Bilingual Website for an African Business Law Firm: London Cost (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

A London business law firm advising on OHADA law, tax and mining in Africa should budget GBP 12,000 to 26,000 for an English-French website that reassures investors and in-house legal teams, launched in 8 to 10 weeks. Value comes from 12 expertise pages, detailed partner profiles and regular legal briefings, with legal translation at GBP 0.12 to 0.18 per word. The site must comply with the SRA Code of Conduct and Transparency Rules: information, never misleading publicity.

What investors and legal departments look for

A general counsel in New York, Johannesburg or Paris looking for African expertise checks three things within minutes: command of the OHADA Uniform Acts, sector experience (mining, energy, infrastructure, banking) and the ability to work in French with local counsel. The bilingual site is not a literal translation: the French version must speak to francophone African clients, while the English version explains context (17 OHADA member states, the CCJA in Abidjan, Cameroon's bijural system) that English-speaking readers may not know.

Overall budget and options

Translation is the line that surprises most. At GBP 0.12 to 0.18 per word, a 25,000-word French version costs GBP 3,000 to 4,500. That is the price of legal translation by a specialist, reviewed by a bilingual lawyer, which is essential to avoid errors on concepts such as nantissement or injonction de payer.

Regulation: what the site can and cannot say

The SRA Transparency Rules require certain firms to publish price and service information for specific services, plus the SRA digital badge, complaints procedure and regulatory status. The SRA Code of Conduct prohibits misleading publicity and unsolicited approaches to the public. The site can present practice areas, partner backgrounds, publications and verifiable rankings. It must avoid outcome promises and naming clients without written consent. Matter references are anonymized, for example advising an international mining group on an exploitation permit in West Africa. The privacy policy must comply with UK GDPR.

Mini case study

Adaeze, managing partner of a 9-lawyer London firm focused on Africa, invests GBP 19,000 in a Standard bilingual website. The firm bills an average of GBP 25,000 per mandate from an international client. If the site contributes to a single new cross-border mandate a year, the return exceeds the investment. In practice, with two bilingual briefings a month, the firm receives 4 to 6 qualified enquiries per quarter through the site, compared with almost none before.

FAQ

Does the French version need to be as complete as the English one?

Yes, francophone clients and local counsel judge the firm on its French. It represents 30 to 40% of the total budget, translation included.

Can we name our clients on the website?

Only with written consent and without outcome promises. Most firms show 5 to 10 anonymized references per sector, which is enough to reassure.

How many briefings should we publish?

Two bilingual notes a month, 800 to 1,200 words each, are enough to rank for queries such as OHADA lawyer London. Budget GBP 500 to 1,000 a month if writing is outsourced.

Do we need a client extranet?

It helps if the firm exchanges many documents with clients across Africa. It adds GBP 3,000 to 6,000 to the project and requires secure hosting.

How long to rank in French on Google?

Expect 4 to 8 months for niche French queries. International legal directories and cited publications shorten that timeline.

Let's scope your project. Send us your practice areas, number of partners and content volume to translate: we price the bilingual website and legal translation, delivered in 8 to 10 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.