INTERIM LEGAL · CORPORATE · M&A · GOVERNANCE
Interim corporate lawyers for M&A, transactions and governance
Alpinum Solutions provides companies in Switzerland, Germany and Austria with interim corporate lawyers and M&A project lawyers: for due diligence, signing and closing, post-merger integration, carve-outs and ongoing corporate and governance work. The professionals range from junior to senior and work via staff leasing or freelancing, part-time or full-time, individually or as a team; your legal department directs the assignment.
A transaction ties up the legal department for months while day-to-day work continues. Interim lawyers with corporate and M&A experience close this gap in-house: they work with your teams, your data and your deal counsel. Alpinum selects by type of transaction, languages, governing law and seniority and provides the professionals; Alpinum does not replace your law firm's legal advice.
The scenarios below are examples; the two sections marked as anonymised are based on real assignments.
Typical assignments in corporate, M&A and governance
Legal due diligence on the buy or sell side
Setting up or reviewing the data room, checking contracts for change-of-control and assignment clauses, answering request lists and preparing findings for the law firm. Duration: a few weeks. Workload: usually full-time, often as a small team.
Supporting signing and closing
Tracking conditions precedent, organising signatures and resolutions, compiling the closing documents. Duration: a few weeks to several months. Workload: full-time at peaks, often part-time afterwards.
Post-merger integration
Merging entities, transferring or amending contracts, reorganising powers of attorney, policies and boards. Duration: several months. Workload: part-time or full-time, depending on the number of entities.
Carve-out reference (anonymised)
In an international carve-out, Alpinum provided an industrial company with experienced interim legal specialists. They supported the legal separation of several companies, reviewed and transferred existing contracts and coordinated corporate and regulatory requirements across several jurisdictions.
M&A case example (anonymised)
An internationally active industrial company in Switzerland strengthened its in-house corporate/M&A team for a cross-border transaction with a senior legal counsel: twelve months, full-time, via staff leasing, starting around two weeks after the order, reporting to corporate/M&A or group legal. The professional coordinated the in-house legal department, international law firms and local counsel from due diligence through signing and closing to integration. The team was relieved and the transaction was successfully completed.
Interim corporate lawyers: what M&A project lawyers take on in your team
Carrying transactions in-house
Leading internal workstreams, involving the business, commenting on the law firm's drafts and preparing decisions for management. How tasks are split across deal phases is explained in the guide interim corporate lawyers for M&A by deal phase.
Corporate housekeeping
Bringing the group structure and corporate records up to date: aligning register extracts, articles of association, officers and signing rights and closing gaps, especially after an acquisition or ahead of a due diligence.
Governance and board work
Preparing board and supervisory board meetings, organising shareholder meetings and resolutions, keeping by-laws and rules of procedure current.
Coordinating law firms and advisers
In multi-country deals, deal counsel, local advisers and business units run through one person in-house. That keeps deadlines, questions and costs together.
Project lawyer, corporate counsel or head of legal?
An M&A project lawyer covers a clearly defined part of a transaction. An interim corporate counsel looks after the group's corporate law over a longer period. If the whole legal department lacks a head, the Interim Head of Legal is the right fit.
M&A project lawyers and corporate counsel from junior to senior
- Junior (0–2 years): data room review against a checklist, contract lists and findings tables, draft minutes and register filings, compiling closing documents.
- Mid-level / experienced (3–6 years): running due diligence workstreams independently, contract transfers during integration, board papers, corporate housekeeping for several entities.
- Senior (7+ years): leading transactions internally, negotiating with the other side and law firms, point of contact for management and the board, steering integration or carve-out legally.
Your legal department decides scope, priorities, reporting line and who signs which documents. In staff leasing, the right to give professional instructions generally lies with you; the professional works within your deal team. Freelancers take on a defined part, such as a due diligence workstream, and deliver it independently within the agreed mandate.
Engagement models for corporate and M&A lawyers in Switzerland, Germany and Austria
Transactions have peaks, so workload (20 to 100%) and team size often change: a team for due diligence, then one person for closing and integration. Anyone who needs access to your systems, boards and confidential data is usually engaged via staff leasing; a defined review assignment also suits freelancing.
Switzerland
Freelancing or staff leasing (Personalverleih), with Alpinum Solutions AG as contracting party.
Germany
Freelancing or temporary agency work (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung), with Alpinum Solutions GmbH as contracting party. More on the market: interim lawyers in Germany.
Austria
Freelancing, or staff leasing via the German or the Swiss Alpinum company.
Limits
Alpinum is not a law firm. Transaction advice, legal opinions and representation before authorities stay with your law firm; decisions and signatures stay with your company. We clarify confidentiality, access rights and possible conflicts of interest before the start.
Process: from deal timeline to first working day
01 · Clarify needs per phase
We discuss the type of transaction, timeline, the law firm's role and which work stays in-house. This determines level, team size and workload.
02 · Selected profiles
You receive selected profiles within 48 hours. Interviews and the decision are yours; we agree the start date together – it is not guaranteed.
03 · Joining the deal team
Data room, NDA, deal timeline and contacts at the law firm and in the business are ready on day one.
04 · Moving with the deal
After closing, you scale the assignment down or extend it for integration. Alpinum continues to handle contract and invoicing.
What interim corporate lawyers and M&A project lawyers cost
Daily rates by level, excl. VAT, as of 18 October 2026; Austria at the German ranges.
- Switzerland: junior CHF 600–800 · experienced CHF 800–1'200 · senior CHF 1'200–1'800+
- Germany and Austria, staff leasing: junior EUR 480–720 · experienced EUR 720–960 · senior EUR 960–1'440+
- Germany and Austria, freelancing: junior EUR 720–960 · experienced EUR 960–1'360 · senior EUR 1'360–2'000+
In a due diligence, a mixed team can cost less than senior profiles only: juniors review against a checklist, a senior professional assesses the findings. The comparison with permanent hiring and law firm hours is in the guide cost models in interim legal and compliance.
FAQ on interim corporate lawyers and M&A project lawyers
Does an M&A project lawyer replace deal counsel?
No. The law firm advises on and negotiates the legally demanding points. The project lawyer works in your team, prepares documents, coordinates and keeps internal work moving – which usually reduces the scope you hand to the law firm.
How early should we bring in support?
Ideally as soon as the timeline and data room are set. The professional can then follow the due diligence from the start and knows the findings when signing and integration come up.
Can we start with a team and scale down later?
Yes. Team size and workload can be adjusted per phase, for example several lawyers during due diligence and one person for integration.
How do interim lawyers handle confidential deal information?
They sign your NDA and work only with the access you grant. We check conflicts of interest, such as previous work for the other side, before proposing anyone.
Do they also cover corporate law outside transactions?
Yes. Corporate housekeeping, board work and managing a group structure are equally typical assignments. For the broad day-to-day work of a legal department there are also generalists; all services at a glance: interim legal support.
Related services: peak workload in the legal department · contract review lawyers · Interim Head of Legal
Discuss your needs: support for your transaction
Tell us the type of transaction, the timeline and which work should stay in-house. We send you selected profiles within 48 hours.