INTERIM.legal is a specialist for interim management and organizational excellence in Legal and Compliance. If a vacancy needs to be filled temporarily to secure continuity in leadership of the Legal / Compliance Department, INTERIM.legal steps in, offering scalable solutions, tailored to the individual needs of the corporate client. Based on extensive management experience, INTERIM.legal offers both strategic and operational support for setting up and optimizing Legal and Compliance Departments in times of growth and change.

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​Background:

 

Matthias Leonardy is a multilingual (German / English / French) C-level business lawyer and leader with 30 years of professional experience in Germany and abroad. Working as Rechtsanwalt (German Attorney at Law) in private practice, General Counsel in various industries as well as Managing Director of industry associations, he has, inter alia, set up and managed the Legal Dept. of multimedia network operator Primacom (IPO); headed the Legal Dept. of eBay Germany as General Counsel and Business Ethics Officer; successfully restructured and led German anti-piracy organization GVU and was MD of HDF KINO, the leading German movie theatre association.

 

After his studies and doctorate in law at the U of Bonn, Germany as a scholar of the German Scholarship Foundation, he concluded his post-grad legal education in Saarbrücken, Montréal (Canada) and Speyer (U of Administrative Sciences); was  admitted to the bar of Saarbrücken / Germany in 1995; conducted repeated research and work in Canada; worked as legal teacher; and later as a lawyer for the German federal government, private companies in multiple jursidictions and industry associations. Since 2018 he is an interim manager. He is a family man and volonteer fire fighter.
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Focus:

 

His long-standing professional experience as a lawyer and leader in international companies in various phases of transition, including telecoms, online and entertainment, from start-ups and SMEs in Germany to established U.S. bluechip companies, has provided the fundamentals of his current professional focus as interim manager on process and change-management in legal and compliance.

 

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Client Feedback

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“clear business focus … creative lawyer with an "eye for the big picture” … Thoroughness and speed, resilience, reliability, know-how and experience have convinced us.”

​Márton Hagner, Head of Legal (Automotive Products), Robert Bosch GmbH

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"Legal and Compliance pro, experienced communicator with big organizational know-how"

Dr. Christine Hahn, General Counsel, Share Now

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"Self-starter with a clear analytical focus on the merits, process management skills and the courage for creativity… works with great dedication and legal knowhow."

Bernd Sengpiehl, Chief Operations Officer, IGEL Technology

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​"business savvy, highly experienced and clear-sighted business lawyer"

Daniel Hikel, General Manager DACH, Optimizely

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"Speedy process, clear and straightforward communication, pragmatic approach. Competent work with a focus on solutions tailored for the customer's business. Fair remuneration."

​Ralph Werner, Co-Founder & Managing Director, cvlogin

 

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"analyzes even the most exceptional problems within shortest period"

Andreas Makowski, Chief Information Security Officer, IGEL Technology

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"Pragmatic, knowledgeable, always collegial and appreciated for his advice – as our Interim General Counsel, Matthias reorganized our legal department, optimized processes, tackled compliance and duly onboarded his successor. Nothing slipped through the cracks, no issue was too big or too small."

Dr. Barbara Zesik, Chief People Officer, Omio

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„…clear focus on organizational excellence, combined with his profound professional experience in legal, people, process and change management…. safely steered our Legal Department through the sometimes rough waters of organizational transition, securing the seamless continuity of legal operations at all times. Our management, team and business profited greatly from his senior guidance, taking our Legal Department to a higher level.”

Annemie Ress, Global HR Director & Craig Hoskins, Asset Management Director, Sirius Facilities   

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