Counsel Operations · Switzerland
Fractional General Counsel · Switzerland

A general counsel function — without running it yourself.

NorthAlp is the fractional general counsel for Swiss SMEs where legal, tax, HR and finance interconnect. Legal, Tax, Accounting and HR delivered by one team on a monthly retainer — not on an hourly mandate.

From CHF 1,500 per month · Operated by Ludwig Limbeck AG (CHE-363.199.328) · Cham, Zug

Fit-Check · 9 questions Product details Contact
The problem

Too complex for ad hoc, too lean for a full in-house team.

Swiss SMEs between 20 and 150 FTEs run into a counsel gap: the recurring workload — contracts, HR, VAT, data protection, reporting — outgrows ad hoc advice from external counsel, but a full in-house team only pays off from around 200 FTEs or in heavily regulated sectors.

The fractional general counsel model closes that gap. It delivers the operational counsel function without requiring the company to hire and retain its own senior counsel.

A fractional general counsel is not an hourly bucket, but a recurring counsel system with fixed consultation slots, triage logic and team backup.

Disciplines

Four disciplines, one team.

NorthAlp's fractional general counsel covers four disciplines. You speak with a single point of contact who orchestrates the mandate across all four areas.

Legal Counsel

Contracts, T&Cs, NDAs, corporate law, data protection, compliance, corporate housekeeping, transaction preparation.

Tax Counsel

VAT, dividends, compensation, shareholder loans, transfer pricing, rulings, cross-border tax matters.

Accounting Counsel

Book review, ERP processes (Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, NetSuite), reporting, liquidity, year-end preparation.

HR Counsel

Employment contracts, terminations, probation, illness/accident, compensation, work permits, employee handbooks.

Four tiers

Pick the cadence that fits your volume.

Four engagement tiers, scaled by consultation frequency. Tier changes are possible within 30 days. The Embedded tier is strictly limited to one mandate per discipline.

Compact
Monthly
fromCHF1,500/month
  • Half-day consultation per month
  • Triage and topic intake
  • Senior escalation when needed
  • Best for getting started
Standard
Biweekly
fromCHF3,500/month
  • Half-day consultation every 2 weeks
  • Full four-discipline coverage
  • Contract reviews within retainer
  • Core tier for growth-stage SMEs
Intensive
Weekly
fromCHF6,500/month
  • Half-day consultation per week
  • Senior Lead Counsel engaged
  • Quarterly reviews, risk board
  • Group structures or transaction density
Embedded
Dedicated Day · strictly limited
fromCHF12,500/month
  • One full day per week dedicated
  • Max one mandate per discipline
  • On-site presence possible
  • Closest to an in-house function

Plus a one-time setup fee from CHF 2,500 (onboarding, structure review, triage calibration).

Comparison

Fractional GC vs. law firm vs. in-house counsel.

Which model fits when? A compact comparison along the dimensions that matter most in practice.

Dimension Law firm (ad hoc) NorthAlp – Fractional GC In-house counsel
BillingHourly, hard to forecastFixed monthly retainerSalary + benefits, fixed cost
ContextRebuilt per matterRecurring, context-richFully internal
Discipline breadthMostly legalLegal, Tax, Accounting, HRLimited to one hire
ScalingNegotiated per matterTier change within 30 daysFTE recruitment cycle
Single-person risk—System, not one individualIllness, attrition, sabbatical
Swiss attorney privilege (BGFA)YesNo direct – via NDA + professional standards + nDSGOnly if hire is admitted lawyer
Court representationIncludedVia partner law firmRarely in-house
Fits fromSingle matters~20 FTEs with complexity~200 FTEs or regulated sector
When to use whatNorthAlp does not replace the law firm — it complements it. Court representation under the Swiss attorney monopoly and forensic matters are referred to partner law firms. For day-to-day counsel work, the fractional GC model is faster and more economical.
Engagement flow

Four steps to a fractional general counsel.

  1. Fit-Check (9 questions). Nine online questions on size, complexity and current counsel load. Output: a tier recommendation (Compact / Standard / Intensive / Embedded) with discipline mix.
  2. Intro call (30 minutes). We validate the fit, clear open points and provide an indicative offer. No sales pressure — if the model is not the right fit, we say so.
  3. Onboarding (setup fee). Structure intake, topic backlog, triage calibration, NDA, mandate contract with Ludwig Limbeck AG. Within 2 to 4 weeks.
  4. Recurring consultations. Fixed slots, escalation paths, quarterly reviews. Tier changes possible within 30 days.
Boundaries

What the fractional GC is not.

For the model to work, the boundaries must be explicit. NorthAlp Legal is not a law firm. The following matters cannot be covered directly or only via partner law firms:

Larger workstreams are scoped and quoted separately. The retainer stays lean and predictable.

FAQ

Fractional General Counsel — frequently asked.

What is a Fractional General Counsel in Switzerland?
A senior counsel function delivered on a recurring retainer instead of an hourly mandate. NorthAlp's model — External Inhouse Counsel — covers Legal, Tax, Accounting and HR for Swiss SMEs where legal, tax, HR and finance interconnect, with fixed consultation slots and a calibrated triage logic.
When does a Fractional General Counsel make sense for a Swiss SME?
Rule of thumb: where legal, tax, HR and finance interconnect with operational complexity — multiple vendor and customer contracts, HR situations with conflict potential, cross-border exposure, growth or transaction preparation. Below that scale, ad hoc advice from a fiduciary or lawyer is usually sufficient.
What does a Fractional General Counsel cost in Switzerland?
At NorthAlp, from CHF 1,500 per month (Compact, half a day per month). Standard from CHF 3,500, Intensive from CHF 6,500, Embedded (one full day per week) from CHF 12,500. Plus a one-time setup fee from CHF 2,500.
Does NorthAlp replace a law firm?
No. Court representation under the Swiss attorney monopoly, litigation, and matters that strictly require Swiss attorney privilege (BGFA) are referred to partner law firms. The fractional general counsel covers the operational counsel workload.
Which disciplines does the service cover?
Legal (contracts, NDAs, T&Cs, corporate law, data protection, compliance), Tax (VAT, dividends, cross-border tax), Accounting (book review, ERP processes, reporting, year-end preparation) and HR (employment contracts, terminations, permits, employee handbooks).
Is NorthAlp Legal a law firm?
No. NorthAlp Legal is a counsel-operations brand operated by Ludwig Limbeck AG (UID CHE-363.199.328, Cham). Confidentiality is secured by contract (NDA), data-protection law (nDSG/GDPR) and the professional standards applicable to tax-advisory work.
How does NorthAlp differ from a traditional law firm?
Hourly mandate versus monthly retainer. Recurring context instead of matter-by-matter setup. Four disciplines from one team rather than legal-only depth. Designed for ongoing counsel operations, not for one-off litigation.
How does the engagement start?
With an onboarding phase (setup fee from CHF 2,500): structure review, topic backlog, triage calibration. After two to four weeks, the recurring consultations begin. Tier changes are possible within 30 days.
Other NorthAlp products

If EIC is not the right fit, one of these might be.

Founder Counsel

For scalable founders from incorporation. Structure, shareholdings, IP, investor-readiness, scalability. For founders where wrong structural decisions get expensive later.

See Founder Counsel

Counsel Desk

Structured counsel presence with fixed consultation slots. Remote, hybrid or on-site. Four frequency models.

See Counsel Desk

Fractional GC instead of hourly mandate.

A 30-minute intro call or the Fit-Check. We confirm whether the model fits — and if it doesn't, we'll say so.

Fit-Check · 9 questions WhatsApp Contact