KNOWLEDGE · NEEDS & PLANNING

Needs and planning: guides for capacity gaps in legal and compliance

When a legal or compliance role falls vacant, someone goes on parental leave or work piles up, the team needs extra capacity fast. These guides show, for each situation, how to size the need, plan cover and bring in interim professionals through staff leasing or freelancing, part-time or full-time, as individuals or as a team.

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All guides on needs and planning

How companies relieve their legal department with interim legal counsel

Six levers against legal team overload – and when interim legal counsel is the right answer.

What causes capacity bottlenecks in legal teams – and when interim support helps

Eight typical causes of overload in legal and compliance teams and which solution fits each one.

Your legal counsel has resigned: a 10-day action plan

What to do on days 1 to 10 after a resignation: deadlines, handover, interim solution and communication.

Long-term sick leave in the legal team: how to organise cover

What matters in the first 48 hours and how to set up flexible sick leave cover for legal and compliance roles.

Planning parental and maternity leave in the legal department: cover in Switzerland and Germany

Work backwards from the first day of absence: key rules in Switzerland and Germany, why maternity cover runs longer than 14 weeks, options, timeline and handover.

How much legal capacity does your team need? A practical calculation

A simple formula and worked example to calculate how many FTE your legal or compliance team really needs.

Clearing a contract review backlog: sizing, staffing and quality control

How legal teams clear a contract backlog with a pilot, a playbook and a well-run review team.

Building a legal or compliance taskforce: roles, ramp-up and governance

How to staff, ramp up, govern and wind down a legal or compliance taskforce.

Document review for law firms: staffing, process and quality

How law firms staff, calibrate and steer a document review team, and what applies to project lawyers on agency assignments.

Capacity crunch at your law firm: project lawyers, freelancers or secondees?

Which models law firms can use to absorb peaks in transactions or disputes, and where professional rules draw the line.

Matching services by situation

Staffing shortage

Interim professionals for absence, illness, resignations or understaffing in legal and compliance teams.

Peak workload

Interim lawyers and compliance professionals for audits, contract waves and regulatory deadlines.

Vacancy cover

Interim lawyers and compliance professionals keep an open position staffed until the permanent hire starts.

Parental leave cover

Interim lawyers and compliance professionals for parental leave, maternity leave and sabbaticals.

Backlog, review & investigation

Review teams of lawyers and compliance professionals for backlogs, large-scale reviews and internal investigations.

Projects & subject-matter expertise

Legal and compliance subject matter experts for projects that need expertise your team lacks: regulation, deals, data protection.

Law firms

Project lawyers and teams for law firms: transactions, mass litigation, review projects and capacity peaks.

Key questions on needs and planning

When do companies bring in interim legal and compliance professionals?

Six situations are typical: staff shortages, workload peaks, vacancies, parental leave cover, backlogs, reviews and investigations, and projects that need specialist knowledge. Law firms also bring in project lawyers, for example for document reviews.

How quickly does Alpinum present profiles?

Alpinum Solutions usually presents selected profiles within 48 hours. The company and Alpinum agree the start date together; there is no guaranteed start date.

How do I work out how much capacity is missing?

Start from open tasks, deadlines and the hours available in the team. The guide legal team capacity planning includes a sample calculation based on a 42-hour week, 46 working weeks and 70 % productive time.

Who directs the interim professional?

The company directs the assignment. In staff leasing, day-to-day instructions generally come from the client and the professional is integrated into the organisation. Freelancers deliver their work independently within the agreed mandate.

Can an assignment be part-time?

Yes. Workload ranges from 20 to 100 %, depending on the company's needs and the professional's preferences. Assignments range from a single interim specialist to a project team.

Need extra capacity at short notice?

We clarify the situation, profile and model with you: staff leasing or freelancing, part-time or full-time, an individual or a team.

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