STRENGTHEN YOUR TEAM · STAFFING SHORTAGE
Legal team capacity shortage: interim support for legal and compliance
When your legal team or compliance function faces a capacity shortage, Alpinum Solutions provides qualified interim professionals: from junior to senior, part-time or full-time, via staff leasing or freelancing. Assignments run in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Your company directs the work and sets the priorities.
Typical triggers are illness, a resignation, an unexpected absence or a team that is understaffed for the long term. What matters is that deadlines, contract approvals and reviews keep moving until your own staffing is back in place.
Typical assignments for absences and understaffing
Sick leave cover in the legal department
A legal counsel is unexpectedly absent. The cover takes over ongoing contracts and requests from the business. Duration: a few weeks to start, extendable if the absence lasts longer. Workload: matching the absent role, part-time or full-time.
Resignation in the compliance team
A compliance officer leaves before a successor is in place. The professional continues KYC reviews, training and reporting. Duration: until the successor is onboarded, often several months. Workload: usually full-time.
Ongoing understaffing
The workload has grown and approval for a new position takes time. An interim professional supports the team on fixed days each week. Duration: several months. Workload: part-time.
Several absences at once
If several people in a small team are absent, Alpinum puts together a small team of junior and senior profiles. Duration: until the core team is back. Workload: full-time or staggered.
Legal team capacity shortage: what to clarify first
Which tasks must continue
Deadlines, contract approvals, business requests and regulatory reporting. A short list shows what the cover takes on and what can wait.
Which level the gap needs
Not every absence calls for a senior profile. Contract drafting and documentation can often be handled by a junior; advising management requires experience.
How long and at what workload
Set the start date, expected duration and weekly hours. If the duration is open, for example with illness, plan for an extension from the outset.
Compliance support during absences
In compliance, open cases count: KYC files, monitoring alerts, training and internal reports. The cover works through them according to your instructions.
Profiles from junior to senior, and what your company directs
Alpinum proposes profiles that match the absent role, not the highest available title:
- Junior (0–2 years of experience): contract drafts, research, documentation, support with KYC reviews.
- Mid-level (3–6 years): independent handling of contracts and requests, compliance cases through to decision.
- Senior (7+ years): advising management and business units, complex negotiations, leading a small team. If the head of the function is absent, an Interim Head of Legal fits; for the compliance function, an Interim Compliance Officer.
You define tasks, priorities, access and reporting lines. With staff leasing, the right to give professional instructions generally lies with you, and the professional is integrated into your organisation. Freelancers deliver their services independently within the agreed mandate.
Engagement model in Switzerland, Germany and Austria
- Switzerland: staff leasing (Personalverleih) or freelancing.
- Germany: temporary agency work (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung, staff leasing) or freelancing; market details on Interim Legal Counsel Germany.
- Austria: freelancing or staff leasing via Alpinum's German or Swiss company.
Both models are available part-time and full-time, for one person or a team. The right choice depends on how closely the professional is integrated into your processes: temporary legal staff via staff leasing for close integration, freelance lawyers for clearly defined tasks. Limits: Alpinum is not a law firm and does not take on an advisory mandate; the professional works for your company.
From absence to assignment: process and timing
1 · Describe the gap
In the first call we clarify tasks, level, workload, start date, country of assignment and languages. A job description helps but is not required.
2 · Review profiles
You receive selected profiles within 48 hours. You hold the interviews and decide who fits.
3 · Agree the start
You and Alpinum agree the start date together, depending on availability, contract, access and onboarding. A start date is not guaranteed.
4 · Handover at the end
When the permanent employee returns or the successor starts, the cover hands over open matters and deadlines in writing.
Cost of cover during a staffing shortage
What drives the price
Level, engagement model, country, workload and duration. Examples and calculations are in the guide interim legal costs.
Germany (EUR per day, excl. VAT)
Staff leasing: junior 480–720, experienced 720–960, senior 960–1'440+. Freelancing: junior 720–960, experienced 960–1'360, senior 1'360–2'000+.
Switzerland (CHF per day, excl. VAT)
Junior 600–800, experienced 800–1'200, senior 1'200–1'800+. Ranges as of October 2026; the actual offer depends on the profile.
FAQ on staffing shortages in legal and compliance
How quickly can we find interim legal counsel?
You receive selected profiles within 48 hours. We agree the start date with you; it depends on availability, contract and onboarding.
Can sick leave cover be extended?
Yes. If the length of an absence is open, we first agree a period and coordinate any extension or end with you early. We clarify the framework of the model in the country of assignment before the start.
Can the cover take on formal functions such as MLRO or data protection officer?
Yes, via staff leasing or freelancing, depending on your requirements and the rules in Switzerland, Germany or Austria. For the MLRO, regulatory requirements may rule out an external mandate or require staff leasing.
Is part-time support enough?
Often, if the team carries part of the work itself. Part-time suits fixed weekdays; full-time suits the absence of an entire role.
How does this differ from parental leave cover?
Parental leave can be planned; a staffing shortage usually cannot. For planned absences, see parental leave cover for legal counsel; all areas are listed under interim legal support.
Does Alpinum provide legal advice?
No. Alpinum is not a law firm; it provides professionals and managers. Your company directs the assignment and makes the professional decisions.
Discuss your staffing shortage
Tell us the tasks, level, workload and preferred start. You receive selected profiles within 48 hours; we agree the start date together.