Legal App Development
Our legal app development team builds secure apps for law firms and legal startups across Canada. From client portals to intake and case tools, we help legal teams spend less time on admin and more time on clients, with security planned in from the start.
- Fixed-scope quoteA written price and milestone plan before any work starts.
- From $4,999 CADTypical single-platform apps $5,000 to $12,000.
- You own the codeSource, designs and store accounts are yours.
- Reply within 24 hoursMon to Fri, Toronto time. Call +1 (365) 440-1786.
Who this is for
Legal app development serves law firms that want a client portal instead of email attachments, sole practitioners and small firms automating intake, legal clinics and non-profits managing high volumes of clients, in-house teams tracking matters and deadlines, and legal startups building document or self-help products. Privilege and confidentiality shape every decision, so the build starts with access control rather than screens.
Apps we build for legal
- Secure client portals for documents, updates, and messages
- Intake and onboarding apps that replace paper forms
- Case and matter tracking for lawyers on the go
- Document automation and e-signature apps
- Time tracking and billing apps
- Deadline and task reminder apps
Key features
- Secure sign-in and role-based access
- Encrypted messaging and document sharing
- Digital intake and consent capture
- Matter timelines, tasks, and deadline reminders
- Time tracking and invoicing
- Audit logging of document access and changes
Systems we typically integrate with
- Practice management platforms for matters, contacts and calendars
- Document management and cloud storage
- Electronic signature providers
- Accounting and trust accounting systems for billing and payments
- Court and e-filing services where available in your jurisdiction
- Identity and single sign-on for staff
Integration access is confirmed during discovery, before we quote, because vendor onboarding often takes longer than the code. Our backend and API service covers the server side of these connections.
What discovery covers for a legal project
The first week or so answers these questions, and the answers set the fixed-scope quote:
- Which practice management system is the source of truth for matters and contacts
- The retention and destruction policy the app must support
- Who may see which matter, including conflicts and ethical walls
- How clients are verified before they see documents
- Which repetitive intake or update tasks cost the most staff hours
- Whether the app is for clients, lawyers, staff or all three
Build custom or use an off-the-shelf tool?
Custom is not always the right answer. This is how we advise legal clients in the first call:
| Need | Off-the-shelf is usually enough when | Custom makes sense when |
|---|---|---|
| Client portal for documents and updates | Practice management vendors often include a basic portal | Custom when workflow, branding or adoption problems make the vendor portal unused |
| Intake and onboarding forms | Form tools handle simple intake | Custom when intake feeds conflicts checks, matter creation and engagement letters automatically |
| Document automation | Established document automation platforms are strong | Custom for the client-facing flow around them |
| Deadline and task tracking | Practice management calendars cover basics | Custom when rules-based deadlines and mobile alerts matter |
Compliance and considerations
Client information in a law practice is confidential and often privileged, and provincial law societies set rules on confidentiality, supervision of technology, record keeping and how long files must be kept. Personal information also falls under PIPEDA or the equivalent provincial law. In practice we design for Canadian data residency where the firm requires it, per-matter access controls, audit logs of every document view, encrypted messaging and export or deletion tools that match your retention policy. Electronic signatures are widely recognised under federal and provincial electronic commerce legislation, though some document types are excluded, so we build to what your practice lead confirms. We are developers, not your legal advisors.
What drives the cost of a legal app
Most apps we build land between $5,000 and $25,000, with complex platforms from about $25,000. These drivers decide where yours sits, far more than the screen count does. See our price sheet.
| Cost driver | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Access control and audit | Per-matter permissions, ethical walls and full audit trails take careful design and testing. |
| Practice system integration | Matters, contacts, documents and time each need mapping to the vendor API. |
| Client identity | Verifying and supporting external users securely adds flows and support. |
| Document handling | Versioning, previews, redaction and secure storage add engineering. |
| Billing and trust accounting | Payments that touch trust accounts need precise handling and reconciliation. |
Timelines
- Focused first version. 6 to 10 weeks for an iOS and Android client portal or intake app connected to an existing practice system.
- Full platform. 3 to 6 months for a platform spanning portal, matter tools, documents and billing.
What moves these ranges:
- Vendor API access
- Firm review of security and retention design
- How quickly decisions and feedback come back each week
- Scope changes mid-build, which we quote before starting
Common mistakes we help you avoid
- Allowing email as a parallel channel, so the portal is never adopted
- Storing client documents outside Canada without checking firm policy
- Skipping audit logs until an incident
- Treating retention as a future problem
- Building intake that does not create the matter automatically
What a first version can look like
Illustrative example: a family law firm spends hours each week emailing updates and chasing documents. Version one is a client portal app with secure messaging, document requests with upload reminders, matter status updates and appointment booking, all synced to the practice management system. Lawyer-side mobile tools for time capture and deadline alerts are phase two.
Why legal companies choose us
- We design around how a firm actually works, so lawyers and staff adopt the app
- Experience building secure portals and document workflows
- Security planned into the build: access controls, logging, and encryption
- Fixed-scope quotes and milestone billing, so costs stay predictable
- You own all source code, designs, and documentation at handover
- Support plans that keep the app current as platforms change
See every industry we serve, compare project pricing, or read how a project runs before you send us a brief.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Yes. We plan for Canadian data residency, encryption, and per-user access controls, and we build to the standards your firm requires.
Often yes, where your software provides an API. We review what is available, then build the integration against a test environment first.
A focused first version is usually 6 to 10 weeks on iOS and Android, or 4 to 8 weeks on one platform. Larger builds run 3 to 6 months, delivered in phases.
It depends on scope. Tell us about your project and get a free, no-obligation quote for your actual requirements.
Yes. We build retention periods, exports and secure deletion to the policy your firm sets, with audit logs that show who accessed what and when.
The main drivers are access control depth, practice system integration, document handling and billing. Most apps in this sector cost $8,000 to $25,000 with us, and builds with heavy integrations run $25,000 to $50,000+. You get a fixed-scope quote once those are clear.
Free quote
Tell us about your app
A senior engineer reads your brief and replies within 24 hours with questions and a fixed-scope estimate. No obligation and no sales sequence.
- Written, fixed-scope quote before any work starts
- You own the code, designs and accounts
- Typical apps from $4,999 CAD
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