Frequently asked questions

Q1. What is on-demand legal counsel?

On-demand legal counsel is senior commercial legal support that companies in Switzerland bring in only when they need it, instead of making a full-time hire or sending every matter to a law firm. I provide it as senior commercial counsel with more than 15 years of in-house experience. You can engage me by the hour, on a monthly retainer for a set number of hours, or for a fixed fee per document or project. SMEs and larger companies bring me in for specific deals, contracts and projects, to add capacity to their in-house team, and especially when the workload surges unexpectedly: an urgent deal, or a key deadline moving forward.

Q2. What is a fractional General Counsel (or part-time in-house counsel)?

A fractional General Counsel, also called part-time, outsourced or external in-house counsel, is a senior legal adviser who supports your company on an ongoing, part-time basis rather than as a full-time employee. That is how I work with clients who want continuity: a monthly retainer for a set number of hours, with unused hours carried over to the following month. I normally work from my own office, but I can also use a company email address, work in your systems or come on site when the arrangement calls for it.

Q3. How is on-demand legal counsel different from using a traditional law firm?

You get senior work, quickly, on terms that suit you. You deal directly with me, the person doing the work, with turnaround matched to your deal timelines, and I can take on sudden surges in your workload, such as an urgent deal or a deadline brought forward. My fees are flexible: hourly rates well below what law firms charge for senior lawyers, a monthly retainer, or fixed fees per document or project. And because I spent more than 15 years as in-house counsel, negotiating deals and living with the contracts afterwards, my advice aims to get deals done, not to eliminate every theoretical risk. Law firms remain the right choice for litigation, court matters and specialised tax or M&A work. I complement them for everyday commercial contracts and negotiations.

Q4. Can we use you alongside our existing law firm?

Yes. You don’t need to end an existing relationship to work with me. Keep your law firm for litigation, court matters and specialised work, and bring your everyday contracts, negotiations and supplier terms to me, including when your needs surge unexpectedly. Where my work overlaps with your law firm’s, for example a contract that also raises tax or corporate questions, I liaise with them directly, so nothing falls between the cracks and you aren’t left relaying messages.

Q5. When should I use on-demand legal counsel instead of hiring an in-house lawyer?

On-demand counsel is usually the right choice when your legal workload is uneven or does not yet justify a full-time hire. Typical situations: a complex deal or major contract that needs senior attention; a sudden surge in work; a project that needs experienced handling of commercial agreements of any kind, from supplier and customer contracts to software licensing and data protection; a check of your key contracts against your insurance cover; or a growing company that is not ready for permanent in-house counsel but does not want to send every contract to a law firm. In each case, you get senior in-house experience when you need it, without committing to a permanent hire.

Q6. Can you work alongside our existing in-house legal team?

Yes. I support in-house legal teams in three ways: as overflow capacity when the team is stretched, as interim legal counsel, or interim General Counsel, during any leave or absence, or a vacancy, and as project counsel, taking a major procurement, licensing or contracting project from start to finish. Because you engage me directly, rather than through a recruiter or interim agency, there is no search process and no intermediary: we can agree the arrangement in a single conversation, and I can usually start within days. Your General Counsel sets the priorities and remains the internal owner of the relationship. I take agreed matters end to end, working with your templates, playbooks and processes. Having been in-house counsel myself, I know how to fit into an existing team quickly and work the way it does.

Q7. Do you take short-notice and overflow work?

Yes. Much of my work arrives at short notice and on an unpredictable schedule, so this way of working is routine for me. Typical examples: a contract redline arrives the day before signing, a supplier or customer pushes for a fast turnaround, or a deadline moves forward while your team is busy with other priorities. You brief me directly, and I review, mark up or negotiate the document without a lengthy onboarding process, so the deal keeps moving.

Q8. How do you charge — hourly, fixed fee or retainer?

All three, so you can choose what fits the work. Hourly billing suits ad hoc questions and matters where the scope is still open. A monthly retainer suits ongoing or overflow support: you reserve a set number of hours each month, and unused hours carry over to the following month. Fixed fees, agreed in advance, suit work with a clear scope, such as reviewing an NDA or a supplier agreement, a contract health check, or a defined contracting project. For a document review, the fee depends mainly on the type of document, its length and how quickly you need it, and I confirm it before starting. We start with a short, free call to discuss what you need, and for larger matters I confirm the scope and fees in writing, so you know what to expect before any work begins.

Q9. What does a typical retainer look like?

There is no standard package: every retainer is built around your needs. We agree together on a number of hours each month that fits your workload, for a fixed monthly fee. The retainer covers whatever we agree it should, such as contract review and negotiation, supplier terms, NDAs, data protection questions (DSG and GDPR) and day-to-day commercial advice. Unused hours carry over to the following month, so you don’t lose value in a quiet month. If a month needs more time, I’ll let you know before going beyond your reserved hours, and additional hours are billed at the agreed hourly rate. As your needs change, we adjust the hours, and for heavier workloads we can agree a retainer in days.

Q10. How quickly can you start on a new matter?

