Pocketlaw’s Approval Workflows and Required Signatories features ensure that contracts are reviewed and signed by the right stakeholders before moving to eSigning.
Pocketlaw’s Approval Workflows and Required Signatories features ensure that contracts are reviewed and signed by the right stakeholders before moving to eSigning. These tools provide a structured, compliant contract review process by allowing you to:
- Predefine required approvers and signatories at the template level
- Assign entire teams as approvers or required signatories
- Select specific approvers for more efficient review
- Request voluntary approvals when formal sign-off is not mandatory
How Approval Workflows Work
Assigning Approvers
- Navigate to the Templates section and click the three dots (…) next to a template.
- Select Manage Approvers and add:
- Specific individuals as approvers.
- Entire teams as approvers, with the option to require approval from:
- All team members (everyone must approve).
- Only one team member (the user requesting approval selects the most relevant team member).
- Define whether approval is required from:
- All assigned approvers
- Any one of the approvers
- One specific person from a designated team
📌 Need help creating teams? Read more here.
Selecting a Specific Approver
- If a template allows approval by any one of multiple approvers, the user can select a specific person to send the request to.
- Example: If the Legal Team is assigned as an approver group, the user can choose a specific legal team member rather than notifying everyone.
- Once the selected approver approves, the process is complete.
Initiating an Approval Request
- Open the contract and select Approval Requested (top left of the contract).
- Add a personalized message to the approver.
- Click Send Request to initiate the workflow.
Proceeding Confidently
- If any changes are made to a contract during the approval process, the approval workflow is automatically canceled, requiring a new request.
- This ensures that approvers always review the final version before moving forward.
Reviewing and Approving
- Approvers receive an email notification prompting them to review the document.
- Clicking Review Document allows them to:
- Access the contract
- Leave comments or feedback
- Approve or reject the request
- If rejecting or approving, approvers can include a message to inform the contract owner of their decision.
Notifications & Next Steps
- The contract owner receives an email when the document is approved or rejected.
- If approved, the document is:
- Locked for editing
- Ready for signing parties to be added and sent for eSigning
Approval Workflow Activity Log
A dedicated Activity tab under Document View > Approval tracks all approval-related actions, including:
- Who received the approval request
- Approval and rejection decisions
- Any messages exchanged during the approval process
This activity log remains accessible even after the document is signed, providing a complete audit trail.
Voluntary Approval Requests
- Even if a contract does not require approval, users can voluntarily request approval from a colleague within Pocketlaw.
- This allows for formal internal reviews before eSigning.
- All voluntary approval events are recorded in the activity log, just like standard approvals.
How Required Signatories Work
Required Signatories ensure that contracts are always signed by the correct stakeholders by predefining signing parties at the template level.
Assigning Required Signatories
- Navigate to the Templates section and click the three dots (…) next to a template.
- Select Manage Signing Parties and add:
- Individuals who must sign all documents generated from this template.
- Teams assigned as signatories, ensuring compliance and control.
Non-Negotiable Sign-Off
- These signatories are automatically included in all documents based on the template.
Adding Additional Signatories
- Document creators can add additional signers to their draft.
- Any required signatories will always be positioned first in the signing order.
Why Use Approval Workflows & Required Signatories?
- Predefine trusted reviewers and signers at the template level
- Ensure compliance by locking required signers in place
- Reduce delays by streamlining approvals and signature collection
- Full transparency with an audit log tracking all approval decisions
- Increase efficiency by assigning teams or individuals as approvers/signers
By combining Approval Workflows and Required Signatories, Pocketlaw ensures a structured, compliant, and efficient contract management process.