The verdict in three sentences
A custom case-management platform for a law firm in Berlin costs between EUR 35,000 and EUR 100,000 in 2026, depending on the number of partners and matter complexity. The real differentiator is not storage but procedural deadline tracking (a missed deadline triggers your liability) coupled with rigorous time billing. The return comes from recovered admin time and reduced unpaid invoices, often more than EUR 30,000 a year from the first financial year.
Scope and budget of a law-firm platform
Legal needs differ from accounting in two ways: secure document management (confidentiality, professional privilege) and automatic procedural deadline calculation. Add time billing, conflict checks and collections tracking.
| Module | Scope | 2026 order of magnitude (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Matter management | Matter record, parties, documents | 7,000 - 16,000 |
| Secure document vault | Vault, fine-grained rights, audit | 8,000 - 20,000 |
| Deadline tracking | Calculation, alerts, procedure diary | 7,000 - 15,000 |
| Time billing | Timesheet, fees, retainers | 6,000 - 14,000 |
| Conflict checks | Control at matter opening | 4,000 - 9,000 |
| Secure client portal | Matter tracking, document upload | 7,000 - 18,000 |
Maintenance runs 12-20% of project cost per year. For a EUR 60,000 build, expect EUR 7,200 to 12,000 annually covering fixes, security and enhancements.
Custom vs off-the-shelf legal suite
Generalist legal suites exist, but few natively calculate deadlines specific to your practice areas and your team structure.
| Criterion | Off-the-shelf suite | Custom software |
|---|---|---|
| Entry cost | EUR 0 - 5,000 | EUR 35,000 - 100,000 |
| Annual cost (12 users) | EUR 14,000 - 28,000 | EUR 7,200 - 12,000 (support) |
| Deadline calc by area | Limited | Custom |
| Vault and privilege | Standard | Hardened, auditable |
| GDPR compliance | Variable | By design |
| Time to go live | 3 - 8 weeks | 4 - 7 months |
GDPR requires data minimisation by design, access traceability and a retention policy. These are native in a custom build, whereas they must be configured, sometimes imperfectly, in a suite.
Mini case study
Mr Roche is a partner at a 12-lawyer business-law firm in Berlin. Two risks weighed on the practice: procedural deadlines tracked in a spreadsheet (one slip can cost a matter) and an unpaid-invoice rate of 7% from late, unclear billing.
With annual revenue of EUR 2.4 million, cutting unpaid invoices from 7% to 3% recovers EUR 96,000. Add roughly 2 admin hours per lawyer per week saved which, at a billable rate of EUR 130, is nearly EUR 137,000 of annual capacity recovered. A EUR 70,000 platform pays off within the first months of use.
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FAQ
Is deadline calculation legally reliable?
The tool assists and alerts, but liability stays with the lawyer. We configure rules by practice area and keep human validation; the goal is to drastically cut the risk of omission.
How is professional privilege protected in the vault?
Through fine-grained access rights, encryption and full traceability of views. Every sensitive document is logged; the architecture is auditable.
Can we bill by time and fixed fee in the same tool?
Yes. The module handles time-based fees, fixed fees and retainers, with disbursement re-billing. It is a standard scoping point.
What does GDPR compliance cost?
It is built in by design, not billed separately. A processing register and retention policy are delivered with the project.
What is a realistic timeline for a 12-lawyer firm?
Between 4 and 7 months. A core of matters + vault + deadlines ships in 16-20 weeks, with billing and the portal following in increments.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of partners, main practice areas and priorities (vault, deadlines, time billing) for a budget between EUR 35,000 and 100,000. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
