The verdict in three sentences
A custom case management tool costs EUR 50,000 to 130,000 in 2026, versus EUR 40 to 90/user/month for legal SaaS. The decisive lever is not price but recovered billing: solid time tracking lifts billable revenue by +5 to +12 %. Budget 5 to 9 months of development and a 15 to 18 %/year maintenance fee.
Custom or legal SaaS: the comparison
For a 20-strong firm, here is the 2026 order of magnitude over five years.
| Item (20 users) | Legal SaaS | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Build / configuration | EUR 4,000 | EUR 85,000 |
| Annual subscription | EUR 15,600 (65 x 20) | EUR 0 |
| Maintenance / year | included | EUR 14,025 (16.5 %) |
| Secure hosting / year | included | EUR 3,000 |
| Cost over 5 years | EUR 82,000 | EUR 170,100 |
| Conflict-of-interest checks | standard | tailored |
| Ownership & confidentiality | shared | dedicated |
SaaS stays lighter on cash, but a firm handling sensitive matters values dedicated confidentiality and its own conflict rules, hard to get off the shelf.
Modules to scope in the quote
A serious quote details modules, not just a lump sum. Here are the blocks and their weight.
| Module | Role | Budget weight |
|---|---|---|
| Matter management | System core | 25 % |
| Timesheet & time tracking | Billing base | 20 % |
| Billing & fees | Cash collection | 15 % |
| DMS & document templates | Productivity | 15 % |
| Conflict-of-interest engine | Ethics compliance | 10 % |
| Secure client portal | Relationship & sharing | 10 % |
| Analytics & profitability | Partner steering | 5 % |
Mini case study
Mr Hughes, partner in an 18-person firm in London, sees a billing rate of 72 % of time actually worked. The average hourly rate is EUR 180. Raising recorded time to 80 % through a smooth timesheet lets each lawyer bill about 1.5 more hours a day. Across 12 fee earners and 210 days that is 3,780 hours, or EUR 680,400 of potential extra billing. Even capturing a third of that gain, the EUR 85,000 tool pays back in months.
FAQ
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Isn't legal SaaS enough for a small firm?
Below 10 users, SaaS is often the right call. Beyond that, or as soon as you have complex fee workflows, custom pays off through recovered billing.
How are conflicts of interest handled?
An engine automatically checks, when a matter is opened, existing opposing parties and clients, then blocks or alerts according to your configured ethics rules.
What is a realistic timeline?
5 to 9 months in 2026 depending on the number of modules; a matters + timesheet core can ship in 3 to 4 months to start measuring gains.
Is the data properly secured?
Yes: dedicated European hosting, encryption, access logging and backups, with a secure hosting budget around EUR 3,000/year.
Can we migrate matters from an old tool?
Yes, data migration is scoped up front; it usually represents 5 to 10 % of budget depending on the state of existing data.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your fee-earner headcount, your current recording rate and your fee rules, and we will price a matters + timesheet core with an indicative budget and schedule. 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.
