The verdict in three sentences
A client portal pays off for a corporate firm as soon as chasers ("where is my matter?", "which document are you missing?") eat up non-billable hours. For 35 lawyers and 400 live matters, a custom MVP costs GBP 40,000 to 70,000 and ships in 4 to 5 months, e-signature included. Specialist health-data hosting is not required, but encryption and access logging are non-negotiable under client confidentiality and SRA rules.
Scoping a useful MVP, not a monster
The classic trap is trying to rebuild the firm's whole practice management system inside the portal. A good MVP covers what the client sees and does: track, upload, sign, pay. Everything else stays in your practice management system (Clio, Actionstep, Peppermint, Tikit) and syncs to the portal through a connector.
| Module | In the MVP | 2026 range (GBP, ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Strong authentication (MFA) and multi-user client accounts | Yes | 4,500 to 7,000 |
| Matter dashboard and milestones | Yes | 7,000 to 12,000 |
| Encrypted document upload with checklist | Yes | 6,000 to 10,500 |
| Integrated e-signature (DocuSign, Yousign) | Yes | 3,500 to 7,000 |
| Practice management connector | Yes | 7,000 to 16,000 |
| Logging, encryption, penetration testing | Yes | 5,500 to 8,500 |
| Design, QA, rollout support | Yes | 6,500 to 9,000 |
| Total MVP | 40,000 to 70,000 |
The range depends mostly on the connector: a practice management system with a documented API costs half as much to integrate as one requiring scheduled database exports.
Running costs and regulatory constraints
The SRA Code of Conduct (confidentiality duty, paragraph 6.3), UK GDPR and client outside counsel guidelines demand high security. The data is not health data, but UK or EU hosting, encryption at rest and an audit trail of every view are what in-house legal teams expect.
| Running cost | 2026 cost | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| E-signature | GBP 1 to 2.50 per envelope | Simple or advanced signature |
| Encrypted UK hosting | GBP 220 to 520 per month | Servers, backups, document storage |
| Application maintenance retainer | GBP 1,000 to 2,200 per month | Fixes, minor changes, monitoring |
| Annual penetration test | GBP 3,500 to 7,000 per year | Required by many large clients |
| Storage licences and SMS MFA | GBP 40 to 170 per month | Depends on active clients |
For 400 live matters and about 1,500 signatures a year, allow GBP 17,000 to 35,000 in total annual running costs.
A 4 to 5 month timeline
The project splits into discovery (3 weeks), journey design and mock-ups (3 weeks), development in two-week sprints (8 to 10 weeks), then a pilot with 10 volunteer clients (3 weeks) before full rollout. The pilot is essential: it exposes milestone labels that non-lawyer clients find opaque.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
James, managing partner of a 35-lawyer firm in the City, finds that associates each spend an average of 3 hours a week answering client chasers and requesting documents. Across 30 fee earners, that is 90 hours a week. A 30 % drop in chaser emails frees 27 hours weekly, about 1,200 hours a year. Even if only a third is redeployed to billable work at GBP 300 an hour, the gain reaches GBP 120,000 a year. With a GBP 55,000 MVP and GBP 26,000 of annual costs, payback comes in under a year.
FAQ
Why not use the portal bundled with our practice management system?
It is a good option if the experience suits your clients. Bundled portals often cost GBP 3 to 7 per user per month, but handle matter-type milestones (M&A, disputes, restructuring) poorly.
Is an e-signature as valid as a handwritten one?
The Law Commission confirmed in 2019 that electronic signatures are valid in England and Wales for most documents. For engagement letters and routine documents, an advanced signature at GBP 2 to 2.50 per envelope is enough; deeds may need witnessing workflows.
Do we need specialist hosting?
Not unless you handle clinical negligence files with health data. ISO 27001 UK hosting with encryption costs GBP 220 to 520 a month.
How long before clients actually use it?
Typically 60 to 70 % of active clients log in at least once in the first 3 months, provided every new engagement letter includes the portal invitation.
Can we invoice and collect payments through the portal?
Yes, in phase 2: invoice display and card or bank transfer payment for an extra GBP 5,000 to 10,000.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your practice management system, number of live matters and priority features, and we will propose an MVP scope, a budget and a timeline. 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.
