Interim legal in industry and engineering: contracts, export and product liability

Short answer: An interim legal counsel in manufacturing temporarily takes on the legal work that never stops in engineering companies: supply and framework agreements, distribution and service contracts, export control and product liability. Two deadlines add to the load: the new EU Product Liability Directive applies to products placed on the market after 9 December 2026, and the EU Machinery Regulation applies from 14 January 2027.

This guide is for heads of legal, CFOs and management teams at industrial and engineering companies in Switzerland and Germany. It shows where legal teams typically run short of capacity, how to set up an interim assignment step by step and where the limits are. Alpinum Solutions is the leading provider of interim legal & compliance in the DACH region, and industry and manufacturing is one of the sectors in which it has real assignments.

Why manufacturers need temporary legal capacity

Manufacturers need temporary legal capacity mainly when recurring contract work and a one-off project hit at the same time. Legal teams in engineering are often small, while contract volume is high: every order carries delivery, acceptance and warranty terms, and every export raises export control questions.

Typical triggers:

• Contract peaks: annual supplier negotiations, renegotiation of framework agreements, a large project with consortium and subcontractor agreements.
• Regulatory deadlines: aligning liability clauses, operating instructions and conformity processes with new EU rules.
• Transactions: an acquisition, a carve-out or the integration of a subsidiary.
• Absences and vacancies: parental leave, illness or a resignation in a team of two or three lawyers.

Legal topics in engineering at a glance

The table maps the most common topics to tasks, legal basis and a suitable profile. It does not replace a case-by-case review, but it helps you describe the need.

Export control: what applies in Switzerland and the EU

In engineering, export control is not only about military goods. It also covers civilian machines, controls and software with a dual use. In the EU, exporting the dual-use items listed in Annex I of the Dual-Use Regulation requires an authorisation (Art. 3(1) Regulation (EU) 2021/821). In Switzerland, the Goods Control Act (Güterkontrollgesetz, GKG) covers dual-use goods and expressly defines goods as wares, technology and software (Art. 1 and Art. 3(a) GKG).

An interim lawyer typically supports with export control and sanctions clauses in contracts, documentation of end-use statements and coordination with the in-house trade compliance function. Classifying individual items and filing licence applications remain the company's responsibility and may need specialist advice. Our guide to sanctions compliance tasks, roles and capacity covers ongoing sanctions changes.

Product liability and the Machinery Regulation: the 2026 and 2027 deadlines

Two EU acts change contract and documentation work in engineering from late 2026. They also affect Swiss manufacturers that supply into the EU.

• Product Liability Directive (EU) 2024/2853: member states must transpose it by 9 December 2026 (Art. 22). It applies to products placed on the market after that date (Art. 2(1)). The definition of product expressly includes software and digital manufacturing files (Art. 4(1)). Older products remain under the previous Directive 85/374/EEC (Art. 21).
• Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230: it applies in principle from 14 January 2027 and replaces the Machinery Directive (Art. 54).
• Switzerland: the Swiss Product Liability Act links liability to movable goods and electricity (Art. 3 PrHG). For deliveries into the EU, the EU rules are still decisive.

For the legal team this means reviewing liability and indemnity clauses in customer and supplier contracts, bringing software components into the liability analysis and clarifying interfaces with quality and product development. The work has a clear end date, which makes it a good fit for an interim assignment.

How to set up an interim assignment

1. Describe the need: which contracts, topics and deadlines? How many contracts per month, which languages, which countries?
2. Set profile and level: an experienced professional can handle standard contracts; product liability, transactions and export control usually need senior experience.
3. Choose the model: staff leasing if the professional joins your team and follows your instructions on the work; freelancing if a defined mandate is delivered independently. Both work part-time or full-time.
4. Review profiles: Alpinum usually presents selected profiles within 48 hours; the start date is agreed between the company and Alpinum.
5. Onboard: templates, approval limits, escalation routes, access to contract management and contacts in sales, procurement and quality.
6. Plan the handover: document the playbook, clause library and open items at the end of the assignment.

