Becoming an interim head of legal: profile, assignments and entry

Short answer: To become an interim general counsel or interim head of legal, you typically need senior experience and a track record of leading, or deputising for the head of, a legal function. Companies bring in interim heads of legal for vacancies, parental leave cover, building a first legal department or transactions. Assignments run through staff leasing or freelancing, part-time or full-time. A sharp leadership profile and early availability open the door.

This guide is written for senior legal counsel, deputy general counsel and heads of legal in Switzerland and Germany who want to work as an interim general counsel. It explains what companies expect, how assignments are structured and how to win your first ones.

What does an interim head of legal do?

An interim head of legal runs a company’s legal function for a limited period. They handle the ongoing legal matters, lead the team and report to the executive board or the board of directors.

Typical triggers for an assignment are:

• Vacancy: the general counsel has left and the successor has not yet been found.
• Parental or maternity leave cover: the head of legal is away for several months and will return.
• Build-up: a growing company is setting up its first legal department.
• Transaction or restructuring: an acquisition, carve-out or reorganisation needs extra legal leadership for a phase.

Day to day, the role is less about individual contracts and more about priorities, decisions and interfaces: what the team handles, what goes to law firms and what the executive board needs to know.

Profile: what companies expect from an interim general counsel

Companies expect an interim head of legal to lead from day one. Breadth of expertise matters more than a narrow specialism.

How to present your career for interim assignments is covered in your CV for interim assignments.

Assignments: duration, workload and contract model

An interim assignment lasts from a few weeks to several months or longer and can be part-time or full-time. The workload ranges from 20% to 100%, depending on the need.

• Staff leasing: you are employed by the staffing provider and work in the company under its instructions on the work. In Germany, the assignment with the same company is generally limited to 18 consecutive months (section 1(1b) AÜG, the German Temporary Agency Work Act).
• Freelancing: you work self-employed and on your own responsibility within the agreed mandate and invoice for it. This suits part-time assignments and several clients.

One point matters for lawyers admitted to the bar in Germany: in temporary agency work, the agency is the employer for professional-law purposes. Admission as an in-house lawyer (Syndikusrechtsanwalt) for the assignment is therefore not possible (Federal Court of Justice, judgment of 20 March 2023, AnwZ (Brfg) 12/21).

Which model suits you is explored in freelancing or employment via staff leasing. If you want to combine part-time leadership assignments with other work, see interim work as a part-time and portfolio model.

Getting started in five steps

1. Sharpen your leadership profile: describe in three sentences which legal function, in which sector and size of company, you can lead.
2. Pick reference roles: show two or three roles with leadership or deputy responsibility.
3. Clarify availability: set your earliest start date, workload and location. Interim assignments often arise at short notice.
4. Choose a model: decide whether you want to be employed via staff leasing, work as a freelancer, or are open to both.
5. Register your profile: sign up with a specialist provider and keep your profile up to date.

Companies usually receive two to four profiles per search. A precise profile decides whether you make the shortlist.

Switzerland and Germany: what differs

The role is the same in both countries; the legal framework for the contract model is not.

• Switzerland: in Personalverleih (Swiss staff leasing), the staffing provider is your employer, and the employment and leasing contracts state the term of the assignment or the notice period (Art. 12 and 19 AVG). Whether you count as self-employed as a freelancer is decided case by case by the AHV compensation office.
• Germany: in Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (German temporary agency work), the 18-month limit with the same hirer applies. As a freelancer, actual working practice decides whether you are self-employed (section 7 SGB IV); a status determination by the German Pension Insurance provides certainty (section 7a SGB IV).

Limits and risks

• Not a substitute for specialist law firm advice: an interim general counsel also instructs external firms for litigation or specialist areas. Plan for this with the company.
• Set expectations: put tasks, authorities and reporting line in writing at the start. Unclear responsibilities cost particularly dear in an interim assignment.
• Status risk in freelancing: a freelancer who works under instructions and is fully integrated may be treated as an employee.
• Handover: an assignment only ends with a clean handover to the successor.

Frequently asked questions about becoming an interim general counsel

Do I need leadership experience to become an interim head of legal?

Usually, yes. Companies expect you to lead a legal function from day one. Experience as deputy general counsel, team lead or acting head counts. If you have not led a team yet, you often start with senior counsel assignments and move into leadership assignments later.

Can I work as an interim general counsel part-time?

Yes. Interim assignments run part-time or full-time, with a workload between 20% and 100%. Part-time suits smaller companies in particular, or building a first legal department. Agree in advance on which days you are available and who covers urgent matters when you are not.

What does an interim head of legal earn?

It depends on the model, workload, experience and sector. With staff leasing you receive a salary with social security; as a freelancer you charge an hourly or daily rate that has to cover pension, holidays and gaps between assignments. Terms are agreed for each assignment.

Can an interim assignment lead to a permanent role?

Yes. A move into the team (temp-to-perm) is possible; the terms are agreed in advance. It lets the company and the professional get to know each other in practice before deciding. More in interim work as a springboard to a permanent role.

Next step

Alpinum Solutions is the leading provider of interim legal & compliance in the DACH region and fills leadership assignments through staff leasing and freelancing. Its database holds more than 7,500 legal and compliance professionals who have been interviewed, assessed and vetted in its qualification process. Register your profile with your leadership experience, workload and earliest start date.

• Careers: legal and compliance jobs as an interim professional
• From law firm to in-house through interim assignments
• Your CV for interim assignments
• For candidates: all guides on careers and interim assignments
• Contract manager on projects: tasks by level and pay

Last updated: 10 November 2026.