Interim lawyers,
personally selected
Does your team or department temporarily need a lawyer or legal counsel? I take the whole process off your hands: I find and assess the right candidates, take care of the contracts and invoice one transparent rate, the professional's hourly rate plus 15%, all-in.
I run the search, assess the candidates, arrange the contracts and handle invoicing. From request to completion you deal with one person.
One margin on the professional's hourly rate, without a placement fee or upfront costs.
A shortlist usually within a week, often sooner when urgent, with my own assessment of each candidate.
Search and selection by a lawyer
I am Guus Nieuwenhuijzen Kruseman, a lawyer by training and a former attorney. I have worked in the legal field for over ten years, most of it in search, and I place both permanent and interim professionals. That is how I know the market from the inside and the outside.
When I take on an assignment, I do not wait to see who responds. I search directly and specifically for the best-fitting candidates, including people who have not actively signalled their availability. I speak to every candidate myself and advise you on the final choice.
I follow the market for independent lawyers continuously and know it well, from attorneys and civil-law notaries to in-house counsel and company secretaries. I also speak regularly with General Counsels and partners about developments in practice. In 2026 I published a survey of sixty General Counsels on the impact of AI on legal teams; I use its findings in my advice on interim solutions as well.
When interim is the right choice
Interim works best when the need is temporary, or when the permanent solution is not yet clear. Usually it is one of these situations.
A lawyer is temporarily absent through leave, departure or illness; in a small team especially, that is felt immediately.
There is a defined project: a transaction, a reorganisation, cleaning up a contract portfolio or a process with the regulator.
A start-up or scale-up needs its first lawyer, or an interim General Counsel to set up the department while the permanent search is under way.
A scarce specialism is needed for a limited period, for example privacy, intellectual property, employment law or financial regulation.
An organisation does not yet need a full-time lawyer, but does need an experienced General Counsel one or two days a week as a fixed point of contact for management and the board (fractional General Counsel).
Two kinds of interim
Most assignments are classic interim work: a lawyer who steps in temporarily. A growing number are about improving the legal function itself. I specialise in both.
Interim legal
Lawyers, candidate civil-law notaries and in-house counsel, from mid-level to General Counsel and, in private practice, up to and including (former) partner level, for law firms, notarial firms and legal departments. Across almost every area of law: from corporate law, M&A and commercial contracting to employment law, privacy and IT, banking & finance, financial regulation and administrative and environmental law.
Interim legal innovation
Professionals who are not (mainly) engaged for the legal work itself, but improve the legal function or its technical infrastructure. Think of a legal operations professional or legal engineer who puts processes, systems and their architecture in order, a project lead for the implementation of a contract management system or AI tools, or a knowledge or innovation manager at a law firm. They are often lawyers with a second discipline. I have been following this development for some time, including through my survey of General Counsels on the use of AI and its impact on legal departments.
Scarce specialisms
In a number of areas the market is particularly tight. I know those markets well too.
Financial regulation
Wft, DORA and processes with the AFM or DNB.
AI Act and AI governance
From new obligations to policy, guidelines, contracts and internal controls.
Export control and sanctions
Dual-use, sanctions and trade compliance.
Privacy and data protection
Including the role of data protection officer.
Competition law and state aid
Merger control, cartel matters and state aid.
ESG and sustainability reporting
CSRD reporting and the legal aspects of sustainability.
Fractional General Counsel
For organisations that do not need a full-time lawyer but do want an experienced General Counsel as a fixed point of contact: one or two days a week, for a longer period, on the same contracts and at the same rate. Suited to scale-ups, family businesses and organisations where responsibility for legal matters currently sits with the CFO.
From request to start in four steps
The contracts are ready before you call. What remains is finding the right person and agreeing the assignment-specific terms.
Request
You describe in the form what you are looking for: area of law, level, hours per week, preferred start date and what the assignment should deliver. The same or the next working day I call you to sharpen the brief and discuss what is realistic.
