New website for an international arbitration and corporate law firm in Frankfurt: real cost vs local agencies (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For a Frankfurt international arbitration and corporate law firm, local agency quotes for a new website usually land between EUR 15,000 and 60,000, while Kolonell works on a fixed grid of EUR 2,700 (Starter), EUR 4,500 (Growth) and EUR 8,200 (Premium). The gap is real, but the decisive cost often sits elsewhere: partner bios, German and English copy, compliance review and integrations, which add up whichever provider you choose. A remote studio is the sensible choice for a boutique that wants a credible, fast, well-written site; a local agency earns its fee when you need weekly workshops in your conference room or a deep CRM build.

What does a new site cost in Frankfurt in 2026?

Frankfurt's legal market sits next to the ECB, BaFin and a dense cluster of banks, so many arbitration and corporate practices compete for the same general counsel, in-house teams and boards. Agency pricing reflects that: law firm specialists in the city bill on day rates and long discovery phases. The figures below are a 2026 ballpark from typical agency quotes and public rate pages in Germany; they are not formal benchmarks.

Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks (4 to 6 for Premium) and 3 months of support. A firm that needs German and English pages would look at Premium, the multilingual tier, in German and English. Client portals, data room access, conflict check forms wired to your systems and other integrations are priced on quote. The full scope is on the international offer page.

What an arbitration practice site must prove

General counsel and state clients choose arbitration counsel on the reputation of named partners, experience with the institutions and seats that matter to them, languages and sector depth. Your site does not need to win the pitch, but it must survive the due diligence that happens before the shortlist call.

• Partner pages with qualifications, bar admissions, languages, arbitrator and counsel roles described factually.
• Practice pages for commercial arbitration, investment treaty work, post-M&A disputes, construction and energy, and corporate advisory, each with the institutional frameworks you work under (ICC, DIS, LCIA, SIAC, HKIAC, ICSID, mentioned generally and only where accurate).
• Seats and hearing locations you regularly handle.
• Insights: dated commentary on procedural developments, which signals active practice without disclosing matters.
• Impressum and privacy notice, which German law requires for commercial websites, plus a GDPR and BDSG compliant contact flow.
• Careers page for associates and trainees, where a lot of German law firm traffic actually lands.

German lawyer advertising is regulated by professional rules that restrict misleading or purely promotional claims. Keep claims factual, avoid invented rankings and awards, and never describe confidential matters. This is not legal advice.

For reference, Kolonell built the website of TR Signing Group (trsigninggroup.com), a signing services company in New Jersey: a professional services site where credibility, clear process and trust signals do the heavy lifting.

Hidden costs and the three-year view

The headline price is rarely the bill. Content, translation, photography and the bar-rules read-through are the lines that surprise managing partners. The table below compares three-year totals; every third-party and maintenance figure is a market assumption, not a Kolonell price.

With a local agency at EUR 25,000 plus EUR 450 per month of maintenance as a market assumption over 33 months, the three-year total reaches roughly EUR 39,850 before integrations. That is the number to compare, not the build price alone.

When a local agency is the better choice

Be honest about fit. A Frankfurt agency is worth the premium if your firm runs a formal tender with several partners in every meeting, needs German-language workshops on site, or plans a deep integration with document management and CRM from day one. It also helps if the marketing team wants one supplier for print, events and the website. A remote studio fits boutiques and mid-size practices that want a clear, credible site in weeks, and that are happy to work through video calls and a structured brief.

Questions to ask any provider

• Who writes the German and English copy, and are they native speakers?
• What exactly is included after launch, and for how many months?
• Who owns the domain, hosting account and code?
• How do you handle the Impressum, cookie consent and privacy notice?
• Which integrations are in scope, and which are on quote?

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Mainzer Schiedsrecht Partners, a fictional eight-lawyer arbitration and corporate boutique in Frankfurt, received a local quote of EUR 32,000 with a five-month timeline. It chose Kolonell Premium, the multilingual tier, in German and English at EUR 8,200, added EUR 2,400 of partner photography (market assumption) and EUR 1,800 for legal proofreading of the German pages (market assumption). Total: EUR 12,400, a difference of EUR 19,600 against the local quote, with launch in 6 weeks instead of 20. The firm kept its CRM integration for a later phase, on quote.

FAQ

Is EUR 2,700 enough for an arbitration firm website?

Starter suits a small practice with a focused page set and clear partner bios. Most arbitration boutiques with several practice areas and an insights section are better served by Growth at EUR 4,500.

Do we need German and English?

If your clients include German corporates and international counterparties, usually yes. That is the Premium tier at EUR 8,200, the multilingual tier, with languages set in the quote.

Who handles the Impressum and privacy notice?

The site is built with the required pages and a compliant contact flow, but the legal content must be validated by your firm. Budget 2 to 4 partner hours for that review.

What happens after the 3 months of support?

Maintenance is priced on quote. Local agencies often charge EUR 300 to 600 per month, a 2026 market assumption to keep in your comparison.

Can you connect the site to our CRM or a client portal?

Yes, but integrations, gated areas and portals are on quote, scoped after a short technical review of your systems.

Let's scope your project. Tell us your practice areas, languages and launch date, and we will confirm the right tier, Growth or Premium, with a delivery plan of 3 to 6 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.