Case Study: Specialized commercial contracting support for a global consumer brand

Challenge

The client is a global leader in the food and beverage sector, with a commercial organisation spanning numerous jurisdictions and channels. Its in-house legal team, reporting to the General Counsel, managed a high volume of commercial contracting work while simultaneously advising fast-moving business stakeholders across global markets.

As commercial activity intensified, the legal function faced more contracting demand than its capacity could absorb. The client needed experienced commercial contracting expertise quickly: a lawyer capable of operating independently across international arrangements, with the language skills and commercial fluency the role demanded, without committing to a permanent hire ahead of confirmed long-term need.

Interim Legal’s specialized and customized approach

Working closely with the client’s in-house legal team, Interim Legal developed a precise understanding of the contracting workload, the stakeholders involved, and the profile of lawyer who would be effective in the environment. Drawing on its network of commercial law specialists, Interim Legal identified a candidate with strong international contracting experience, a corporate law background, and direct familiarity with food and beverage sector contexts. Rather than presenting a broad shortlist, the focus was on a single evidence led match, allowing the team to move from briefing to engagement without delay.

Outcome

• Rapid deployment: Experienced commercial counsel was placed and integrated into the GC reporting structure quickly, enabling the legal team to keep pace with demand from day one.

• Full contracting coverage: The counsel managed machine procurement, ESG partnership, and sourcing agreements across global markets throughout the engagement.
• Extended twice: Originally scoped for three months, the engagement was extended twice, reflecting the quality of the match and the sustained value delivered to the business.
• Permanently hired: The client valued the contribution so highly that the candidate was subsequently offered and accepted a permanent position, the strongest possible validation of the placement.