art. 12 AVG, as of 30 Oct 2026). Alpinum Solutions AG holds both.
Who employs the professional in staff leasing?
The agency, i.e. Alpinum. There is no contract between the professional and your company; you sign a written staff leasing agreement with Alpinum (Art. 12 and 22 AVG, as of 30 Oct 2026). Professionally, the lawyer works to your instructions.
Can I engage a freelance lawyer in Switzerland?
Yes, if the person genuinely works independently. The AHV compensation office assesses this case by case based on the economic circumstances (Art. 5 and 9 AHVG, as of 30 Oct 2026). If the professional is closely integrated into your team, we recommend staff leasing.
How quickly do I receive profiles?
We usually present first profiles within 48 hours. In our Swiss examples the professional or team started around two weeks after the order; availability, notice period and onboarding are decisive.
Is part-time possible, and can the professional join my team permanently later?
Yes. Assignments are possible at 20 to 100 percent, on-site, hybrid or remote. A move into your team (temp-to-perm) is possible.
Is Alpinum a law firm?
No. As a staffing provider, Alpinum does not give legal advice of its own. We provide lawyers and compliance professionals who work within your organisation; your company directs the assignment.