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Hiring a Lawyer (Accept & Hire)

Client Orders - Active Legal Matters

Once you and your lawyer have both clicked "Proceed with Scoping" and the 5-minute cooling-off period has expired, you are ready to formally hire your lawyer and pay.

The Accept & Hire Button​

In your client portal, you will see the Accept & Hire button on your scope report page.

Clicking it takes you to a Stripe Checkout page where you pay the full matter amount.

What You Are Paying​

You pay the total matter value shown in your scope report - the sum of all milestone amounts.

This payment is held in escrow - it is NOT transferred to your lawyer immediately. It is held securely in the platform's payment infrastructure and released to the lawyer only as you approve each milestone.

There is also a buyer protection fee (a small percentage of the matter value) that covers dispute resolution, escrow management, and payment protection. This is shown clearly before you confirm payment.

Payment Method​

Payment is processed via Stripe. You can pay with:

  • UK debit/credit card
  • International Visa/Mastercard
  • Apple Pay or Google Pay (where available)

eSolicitors does not store your card details - all payment information is held securely by Stripe.

What Happens After Payment​

  1. Stripe confirms payment to the platform
  2. An active order is created in both your client portal and the lawyer's portal
  3. Your lawyer receives a notification: "Your matter has started - begin work on Milestone 1"
  4. The escrow status shows: Funded - £[total] in escrow
  5. You can see all milestones, their amounts, and due dates in your orders section

Your Order Portal​

Go to Client Portal → My Orders → [Order Reference] to see:

  • Order overview - matter summary, total value, solicitor details
  • Milestones tab - each milestone with status, due date, and amount
  • Messages tab - direct secure messaging with your solicitor
  • Documents tab - all documents submitted by your solicitor or uploaded by you
  • Disbursements tab - any additional expenses claimed by your solicitor

Disbursements (Out-of-Pocket Expenses)​

Some legal matters involve disbursements - third-party costs your lawyer incurs on your behalf. Examples:

  • Court filing fees
  • Land Registry fees
  • Search fees (property matters)
  • Barrister's fees (where instructed separately)

Disbursements are NOT included in your upfront escrow payment. They are:

  1. Logged by your lawyer with a description and estimated amount
  2. You receive a notification to review and approve each disbursement
  3. If you approve, Stripe charges your card directly for the disbursement amount
  4. The lawyer provides a receipt after payment

You are never charged for a disbursement without your explicit approval.

Changing Your Mind After Paying​

If you have paid but the work has not yet started, contact your solicitor via the platform's messaging system to discuss. If you cannot resolve it directly, use the Complaints Procedure to request a refund or dispute resolution.

Once work has started and milestones are in progress, refunds are subject to the dispute resolution process.