Managing signature requests

Once you have sent a document out for e-signature, the Signatures page is where you track it through to completion. From here you can see every request your firm has created, check who has signed and who has not, cancel a request that is no longer needed, archive finished ones, and download the final signed document together with its Certificate of Completion.

This page covers the firm side of signing: the list, the request detail, the cancel/void and archive actions, and how a request is finalized into a sealed PDF. For placing fields and sending a document out in the first place, see Requesting e-signatures. For what the signer sees, see How clients sign documents.

Before you begin

• The Signatures page lives under your Documents area. To open it, you need View access for documents. If your role does not include document access, the page shows a "no access" message instead of the list.
• Actions that change a request (cancelling, voiding, archiving, generating a new link, signing in app) require Update access for documents. If your role is view-only, you will still see the list and can open requests and download completed documents, but the management actions will not appear.
• Firm owners always have full access regardless of role.

View the signatures list

The signatures list shows every signature request created by your firm, newest activity first.

1. In the sidebar, open Documents.
2. Go to the Signatures page. The heading reads Signatures, with a Documents breadcrumb above it so you can step back to your files.
3. Use the status tabs along the top to narrow the list:
   • All shows every request, including cancelled (voided) ones.
   • Pending shows requests that are still in progress (newly created drafts and sent requests waiting on signatures).
   • Complete shows requests where every signer has finished.
   • Declined shows requests where at least one signer declined to sign.
4. To find a specific request, type in the Search signatures box. When any tab or search is active, a Clear filters button appears so you can reset back to All.

Each row in the table shows:

• Name - the title of the signature request (usually the document name).
• Signers - a running count such as 2/3 signed, so you can see progress at a glance.
• Status - a colored badge for the request's overall state (see Statuses below).
• Updated by - the person who last acted on the request.
• Last updated - how long ago that happened.

You can sort by Name, Status, or Last updated by clicking the column header. Use the table's view options (the control at the top right) to show or hide columns or to refresh the list.

Statuses explained

The badge in the Status column tells you exactly where a request stands:

• Draft - the request has been set up but not yet sent or signed.
• Pending - the request is out for signing and one or more signers still need to act.
• Completed - every signer has signed and the document has been finalized.
• Declined - a signer chose not to sign. A declined request cannot proceed.
• Voided - the request was cancelled by your firm before it finished.
• Archived - the request was tidied away after it was completed, declined, or voided. Archived requests no longer appear in the active list.

Open a request and check signer status

You can open a request from the list to see the document, or open its detail to see exactly who has done what.

Preview the document

1. On the Signatures page, find the request you want.
2. Click View at the start of the row. This opens the document so you can read it as it stands.

See per-signer status and progress

The request detail panel lists every signer, their individual status, and when they signed. You reach it from the Documents tab of the matter the request belongs to, where each request is shown as a card.

1. Open the matter the document belongs to and go to its Documents tab.
2. Find the signature request card. It shows the request title, the signed count (for example 1/2 signed), when it was created, and a status badge.
3. Click Details on the card.

In the detail dialog you will see:

• The request title and its current status badge at the top.
• A Signers (n) list. For each signer you see:
  • Their name and a line identifying them as a Contact, a firm Member (with their email), or an external email recipient.
  • A status badge: Pending (has not opened it yet), Viewed (opened the document but has not signed), Signed, or Declined.
  • If they have signed, a Signed <time> line, including the IP address the signature was captured from, for your records.
• If the request is still in progress, an Awaiting signatures notice reminds you that the signed document and certificate become available once everyone has finished.
• If the request is Completed, action buttons to download the signed document, open the certificate, and verify integrity (covered below).

Resend or copy a signing link

While a request is still open (Draft or Pending), you can hand out fresh signing links from the list.

1. On the Signatures page, open the more actions menu (the ... button) at the end of an open request's row.
2. Click Generate link.
3. In the Signing links ready dialog, expand each signer to copy their personal link with the Copy link button, then share it with them directly.

Cancel or void a request

If a request was sent in error, superseded by a new version, or is simply no longer needed, you can stop it. Cancelling and voiding are the same action: the request is marked Voided and can no longer be signed.

Cancel from the signatures list

1. On the Signatures page, open the more actions menu (the ... button) on an open request.
2. Click Cancel request.
3. In the Cancel signature request? confirmation, review the warning that the request will be cancelled and can no longer be signed, then click Cancel request to confirm. The status changes to Voided.

