The verdict in three sentences
For a firm advising foreign investors, the website is the first due diligence filter: a fund or industrial group checks your practice areas, partners and publications before sending a single email. In 2026, a serious bilingual French and English site for a business law firm in an emerging market such as Madagascar costs roughly 12,000,000 to 28,000,000 MGA (about 2,400 to 5,600 EUR), delivered in 8 to 12 weeks. The real risk is not the price but bar ethics: a badly worded page can read as solicitation and expose the firm to disciplinary action.
What a business law firm actually pays in 2026
The budget depends less on page count than on three choices: the depth of practice area pages, a regular flow of legal briefings and the security of the intake channel. An investor preparing a stake in a mining company or a hotel concession will not fill in a generic form: they expect an encrypted channel and a reply within 24 to 48 hours.
| Item | 2026 order of magnitude (MGA) | Approx. EUR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilingual site, 10 to 15 pages | 12,000,000 to 16,000,000 | 2,400 to 3,200 | Home, firm, partners, practice areas, contact |
| Detailed practice area pages | 2,000,000 to 4,500,000 | 400 to 900 | Mining, tax, investment law, free zones |
| Legal briefings module | 1,500,000 to 3,500,000 | 300 to 700 | Notes, regulatory alerts, topic filters |
| Encrypted intake | 1,200,000 to 3,000,000 | 240 to 600 | TLS form, encrypted attachments, conflict check |
| Specialist legal translation | 800,000 to 2,500,000 | 160 to 500 | Legal translator plus partner review |
| Hosting and security | 150,000 to 400,000 per month | 30 to 80 per month | Backups, certificate, web application firewall |
| Total project | 12,000,000 to 28,000,000 | 2,400 to 5,600 | Excluding monthly hosting |
One point foreign readers often miss: Madagascar is not an OHADA member state. A clear page on the investment framework, the large mining investment regime or free zones answers their first question and positions the firm as the go-to counsel.
Bar ethics rules a law firm website must respect
Most civil law bars, including the Madagascar Bar, and many common law regulators frame lawyer advertising tightly. The site must inform, never solicit. Before launch, the responsible partner should sign off every page against the rules below.
| Rule | Allowed | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Public information | Practice areas, careers, working languages | Promising outcomes or success rates |
| Professional secrecy | Naming sectors served | Naming a client without written consent |
| Solicitation | Publishing general legal analysis | Chasing a prospect with unsolicited messages |
| Fees | Stating the billing model (fixed fee, hourly) | Teaser prices or discounts |
| Comparison | Objective description of experience | Claiming to be the best firm in the country |
| Legal notice | Bar admission, registered office, publisher | Omitting the responsible person |
| Personal data | Privacy policy, limited retention | Storing case files on an unsecured server |
Madagascar's Law 2014-038 on personal data protection applies to website forms, and investors from the EU will also expect GDPR-grade practices whenever their data crosses borders, for example to a partner in Paris or Mauritius.
A structure that converts foreign investors
A general counsel in Johannesburg or London reads three things first: who the partners are, which sectors they cover and how to reach them safely. The recommended structure fits in seven sections: bilingual home, the firm, partners with careers and bar admissions, practice areas, sectors (mining, energy, tourism, telecoms, agribusiness), briefings and secure contact.
Briefings drive search visibility. Two notes a month on dividend taxation, investment approvals or mining code reform are enough to rank for English searches such as Madagascar mining law firm. To scope the editorial work, see our SEO service.
Mini case study
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Maître Rakotomalala, partner in a 9-lawyer firm in Antananarivo, receives about 4 foreign investor matters a year, almost all by referral. Average fees for a market entry matter: 45,000,000 MGA (about 9,000 EUR). He invests 20,000,000 MGA in a bilingual site with 24 briefings in year one, plus 250,000 MGA a month of hosting, so 23,000,000 MGA in total. If the site brings only 2 additional matters a year, the firm earns 90,000,000 MGA more: the project pays back on the first matter, with a return close to 3.9 times the investment over twelve months.
FAQ
How long does the launch take?
Plan 8 to 12 weeks, including 2 to 3 weeks of drafting and legal translation. The ethics review by the responsible partner often adds one week.
Do we really need an English version?
Yes if more than 30 % of your target clients are foreign. Specialist legal translation costs roughly 800,000 to 2,500,000 MGA, far less than one lost matter.
Can we publish our fees?
You can state the billing model (fixed fee, hourly, success fee where allowed). Avoid teaser rates or discounts, which regulators may treat as solicitation.
How do we secure documents sent by a prospect?
An encrypted form with storage outside the public server and automatic deletion within 90 days covers the essentials. Budget 1,200,000 to 3,000,000 MGA depending on requirements.
Which hosting should we choose?
Managed hosting with daily backups and a web application firewall, 150,000 to 400,000 MGA a month in 2026. A server in the Indian Ocean region (Mauritius, South Africa) cuts latency for local visitors.
Let's scope your project. We define the bilingual structure, the briefing plan and the secure intake channel with you, with a go-live schedule under three months. 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.
