Interim Legal Providers in CH and DE: 5 Types

By Christian Steinmetz and Maren Siegels

Short answer: Interim legal and compliance providers in Switzerland and Germany fall into five types: specialist interim legal and compliance providers, alternative legal service providers (ALSPs) run by law firms, generalist staffing companies with a legal division, platforms and freelance marketplaces, and consulting and audit firms. They differ in who directs the work, how specialised their selection is and which licence they need. A provider that leases staff needs a cantonal licence in Switzerland, plus a licence from SECO (the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs) for cross-border leasing (Article 12 AVG), and a licence from the Federal Employment Agency in Germany (section 1(1) AÜG).

This overview is for general counsel, heads of compliance, procurement and HR in Switzerland and Germany who are comparing interim legal providers. It describes the five types, their strengths and limits, and the criteria for a structured selection.

The five provider types compared

No provider type is right for every need; what matters is the task, the level of control you want and the duration. The table summarises the differences.

Provider type	Strengths	Limits	Best suited to
Specialist interim legal and compliance provider	Subject-matter screening, knowledge of the roles, usually several engagement models (staff leasing, freelancing), individuals to teams	No legal advice as a law firm; limited depth outside legal and compliance	Vacancy, leave cover, peak workload, backlog, remediation, taskforce
Law firm ALSP	Close to the law firm, access to its methods, easy hand-off to advice	Often tied to the firm; independence from the firm's mandate needs clarifying	Reviews and projects linked to an existing law firm mandate
Generalist staffing company with a legal division	Wide reach, established processes for leasing and administration	Depth of legal screening varies by team	Standardised roles, legal assistants, paralegals, broad searches
Platform or freelance marketplace	Direct access to profiles, quick screening, flexible short assignments	Selection, contracts, status questions and replacement usually rest with the company	Clearly defined, short tasks with experienced in-house direction
Consulting or audit firm	Methodology, project management, link to process, technology and audit	Usually works in its own project team rather than integrated; independence rules for audit clients	Large transformation and remediation programmes that need a method

The sections below describe each type in more detail. For a question set to compare offers directly, see the RFP checklist for interim providers.

Specialist interim legal and compliance providers

Specialist providers focus on interim professionals for legal departments and compliance functions. Their advantage is subject-matter screening: they know roles such as legal counsel, compliance officer or KYC analyst and can propose profiles by area of law, seniority and language.

Models: usually staff leasing and freelancing, part-time or full-time.
Direction: under staff leasing, the company generally holds the right to give professional instructions; under freelancing, the professional works independently within the mandate.
Boundary: these providers supply professionals; they are not law firms and do not give legal advice as a law firm.

Alpinum Solutions is a provider of this type: it supplies legal and compliance professionals in Switzerland, Germany and Austria through staff leasing and freelancing, from a single interim specialist to a project team. See interim legal for companies and law firms.

Alternative legal service providers run by law firms

An alternative legal service provider (ALSP) delivers legal or law-related services outside the traditional law firm mandate. Some law firms run their own ALSP units, for example for document review, contract projects or flexible lawyers.

Strength: the unit can use the firm's methods and templates and hand over to advisory work when needed.
To clarify: whether profiles are available independently of a law firm mandate and how conflicts of interest are checked.
Fits when: a law firm is already instructed and a review or project is closely linked to that mandate.

Generalist staffing companies with a legal division

Generalist staffing companies cover many professions and sometimes run a dedicated legal or compliance division. They usually have established processes for leasing, payroll and administration.

Strength: reach and well-oiled processes, especially for standardised roles such as legal assistants or paralegals.
To clarify: who assesses a profile's legal suitability and how deep the subject-matter screening goes.
Fits when: the role is clearly defined and reach matters more than specialisation.

Platforms and freelance marketplaces

Platforms connect companies directly with self-employed lawyers and compliance professionals. They work for short, clearly defined tasks if someone in-house can handle selection and direction.

Strength: direct access to profiles and quick screening.
To clarify: who is responsible for selection, contracts, confidentiality and replacement if someone drops out, and how the company checks the risk of false self-employment. In Germany, working under instructions and being integrated into the client's organisation indicate employment (section 7(1) SGB IV); in Switzerland, the social security (AHV) compensation office assesses status on the economic reality, not on the contract.
Fits when: work packages are well defined and backed by experienced in-house support.