You can also cancel several at once: select the checkboxes on the requests you want, then use the Cancel batch action above the table. Only Draft and Pending requests can be cancelled this way.

Void from the matter Documents tab

From a matter's Documents tab, the same action is labeled Void on the request card.

1. On the request card, click Void.
2. In the Void signature request? confirmation, confirm to cancel the request.

Archive a completed or voided request

Archiving moves a finished request out of your active list so the page stays focused on work in progress. Archiving does not delete anything: the signed document and its certificate remain available from the matter and your documents.

You can archive a request once it is Completed, Declined, or Voided. Archiving is available from the matter's Documents tab.

1. Open the matter and go to its Documents tab.
2. On the finished request's card, open the more actions menu (the ... button).
3. Click Archive.
4. In the Archive signature request? confirmation, confirm. The request is moved out of the active list, and its status shows as Archived.

View the signed document and the certificate

Once every signer has finished, the request becomes Completed and two files are ready: the finalized signed PDF and a Certificate of Completion. You can open both from either the signatures list or the request detail.

From the signatures list

1. On the Signatures page, open the more actions menu (the ... button) on a Completed request.
2. Choose what you need:
   • Download signed document - opens the finalized PDF (the original document with every signature stamped in, plus the certificate appended).
   • Certificate of completion - opens the standalone Certificate of Completion.
   • Verify integrity - checks that the signed document still matches the fingerprint Esqase recorded at completion (see below).

From the request detail

When a request is Completed, the detail dialog shows the same actions as buttons:

• Download signed document
• Certificate of Completion
• Verify integrity

Verify integrity

Verify integrity confirms that the signed document has not been altered since it was finalized. Esqase compares the current file against the fingerprint it recorded at completion:

• If it matches, you see a confirmation that the signed document matches its recorded hash. When your firm has a cryptographic seal configured, the message also confirms the seal is valid.
• If it does not match, you are warned that the document did not pass verification.

How completion is finalized

You do not have to assemble anything manually. The moment the last required signer signs, Esqase finalizes the request automatically. Here is what happens behind the scenes, so you know what is in the file you download.

1. Tamper check. Esqase re-reads the original document and compares it to the fingerprint taken when the request was created. If the source document changed in the meantime, finalization stops and reports a problem, so a signed copy is never produced from an altered original.
2. Signatures are stamped in. Every captured signature, set of initials, date, name, text, and checkbox is drawn onto the document at the exact spot it was placed.
3. The document is marked as executed. Each page receives a faint diagonal SIGNED watermark and a footer noting that the document was electronically signed via Esqase with a Certificate of Completion attached, so a printed or forwarded copy is clearly identifiable as signed.
4. The Certificate of Completion is appended. A certificate is added to the end of the document. It records the document name, each signer (name, email where available, status, and the time they consented and signed), the IP address and device used, the consent disclosure the signers agreed to, and the fingerprints that tie the certificate to this exact file. The same certificate is also kept as a separate standalone PDF for evidence. The consent disclosure wording reflects your firm's country (the Philippines and the United States get country-specific legal language; other countries get a neutral statement), and the text on the certificate is the text each signer agreed to. See How clients sign documents for what signers see.
5. A sealed fingerprint is recorded. Esqase computes a fingerprint (hash) of the finished PDF and, where a signing key is configured, applies a cryptographic seal. This is what Verify integrity later checks against.
6. The signed copy is saved to your documents. The finalized PDF is stored as a new file named with a (Signed) suffix, and it is also added as a new version of the original document, so the original's version history shows the executed copy and its "last updated" details move forward.
7. The request is marked Completed. The status flips to Completed, every signer shows as Signed, and the download and certificate actions become available.

Common questions

Why is my request still showing Pending after someone signed? A request only finishes when every required signer has signed. The Signers count (for example 1/2 signed) shows who is left. With sequential signing, the next person cannot sign until the one before them is done.

A signer declined. What now? The request moves to Declined and cannot proceed. Review the optional reason the signer left (if any) in the matter's signing activity, fix whatever was wrong, and create a new request when you are ready. You can archive the declined request to clear it from your list.

Can I edit a request after sending it? No. To change signers or field placement, void the existing request and create a new one. See Requesting e-signatures.

Where do the signed files live? In the documents area and on the matter's Documents tab. The signed PDF is saved as a separate (Signed) file and also appears in the original document's version history.

Related

• Requesting e-signatures
• The documents workspace
• Sharing documents
• How clients sign documents
• The matter workspace
• Activity timelines and audit logs