Interim Lawyer

An interim lawyer from Law & More works as temporary in-house legal counsel for your company, for a fixed number of days per week or for a single project. We help Dutch and international businesses that have no legal department, or whose legal team is temporarily short of capacity. The first step is a free introductory meeting in which we agree the scope, the period and the rate.

Clients rate Law & More 9.6 out of 10 on Klantenvertellen, the Dutch review platform (81 reviews, as of October 2026).

What can we help you with?

• Covering parental leave, sick leave or a vacancy of your in-house lawyer or general counsel.
• Handling a peak in contract work, for example after a new product launch or a tender.
• Supporting a project such as an acquisition, a reorganisation or the entry into the Dutch market.
• Reviewing and standardising your general terms and conditions, NDAs and supplier contracts.
• Setting up GDPR, anti-money laundering or sanctions compliance processes.
• Acting as the first point of legal contact for management and the commercial team.
• Preparing a dispute and, where necessary, taking it to court as your lawyer.

When does an interim lawyer make more sense than a permanent hire?

An interim lawyer makes sense when the legal workload is temporary, unpredictable or tied to one project. You get capacity within one or two weeks, without a recruitment process or a permanent employment contract.

Recruiting a permanent in-house lawyer usually takes several months. A permanent employee also brings lasting obligations. An example is continued payment of wages during illness for up to 104 weeks under Article 7:629 of the Dutch Civil Code. An interim lawyer from Law & More is not your employee. We work under a contract for services (overeenkomst van opdracht), which you can scale up, scale down or end on the terms we agree in advance.

A permanent hire remains the better choice if you have a structural need of four or five days per week for several years. In the introductory meeting we tell you honestly which option fits your situation.

How does an interim lawyer work within your company?

We work on agreed days at your office, remotely, or a combination of both. You decide the priorities; we report to the person you designate, usually the managing director, CFO or general counsel.

In the first week we map the open files, the main contracts and the internal approval rules. We then agree on practical matters: access to your systems, a contract register and a fixed contact person. Because the interim lawyer is part of Law & More, colleagues at the firm can step in for holidays or for questions in other areas of law. That continuity is the main difference with hiring a single freelance jurist.

Your files stay confidential. As members of the Netherlands Bar (Nederlandse orde van advocaten), our lawyers are bound by professional secrecy and the Dutch rules of professional conduct. Keep in mind that in European Commission competition investigations, communications with an employed in-house lawyer are not protected in the same way as communications with an external lawyer.

Which legal work does an interim lawyer typically handle?

Most of the work is commercial contracts, corporate housekeeping and compliance. Litigation is possible as well, because our interim lawyers are admitted to the Dutch bar.

Contracts and general terms and conditions

We draft and negotiate sales, distribution, supply, SaaS and cooperation agreements in Dutch and English. For general terms and conditions, the rules in Articles 6:231 to 6:247 of the Dutch Civil Code apply. Terms that are not properly made available to the other party can be annulled, so we also check how your terms are provided in practice. See our contract lawyer page for more on this area.

Corporate housekeeping

We prepare shareholders' resolutions, board resolutions and powers of attorney. We also keep the registration in the Business Register of the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (KVK) and the UBO register up to date. For larger corporate matters, our corporate lawyers are directly involved.

Compliance

We set up processes for data protection under the GDPR, supervised in the Netherlands by the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens). Where your company falls under the Dutch Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act (Wwft), we help with customer due diligence procedures. More information is on our compliance lawyer and privacy lawyer pages.

How do you get the most out of an interim lawyer?

Give the interim lawyer a clear mandate and a short list of priorities from day one. An interim assignment works well when everyone in the organisation knows who to call with a legal question.

Three practical points help. First, define which contracts the interim lawyer may approve and which still need sign-off by management. Second, keep one central contract register with expiry dates and notice periods, so renewal deadlines are not missed. Third, plan the handover from the start: at the end of the assignment you receive a file overview and, where useful, templates and a short manual for your team.

How does working with Law & More work?

1. Introductory meeting: we discuss your company, the legal workload and the expected period, free of charge.
2. Advice and cost estimate: you receive a proposal with the scope, the number of days per week, the rate and the notice period.
3. Approach: the interim lawyer starts, maps the open files and handles the work in consultation with your contact person.
4. Proceedings or completion: if a dispute arises we can litigate it; at the end we hand over all files and documentation.

What does an interim lawyer cost?

We work at an hourly rate of 250 to 350 euros excluding VAT for a lawyer and 300 to 400 euros excluding VAT for a partner. We agree the rate and the expected number of hours per week with you in advance. The introductory meeting is free of charge. A one-off advice meeting without further assistance costs 300 euros including VAT.

We do not work on the basis of legal aid. Subsidised legal aid exists through the Legal Aid Board (Raad voor Rechtsbijstand), but we do not accept cases on that basis. External costs, such as court fees (griffierecht), bailiff's fees or notary fees, are charged separately.

Who handles your case?

Interim assignments are handled by Tom Meevis, founder and managing partner, and Ruby van Kersbergen, both of whom work in corporate law. You can read more about them on our team page.

Frequently asked questions

What is an interim lawyer?

An interim lawyer is an external lawyer who works temporarily as in-house legal counsel for your company. The lawyer works on agreed days, at your office or remotely, and handles the legal work an internal lawyer would otherwise do. Unlike a permanent employee, the interim lawyer works under a contract for services, so the assignment can be scaled up or ended on agreed terms.

How quickly can an interim lawyer start?

In most cases we can start within one or two weeks after the introductory meeting. For an urgent matter, such as a contract that has to be signed this week or a summons that has been served, we can usually look at the documents sooner. We confirm the start date and the scope in writing before we begin.

Can an interim lawyer also represent us in court?

Yes. Our interim lawyers are admitted to the Dutch bar, so they can conduct proceedings before the subdistrict court, the district court and the courts of appeal. That is an advantage over a freelance jurist without bar admission. Litigation is usually agreed as a separate assignment, with its own cost estimate and any court fees charged separately.

Is an interim lawyer bound by confidentiality?

Yes. Our lawyers are members of the Netherlands Bar and are bound by professional secrecy and the Dutch rules of professional conduct. On request, we also sign your own confidentiality agreement. In EU competition investigations, communications with employed in-house lawyers are treated differently from communications with external lawyers, which is worth discussing if competition law plays a role.

How many days per week does an interim lawyer work?

That depends on your need. Many companies start with one or two days per week, supplemented by availability by phone and e-mail on the other days. For a project with a hard deadline, such as an acquisition, more days per week for a limited period is common. We review the workload with you regularly and adjust the days if necessary.

Does an interim lawyer also give tax advice?

No. Law & More does not give tax advice. Where a contract or a restructuring has tax consequences, we work together with your own tax adviser or accountant. We make sure the legal documents match the tax structure they recommend, so that you do not receive conflicting advice.

In doubt about your position? Tell us about your situation via our contact page or call +31 40 369 06 80, or e-mail info@lawandmore.nl. We will let you know within one working day what your options are.

Law & More, Marconilaan 13, 5612 HM Eindhoven (+31 40 369 06 80) and visiting location Pietersbergweg 291, 1105 BM Amsterdam (+31 20 369 71 21). Available Monday to Friday 08:00-22:00, Saturday and Sunday 09:00-17:00.

This page provides general information and does not replace advice on your specific situation.