Roles and capacity

The right role depends on whether you need to clear volume or set up a topic from scratch. An experienced contract manager or legal counsel handles ongoing contract volume according to your playbook. A senior legal counsel leads negotiations with key accounts, liability questions and transactions. For export control and sanctions, trade compliance specialists complete the team.

Two documented case studies from industry show how this works. In Germany, a senior legal counsel covered nine months of parental leave at an international industrial company, including one month of overlap, handling day-to-day advice and contract management; external legal fees fell by around 40–50% (parental leave cover case study). In Switzerland, a senior legal counsel supported an industrial company's cross-border transaction from due diligence to integration (M&A case study).

For budgeting: Alpinum's day rates in Switzerland are CHF 800–1,200 (experienced) and CHF 1,200–1,800+ (senior). In Germany they are EUR 720–960 and 960–1,440+ for staff leasing and EUR 960–1,360 and 1,360–2,000+ for freelancing, all excluding VAT, as of 18 October 2026.

Switzerland and Germany: what differs

The service is the same in both countries; the law and the terms differ.

• Engagement model: in Switzerland it is called Personalverleih (Swiss staff leasing), in Germany Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (German temporary agency work). In Germany the provider needs a licence under § 1 AÜG, in Switzerland a cantonal licence under Art. 12 AVG.
• Product liability: Germany transposes the EU directive into national law; Switzerland has its own PrHG. Swiss manufacturers with EU customers need to track both levels.
• Export control: the EU Dual-Use Regulation in Germany, the GKG with its own annexes in Switzerland. Switzerland does not adopt EU sanctions automatically.

Limits and risks

• Interim lawyers work inside your legal team and do not represent you externally as attorneys. Litigation, proceedings before authorities and legal opinions stay with law firms.
• Responsibility for classification, licences and product safety stays with the company; the assignment adds capacity but does not replace your organisation.
• Without a playbook and approval limits, contract work slows down. Agree upfront what the professional may decide alone.
• Knowledge is lost without a handover. Plan documentation and overlap.

Frequently asked questions about interim legal counsel in manufacturing

What does an interim legal counsel do in an engineering company?

Most often supply, framework and distribution agreements, reviewing customer terms and liability clauses, and supporting export control, product liability and transactions. Depending on the profile, the professional either handles ongoing contract volume according to your playbook or leads a defined project, such as updating templates for the new Product Liability Directive.

What does the new Product Liability Directive change for machine builders?

Directive (EU) 2024/2853 applies to products placed on the market after 9 December 2026. It expressly counts software and digital manufacturing files as products. Machine builders should therefore review liability and indemnity clauses with customers and suppliers, including for control software. Older products remain under the previous directive.

When does the EU Machinery Regulation apply?

Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies in principle from 14 January 2027 and then replaces the Machinery Directive. Some articles already apply earlier under Art. 54. For the legal team, the main work concerns supplier contracts, the allocation of obligations along the supply chain and coordination with quality and product development.

Staff leasing or freelancing for an industrial legal team?

Staff leasing fits when the professional is integrated into your processes like a team member and follows your instructions on the work, for example as cover for an absence. Freelancing fits a defined mandate the professional delivers independently, such as reworking contract templates. Both models are available part-time or full-time.

How quickly can an interim legal counsel start?

Alpinum usually presents selected profiles within 48 hours; the start date is agreed between the company and Alpinum. In the documented M&A case study, the senior legal counsel started around two weeks after the order. How fast it goes in each case depends on the profile, notice periods and your onboarding.

Next step

Need temporary capacity in your legal team for contracts, export control or product liability? Alpinum Solutions provides legal counsel, contract managers and project lawyers through staff leasing and freelancing, from junior to senior level. Your company directs the assignment.

• Commercial contracting and contract management: project lawyers for your contracts
• Sanctions, trade compliance and export control
• Roles & practice areas: all guides on roles and fields of law
• New EU Product Liability Directive: effects on contracts, software and compliance
• Discuss your needs

Last updated: 10 November 2026.