Orders & Milestones
When a client accepts your scope and pays, an active order is created. You deliver your work through milestones - structured payment checkpoints that protect both you and the client.
How Milestones Work
Each milestone represents a defined piece of work with a:
- Description - what you will deliver
- Amount - how much is held in escrow for this milestone
- Due date - when you must deliver by (or "open-ended" if timing is genuinely unknown)
The client pays the full matter value upfront into escrow. Funds are released milestone by milestone as the client approves each piece of work.
Milestone Types
The platform supports 9 milestone types matching the 36 pricing models available:
| Type | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Standard | Fixed deliverable - submit, client approves, funds release |
| Conditional | Releases only if a condition is met (e.g., favourable court decision) |
| Recurring | Repeats automatically (e.g., monthly retainer billing) |
| Retainer Drawdown | Client has a pre-paid retainer; you log hours against it |
| Hourly Block | Client buys blocks of time; you log hours used |
| Percentage of Value | Fee calculated as % of recovered amount or transaction value |
| Immediate Release | Released as soon as submitted (no client approval gate) |
| Instalment | Fixed-schedule payment regardless of deliverable completion |
| Scope Only | No platform payment - used for flat-fee matters paid externally |
Delivering a Milestone
When a milestone is ready, go to Lawyer Portal → My Orders → [Order] → Milestones.
- Click Submit Milestone
- Upload any relevant documents (draft contract, advice letter, court filing, etc.)
- Add a description of what you have delivered
- Click Submit for Client Review
The client receives a notification and has a 14-day window to review, approve, or dispute the milestone.
Milestone Deadlines
Every milestone has a due date set when the scope is approved.
- You will receive a reminder 3 days before the due date
- If you miss the deadline, the milestone is flagged as late
- Late delivery is tracked on your lawyer profile
- Repeat late deliveries may affect your search ranking
Requesting a Deadline Extension
If you need more time:
- Submit an extension request from the milestone panel
- The client receives a notification and must approve or decline
- Maximum limits: 5 extensions per milestone, max 14 total days, max 7 days per request
Extensions are recorded transparently - both parties can see the history.
Client Approval
When you submit a milestone:
- The client reviews the deliverable and documents
- They can Approve (releases escrow), Dispute (opens a dispute), or let the 14-day window expire
Auto-Release
If the client does not respond within 14 days of submission (configurable), the milestone escrow is automatically released to you. You receive:
- A 7-day warning before auto-release
- A notification when auto-release occurs
Auto-release protects you from clients who go silent after receiving your work.
Disputes
If a client disputes a milestone:
- The escrow is frozen - funds do not release
- A dispute case is opened in the admin panel
- You receive a notification and can submit your response and evidence
- An eSolicitors admin reviews the dispute (SLA: 5 business days)
- The admin resolves with one of: full release, partial release, full refund
See your relevant Terms & Conditions for the full disputes process.
Disbursements
Disbursements are out-of-pocket expenses you incur on behalf of the client (court fees, search fees, Land Registry fees, etc.).
You can log disbursements against any order. The client approves each disbursement before payment. Payment is processed via Stripe directly to your Connected Account - platform funds are never used for disbursements (SRA-compliant).
You must upload a receipt for each disbursement within the required timeframe.
Completing an Order
An order is complete when all milestones are in a terminal state (approved, auto-released, or scope-only). At completion:
- You receive a notification
- The client is invited to leave a review
- The final escrow balance (if any) is released
Logging Hours (Hourly and Retainer Milestones)
For hourly block and retainer drawdown milestones:
- Go to the milestone in your order panel
- Click Log Hours
- Enter hours and a description of work done
- Hours are added to a running log visible to the client
The system calculates remaining balance from the agreed hourly rate.
Order History and Audit Trail
All milestone activity - submissions, approvals, extensions, disputes, access - is logged in a full audit trail accessible to you and to admin. Document download events are also logged (who accessed what, when).