The verdict in three sentences
For a 12-solicitor Dublin firm, an off-the-shelf platform such as Clio or LEAP lands somewhere around 50 to 150 EUR per user per month (2026 market ballpark, public prices vary by plan), which totals 36,000 to 108,000 EUR over five years, close to the 40,000 to 80,000 EUR a custom build costs before hosting. Price rarely decides it: what matters is how far your practice strays from the standard, for example heavy conveyancing volumes, insurance defence panels with their own billing guidelines, or a client portal your corporate clients expect. For most firms the strongest answer is hybrid: keep a proven platform for the core, and build a custom client portal or billing module where the product costs you hours.
What an Irish firm has to run
Three flows drive revenue and risk in an Irish practice. Time capture feeds billing. Costs disclosure is a legal duty: Section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 requires a notice to the client setting out legal costs, and it should sit on the matter so every bill can be checked against it. Client money is the third: the Law Society's Solicitors Accounts Regulations govern client accounts, reconciliations and reporting, so your system must keep office and client ledgers strictly apart.
Data protection completes the picture: GDPR applies in full, the Data Protection Commission is the regulator, and many firms want their data hosted in Ireland or at least in the EU, with access logs on every matter.
| Function | Off-the-shelf platform | Custom build | Indicative custom budget (2026 market ballpark) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time capture | Strong, timers and mobile apps | Tuned to your activity codes | 7,000 to 14,000 EUR |
| Section 150 notices | Templates | Linked to matters, flagged on every bill | 5,000 to 10,000 EUR |
| Billing and debt chasing | Complete | Panel billing guidelines, e-billing formats | 8,000 to 16,000 EUR |
| Client account ledger | Complete, built for the rules | High-risk to build, better integrated | 8,000 to 16,000 EUR |
| Matter workflows | Generic by practice area | Your conveyancing and litigation flows | 6,000 to 12,000 EUR |
| Client portal | Varies by vendor | Branded, on your access rules | 6,000 to 12,000 EUR |
One honest warning: building your own client account ledger is rarely wise. The accounting rules are detailed, audited annually by a reporting accountant, and well served by established products. Keep that in a proven platform.
Five-year cost and recovered hours
| Five-year line (12 users) | Off-the-shelf, low | Off-the-shelf, high | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licences or build | 36,000 EUR | 108,000 EUR | 40,000 to 80,000 EUR |
| Hosting and maintenance | Included | Included | 15,000 to 30,000 EUR |
| Data migration | 2,000 to 6,000 EUR | 2,000 to 6,000 EUR | 3,000 to 6,000 EUR |
| Staff onboarding | 2 days | 3 days | 2 to 3 days |
| Custom changes | Limited by vendor roadmap | Limited by vendor roadmap | Unlimited, priced as needed |
| Indicative total | 38,000 to 42,000 EUR | 110,000 to 114,000 EUR | 58,000 to 116,000 EUR |
The bigger lever is unbilled time. When time capture sits inside the workflow (emails sent, calls logged, documents drafted) instead of a Friday catch-up, firms commonly recover around 9 % of hours that would otherwise go unrecorded.
Kolonell's prices for a custom client portal or billing module connected to your current platform: simple application 3,810 to 6,100 EUR, medium application 6,100 to 10,670 EUR; a complete practice system is a complex application, 10,670 to 22,870 EUR and above. Maintenance runs 53 to 183 EUR a month.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Aoife, managing partner of a Dublin firm with 12 fee-earning solicitors.
- Recorded billable hours: 12 × 1,250 h = 15,000 h a year.
- Recovered hours: 9 % of 15,000 h = 1,350 h, of which half is actually billed after partner review, so 675 h.
- Gain: 675 h × 250 EUR average rate = 168,750 EUR a year.
- Investment: a custom time capture and billing module at 20,000 EUR, connected to the existing platform.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
The module pays for itself in under two months of recovered billing.
FAQ
Should we build our own client account system?
Almost never: the Solicitors Accounts Regulations are detailed and established products already handle them under annual audit. Spend your 40,000 to 80,000 EUR budget on the parts that set your firm apart instead.
Can a custom module work alongside Clio or LEAP?
Yes, both expose APIs or export options that a portal or billing module can read. Integration work typically adds 4,000 to 8,000 EUR, depending on the data you need.
Does our data have to be hosted in Ireland?
GDPR does not require Irish hosting, but it does require appropriate safeguards and lawful transfers outside the EU. Many firms choose EU hosting for peace of mind, at an extra 50 to 150 EUR a month.
How long does a custom build take?
Allow 4 to 6 weeks for a client portal or billing module and 10 to 16 weeks for a full practice system. Avoid go-live in the last weeks before the legal year opens in October.
How do we actually recover 9 % of unbilled time?
Capture time at the moment of work rather than at the end of the week. Firms that reconstruct timesheets on Fridays commonly miss 10 to 20 % of their hours.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your firm, your current platform and your billing pain points, and we will tell you whether a custom module makes sense, with a budget from 3,810 EUR and a rollout plan. 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.