Consulting and audit firms

Consulting and audit firms deploy their own teams for remediation, transformation or regulatory programmes. They bring methodology, project management and often technology.

Strength: structured programmes that need a method, combining law, process and data.
To clarify: whether staff are integrated into your team or work in their own project team, and whether independence rules apply because of an existing audit relationship.
Fits when: a large programme needs a combined package of method and delivery.

Selection criteria: licence, specialisation, markets, models, speed

A provider fits when it holds the required licence, knows your area, operates in your markets, offers the right model and is realistic about when profiles and a start date are possible. Use this checklist to compare:

Licence: in Switzerland, commercial Personalverleih (Swiss staff leasing) requires a licence from the cantonal labour office, and an additional SECO licence for leasing abroad (Article 12 AVG). Licensed providers are listed in SECO's public register. In Germany, a provider of Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (German temporary agency work) needs a licence from the Federal Employment Agency (section 1(1) AÜG). Ask to see it; in Germany the provider must state in the leasing contract whether it holds the licence (section 12(1) AÜG).
Specialisation: does the provider know your area of law, your industry and the languages you need? Who assesses professional suitability?
Markets: does the provider operate in Switzerland and Germany through its own entities? For staff leasing this is decisive: leasing staff from abroad into Switzerland is not permitted (Article 12(2) AVG), and a provider based outside the EU/EEA cannot obtain a German licence (section 3(2) AÜG). Assignments in both countries therefore need a leasing entity in each jurisdiction.
Models: does it offer staff leasing and freelancing, part-time and full-time, individuals and teams?
Speed: does it clearly separate presenting profiles from the actual start date?
Transparency: are rate, billing unit, expenses and included services shown separately?

For reference: Alpinum holds a licence for temporary agency work from the Hesse Regional Directorate of the German Federal Employment Agency, as well as the cantonal licence and the SECO licence for cross-border staff leasing. Selected profiles are usually available within 48 hours; the start date is agreed between the company and Alpinum.

Limits and risks when choosing a provider

Licence not checked: if a provider leases staff without a valid licence, the client company carries risk too. In Germany, an employment relationship between the client and the professional is deemed to exist unless the professional declares that they wish to stay with the provider (Festhaltenserklärung), and the client faces a fine (sections 9, 10, 16 AÜG). In Switzerland, the leasing contract is void without a licence (Article 22(5) AVG). Check this first.
Legal advice and staffing confused: be clear whether you are buying advice from a law firm or a professional working under your direction.
Comparing on rate alone: a lower rate helps little if selection, replacement or rework end up with your team.

FAQ: interim legal providers in Switzerland and Germany

How can I tell whether a provider holds a licence?

In Switzerland, SECO maintains a public register of licensed placement and staff leasing companies, where you can look up a provider. In Germany, ask for the Federal Employment Agency licence and check the decision and its date; the provider must also state in the leasing contract whether it holds the licence (section 12(1) AÜG). Freelancing needs no leasing licence, but it does need a sound contract structure.

What is an ALSP?

ALSP stands for alternative legal service provider. The term covers providers that deliver legal or law-related services outside the traditional law firm model, such as flexible lawyers, document review, contract projects or legal operations. It includes independent providers, units run by law firms and divisions of consulting firms.

How much does specialisation matter?

Specialisation determines the quality of pre-selection. A provider that knows legal and compliance roles can check area of law, seniority and language in a targeted way and propose suitable profiles. For broad roles without specialist knowledge, reach matters more. Either way, ask who assesses professional suitability.

Can I use several providers in parallel?

Yes, especially when several roles or areas of law need to be covered. Agree who fills which roles, how duplicate submissions of the same profile are handled and which rules apply to a later permanent hire. A shared question set such as the RFP checklist makes offers comparable.

When is a platform the better choice?

A platform fits when the task is short and clearly defined and someone in-house can take on selection, contracts and direction. For longer engagements, integrated work in the team or several people, a provider that handles pre-selection, contracting and replacement is usually easier to manage.

Next step

Compare providers using the same questions and the same minimum criteria. If you already know your need, describe the role, workload, duration and start date.

Last updated: 30 October 2026.

Types of interim legal and compliance providers – and which fits your need