Shortlist
I search my own network and beyond, and speak to the candidates myself. You receive a shortlist, usually within a week and often sooner when urgent, with each candidate's relevant experience, availability, hourly rate and my own assessment.
Interview and contract
You meet the candidate or candidates of your choice; I can join if you wish. When there is a match, I record the terms in an engagement letter with you and a services agreement with the professional. Both documents are ready; only the assignment-specific terms are filled in.
Start and invoicing
The professional starts on the agreed date. You receive one invoice a month, based on the timesheets you have approved. Throughout the assignment I remain the point of contact for you and for the professional.
Prefer to talk it through first? A short conversation is usually enough to know where you stand.
One rate: the hourly rate plus 15%
The professional sets their own hourly rate. My fee is 15% on top. Together those two amounts make up the rate you pay; they are shown separately on the invoice. There are no upfront costs or placement fee, and no minimum commitment.
Worked example
A senior legal counsel with an hourly rate of €130 costs you €149.50 per hour. At 32 hours a week that comes to around €20,700 a month excluding VAT, of which around €2,700 is my fee.
What is included
The search and the interviews with candidates; the contracts, including confidentiality and liability terms; monthly invoicing based on approved hours; and support during the assignment, including proposing a replacement if the collaboration does not work out well.
Transfer to permanent
Would you and the professional like to enter into an employment relationship after the assignment? That is possible. The terms, including the fee, are set out in advance in the engagement letter.
The contracts and the Dutch DBA Act
My contracts were drafted by a specialised lawyer and are based on the Dutch Tax Administration's general model intermediary agreement (no. 90821.25537.3.0). This model agreement is approved and, according to the Tax Administration, may be used until 31 December 2029, even now that no new model agreements are being assessed.
The structure is as follows. You sign an engagement letter with me; I sign a services agreement with the independent professional. Confidentiality, liability, insurance and the risk of non-payment are covered in those documents. As a result you have one contracting party and receive one invoice.
A contract alone is not enough; how the assignment is carried out in practice is ultimately decisive. That is why, with every request, I ask about the intended result, the duration and who the substantive point of contact is, and why I will say so if, in my judgement, a request is better filled through an employment contract.
Submit a request
Filling this in takes a few minutes. I will contact you the same or the next working day.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can an interim lawyer start?
You usually have a shortlist within a week, often sooner when urgent. When the professional can start depends on their availability; a start within one to four weeks is common. If you are in a hurry, let me know and we plan accordingly.
For how many hours, and for how long?
From a few days a week to full-time, for a defined period or for the duration of a project. Duration, hours and notice period are agreed per assignment in the engagement letter.
What about the Dutch DBA Act?
The contracts are based on the Dutch Tax Administration's approved model intermediary agreement, which may be used until the end of 2029. In addition, I look at how the assignment is set up when you submit your request, because the actual working relationship is ultimately decisive. You can read more under "The contracts and the Dutch DBA Act".
What if the collaboration does not work out well?
Let me know as early as possible. We discuss the situation and assess whether it can be resolved. If not, the assignment ends subject to the agreed notice period and I propose a replacement.
Can I employ the professional afterwards?
Yes, if the professional wants that too. The terms, including the fee, are set out in advance in the engagement letter.
Do you work for firms as well as companies?
Yes. At firms it is often about cover or extra capacity in a practice group; at companies about replacement, a project or setting up the function. Public bodies and institutions are welcome too, although my focus is on law firms, notarial practice and business.
Do you work as an independent lawyer?
I work with independent lawyers, in-house counsel and legal innovation professionals who run their own practice and have substantial experience as lawyers. What you can expect: assignments that fit your practice, an introductory meeting beforehand and clarity about the terms before you start. My 15% fee is published on this page, so you know what the client pays. The contracts follow the Dutch Tax Administration's model intermediary agreement; you invoice me monthly for the hours the client has approved.
Would you like to be considered for assignments? Leave your details. I will contact you when there is a suitable assignment, and I never discuss your profile with a client without your consent.
