[Approvals and signing]

Approved inside. Signed outside. One record.

Approvers decide in order, and an approval falls away if the contract changes materially. Then each signer signs in turn. If anyone edits the document after it is sent, signing pauses. The signed contract is locked, with a certificate that shows exactly what happened and when.

Book a demo See the certificate
Kestrel Foods supply agreementMatter: Kestrel Foods, renewal 2026
Awaiting approval

Approvals, in order

  1. ARAna ReyesHead of commercial
  2. JPJames ParkFinance

Signers, in order

  1. EMElena MarshKestrel Foods
  2. OHOwen HaleYour client

Before sending, 3 of 3 done

  • KYC documents on file
  • Pricing schedule attached
  • Insurance certificate current

Ana is reviewingJames is nextApproved by both

Approvers are asked one at a time. James is asked once Ana has decided.Ana approved at 09:12. The contract is waiting for Finance.Sending for signature.
7.2The Supplier shall deliver the Goods within 14 days of each purchase order, failing which the Customer may cancel that order without penalty.
  1. Sent for approval by Daniel Mercer
  2. Ana Reyes, reviewing now
  3. James Park, waits for Ana
  4. Then sent for signature

Elena is signingElena's link is pausedElena signs the new versionOwen is signing

Each signer gets their own link. Owen's opens when Elena has signed. Her link now opens the edited contract. He chose to draw his signature.
E. Marsh Typed signature
I agree to sign electronically and that this signature binds me as if handwritten.
  1. Sent for signature
  2. Viewed by Elena Marsh
  3. Elena Marsh, signing now
  4. Owen Hale, waits for Elena
Signature certificateExecuted
SHA-256 9f2c1a7e44b0d3c85e61a9f07b2d4c3e18a6f5d0b92e7c41a3d58f6e0b7c2a91
  1. Approved by Ana Reyes
  2. Approved by James Park
  3. Sent for signature
  4. Viewed by Elena Marsh
  5. Resent after an edit to 7.2
  6. Signed by E. Marsh, typed
  7. Signed by O. Hale, drawn
  8. Executed and locked
Signed electronically. Statutory note, South African example: section 13 of ECTA 25 of 2002.
Executed. The document can no longer be edited.
Every step is written to the audit trail.

James is next. Approve to send the contract for signature.

An approval means yes to this version.

Approvers are asked in the order you set, and each sees the contract as it stands when they decide. If someone later changes it materially, the approvals already given fall away and the chain starts again. A formatting-only change doesn't restart the chain.

  • Routing rules pick the approvers, for example Finance above a contract value
  • Each decision is tied to the person who made it
  • An admin deciding for someone else must give a reason
  • Playbook sign-off runs through the same approvals
ARAna ReyesHead of commercialApproved 09:12
JPJames ParkFinance, value above $2 millionApproved 09:40
DMDaniel MercerMatter partnerApproved 10:05

All three approved this version. Change the contract and see what happens.

Firm rules that stand between a draft and a signature.

A gate comes from the rules engine. It either blocks sending or warns first. Overriding it takes a written reason, and the reason is printed on the signature certificate. If the engine itself errors, the gate fails closed.

Gate
Contracts with liability above $5 million need the matter partner's sign-off before they go for signature.
Blocked. This contract caps liability at $8 million and has no partner sign-off.
A reason unlocks it.

On the signature certificate

Signature certificate

Kestrel Foods supply agreement

FingerprintSHA-256 9f2c1a7e44b0d3c85e61a9f07b2d4c3e18a6f5d0b92e7c41a3d58f6e0b7c2a91
GateLiability above $5 million needs partner sign-off
OverrideNo override recorded.
SentNot yet sent.

Every override is printed here with the name, the time and the reason given.

  • Block stops sending until the rule is met or overridden
  • Warn lets the lawyer send after reading the warning
  • If the engine errors, the gate fails closed

Nothing goes out before the paperwork is in.

Conditions precedent are part of the send. Your team ticks its checklist before the contract can be sent, and each signer can be asked to upload or confirm something before they sign.

Before your firm sends

Tick each item. Send unlocks when all three are done.

0 of 3 done

What each signer must provide

Asked for inside the signing link, before the signature box opens.

Board resolution authorising signatureElena Marsh uploads a PDFUploaded
Confirmation of authority to signElena Marsh confirmsConfirmed
Delivery address for the GoodsA field the counterparty fills inWaiting
Copy to the procurement officerA viewer who can read, not signView only

Simple for the people signing. Strict about the record.

Counterparties need no account. They open their own link, complete what is asked of them, and sign.

One link per signer

Signers sign in the order you set, and each link opens only when it is that signer's turn.

Typed or drawn

The signer chooses, after agreeing to sign electronically.

Fields they complete

Assign a field to a signer, and they fill it in before signing.

Viewers who only read

Copy in people who should see the contract but not sign it.

Request changes

A signer can send the contract back with a note instead of signing it as it stands.

Locked once executed

After the last signature, the contract cannot be edited, only read and exported.

Everything about one contract, on one page.

The document, its versions, the discussion, the approvals, the signatures and the activity sit side by side. Nobody has to hunt through email to find out where a contract stands.

A certificate that answers who, what and when.

Every signed contract carries a certificate built from its audit trail. It shows who received it, who opened it, what they filled in and when they signed, with the address each action came from.

  • A SHA-256 fingerprint of the signed document
  • Sent, viewed, fields filled, signed and changes requested, each with a time
  • IP address for every action, with the browser kept in the audit trail
  • Gate overrides and their reasons
  • A statutory note, for example section 13 of ECTA for South Africa

Signature certificate

Kestrel Foods supply agreement, executed 23 September 2026
Document fingerprintSHA-256 9f2c1a7e44b0d3c85e61a9f07b2d4c3e18a6f5d0b92e7c41a3d58f6e0b7c2a91
Sent10:42 by Daniel Mercer
Viewed10:51 by Elena Marsh, 203.0.113.x
Uploaded10:53 Board resolution, by Elena Marsh
Signed10:55 by Elena Marsh, typed
Signed11:20 by Owen Hale, drawn, 198.51.100.x
Gate overridePartner approved by phone, confirmation to follow. Daniel Mercer, 10:40

Signed electronically. South African example of the statutory note: section 13 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002. The fingerprint above changes if a single character of the document changes.

Frequently asked questions

That depends on the law that governs the contract and on the type of document. Many legal systems recognise an electronic signature for ordinary commercial contracts, and some documents still need ink or a specific form of signature. Clausel records who signed, what they signed and when. It does not decide which form of signature your document needs, so check that against the governing law. For South African matters, for example, the certificate cites section 13 of ECTA.

Signing pauses, so nobody signs a version they have not seen. Send the new version to carry on. If the change is material, internal approvals fall away and are asked for again.

An admin can, but must give a reason, and the decision is recorded as theirs with that reason.

They choose Request changes and add a note. The contract comes back to your team in the workspace, with the note in Comments and the event in the audit trail.

If the engine itself errors, the gate fails closed and blocks the send. If a value the rule needs is missing from the record, the rule says it could not decide. It warns, unless you set that rule to block on a missing value.

[From yes inside to signed outside.]

See a signing run through Clausel in a demo, with approvers, gates and counterparties.

Book a demo Next: platform and security