Quickly. For most matters I can start within a day or two of our first call, and urgent work, such as a deal closing in days or a counterparty deadline, can often begin the same day. Before starting, I run a quick conflict check and we confirm the terms of the engagement, which for a small matter can be as simple as an email. Because you deal directly with me, there is no internal staffing process and no waiting for a team to become available: the work begins as soon as we agree it should.

Q11. What is a contract health check (contract review), and does it cover our insurance?

A contract health check is a fixed-fee review of your key contracts that tells you, in plain terms, where you stand: which risks you have accepted, which clauses could cause problems later, and what to change. A central part of it is checking those risks against your insurance, because many businesses agree to liability caps, indemnities and warranties without checking them against their cover, and only discover the gap when something goes wrong. Alongside that, I look at:

• automatic renewals and notice deadlines that can lock you in
• termination and exit rights
• change-of-control clauses that a sale, new investor or succession could trigger
• conflicts between your general terms and the other side’s
• insurance you have promised to carry, or require from your suppliers

The check can cover a single contract or a handful, and the scope adapts to your concerns. It is also worth doing when the law changes, for example with the new EU product liability rules, which treat software as a product from December 2026. You receive a clear written summary with prioritised recommendations: clauses to change at the next negotiation or renewal, and points to raise with your insurance broker. Drawing on more than 15 years of negotiating these terms in-house, it goes further than a standard contract review. The fee is agreed in advance.

Q12. Can you help with SaaS, software and IT contracts?

Yes. I have drafted and negotiated software and IT agreements from both sides of the table, including software in-licensing and out-licensing, SaaS agreements, whether you are buying or selling, and IT outsourcing and custom development agreements. I focus on the commercial substance rather than the boilerplate: scope and acceptance, IP ownership, service levels and credits, security, exit rights and liability, with the standard data processing terms reviewed as part of the overall deal. I also check that the liability you accept is matched by your insurance cover, and that the terms will still work for you years into the relationship.

Q13. Do you draft and review supplier and procurement agreements?

Yes. Procurement has been a large part of my in-house work, from single supplier contracts to master purchasing agreements, framework agreements and contract manufacturing. I also draft and review general terms and conditions (AGB) for purchasing or sales. The aim is a contract that works in practice: clear on scope, pricing, delivery, quality and IP, and on what happens when things go wrong. I pay particular attention to supplier liability and indemnities, and to whether the insurance you require from suppliers, and your own cover, match the risks in the contract.

Q14. Do you support cross-border commercial deals?

Yes. International contracts have been central to my in-house career, including negotiating cross-border deals of up to CHF 600 million. I work with Swiss-based companies dealing with suppliers, customers and partners abroad. My dual training in common law and civil law at McGill, together with English, French and German, helps me understand how counterparties from different legal traditions approach a contract. I focus on the points that matter most across borders: which law governs the contract, how disputes will be resolved, delivery terms, clauses that reflect your finance team’s approach to currency and exchange rates, and how the legal, technical and engineering requirements fit together.

Q15. Can you help with data protection (DSG and GDPR) in our contracts?

Yes, from a commercial and contractual angle. Companies in Switzerland have to comply with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP, or DSG in German), and often with the EU’s GDPR as well. I focus on where this shows up in your contracts: liability for data breaches, security commitments, cross-border data transfers, and data processing agreements with suppliers and customers. I also check whether the liability you accept for data incidents is matched by your insurance cover, such as cyber insurance, so that a breach doesn’t leave you exposed.

Q16. Which industries do you have experience in?

As a commercial generalist, I work with companies in any sector. My in-house roles have given me particular depth in aerospace, aviation, defence, software and technology, and logistics, at companies including Pilatus Aircraft, Jet Aviation, L-3 Harris, Scandit and Canada Post. The common thread is complex contracts that combine legal, commercial and technical requirements, and that experience carries over well to other industries, from manufacturing to services.

Q17. Are you admitted to the Swiss bar, and can you represent us in court?

No. I am qualified in Ontario (Canada) and Vermont (US), and I am not admitted as a lawyer in Switzerland, so I do not represent clients before Swiss courts. My work is commercial: reviewing, drafting and negotiating contracts, and advising on contractual and commercial risk. Court work stays with your law firm, and I can keep supporting you on the commercial side alongside them.

Q18. What languages do you work in?

My working languages are English, French and German, and I have worked extensively in all three. I review, advise and negotiate in any of them, and I draft contracts in English or French.

Q19. How do you handle conflicts of interest?

Before taking on any new matter, I check for conflicts. I never act for both sides of the same matter, I do not act against a current client without their consent, and I do not act against a former client in a related matter or where what I learned working for them could be relevant. Everything you share with me is kept strictly confidential.

Q20. Can we put an NDA in place before discussing the matter?

Yes. I’m happy to put an NDA in place before we discuss any details. I can provide a short mutual NDA, usually the same day, or we can work from your template.

Q21. How do we get started?

I’m based in Basel and work with companies across Switzerland. Get in touch by phone, email or the contact form and tell me briefly what you need. We then have a short, free call to discuss the matter and agree how to work together: by the hour, on a retainer or for a fixed fee. Once I have checked for conflicts and we have confirmed the terms, which for a small matter can be done by email, I can usually start within a day or two, and often the same day for urgent work.