Scope changes and revised estimates, signed
Revise an agreement before it's signed, or send the change as its own document afterwards, so every estimate the client accepted is on record.
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Before a QuoteCloud document is signed you can revise it and resend it, and the earlier version stays in the document history. After signing, a change of scope or a new estimate goes out as its own document for every party to sign. Version history is on the Business plan; eSignatures are on every plan.
A staged litigation estimate from a fictional firm for Hartley v Brennock Constructions. Stage 1, advice, letter of demand and negotiation, is agreed at an estimate of $3,800 to $5,200. Stages 2 to 4, from the tribunal application to the hearing, are shown as estimates only, each to be agreed in a revised agreement before it starts.
A change of scope is its own document, signed
Four months in, the builder files a cross-claim. Responding to it isn't in the stage 2 scope Jacob agreed, so before the work starts the firm sends a revised estimate: what changes, the extra estimate for each change, and the estimate to date.
It goes to Jacob and to Ellen, his guarantor of costs, as a document of its own. Each signs in their own browser, after a one-time passcode if you ask for one. Jacob has signed; the firm can see it is waiting for Ellen.
- Each change set out against what was agreed
- Disbursements, such as an expert's report, as their own line
- Signed by the client and the guarantor
Brennock Constructions has filed a cross-claim for unpaid invoices. Responding to it is outside the stage 2 scope you agreed, so we set out the extra work and our estimate here, before we start it.
| Change | Agreed so far | Revised | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Response to the cross-claim | Not in the agreed scope | Prepare and file a response; review their evidence | +$3,200.00 |
| Directions hearings | One directions hearing | Two directions hearings | +$840.00 |
| Quantity surveyor's report | Not included | Disbursement at cost, with your approval first | +$2,200.00 |
- Stage 1 estimate (agreed)
- $4,400.00
- Variation R-01 · stage 2 agreed
- +$7,750.00
- This variation (R-02)
- +$6,240.00
- Estimate to date estimate, before tax
- $18,390.00
Estimates of professional fees before tax, with disbursements at cost. Nothing in this revision is charged until you sign it.
Accept the revised estimate 1 of 2 signed
- Jacob HartleyClient Passcode verified Signed · 10 Feb, 8:46 am
- Ellen HartleyGuarantor of costs Passcode to e•••@example.com Awaiting signature
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
When the matter changes
Two routes, depending on whether the client has signed yet.
Spot the change
A new issue, the other side's conduct or a client request means your estimate no longer holds. Your rules decide when you must tell the client.
Not signed yet?
Use Revise Last Version: update the scope or the estimate in the sent agreement and resend it. The earlier version stays in the document history.
Already signed?
Send the change as its own document, a revised estimate or a new stage, from your template, so the signed agreement stays as it was.
Partner approval
A revision with a large total or a discount can wait In Review for a partner first (Business).
Every party signs
The client and any guarantor sign in their own browsers. Each signed document has its own certificate of authenticity.
Every estimate the client accepted, on record
What changes for the fee earner, and for the practice manager, once revisions go through QuoteCloud.
Send your next revised estimate from QuoteCloud
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Try Revise Last Version and version history on the Business trial.
Revised agreements still waiting for a signature
Give every revised estimate a sign-by date. The Expiring Soon filter lists the ones about to lapse, so the fee earner calls the client before the work outruns the estimate they agreed.
QuoteCloud doesn't send reminders or update an estimate by itself: the list tells you who to call, and a new revision is a new document you send.
- Expiry dates on every document
- The Expiring Soon filter
- Tracking shows who has opened theirs
Expiry dates and tracking: Essentials and up · Version history: Business
Change orders in QuoteCloud3 revised agreements to be signed in the next 30 days
- Revised estimate R-02Jacob & Ellen Hartley · LG-2431-R2 Expires 23 Febin 5 days 1 of 2 signed
- Stage 2: consent orders filedSarah Kwan · LG-2466-R1 Expires 27 Febin 9 days Opened
- Lease negotiation, further roundCorrigan Joinery Ltd · LG-2473-R1 Expires 8 Marin 18 days Sent
Scope change questions
Can we change a costs agreement after we've sent it?
Yes, while it is unsigned. Revise Last Version lets you update the scope, the fees or the estimate in a sent document and resend it, and the earlier version stays in the document history. Version history is on the Business plan. Once a document is signed it doesn't change: a later change goes out as a new document.
How do we send a revised estimate after the client has signed?
Send it as its own document: a revised estimate, a variation or the next stage, created from your template, setting out what changes and the new estimate. Every party who needs to sign, such as the client and a guarantor of costs, signs it in their own browser, and it carries its own certificate of authenticity and audit trail.
Does QuoteCloud update our estimate automatically?
No. QuoteCloud records what you write. It doesn't track time against an estimate, tell you when one needs updating or change a figure by itself. Your firm decides when the estimate has changed and what your rules require, then sends the revised document. The Expiring Soon filter shows revised documents nearing their sign-by date.
Can a client pay more on signing a revised estimate?
Yes, if you set a payment on signing in the revised document, as a percentage or a fixed amount through Stripe or PayPal. Payments go to the Stripe or PayPal account your firm connects. QuoteCloud does not operate a trust account; check your own trust-money rules. Payments need Essentials or above.
Can a partner approve a revised estimate before it goes out?
On the Business plan, the approval workflow can hold a document In Review when its total value or discount passes a level you set. A partner approves or declines it before it can be sent. Set the level once, for example any revision over $10,000, and every fee earner's revisions follow it.
More for law firms
Every page of the QuoteCloud legal microsite.
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Costs disclosure & costs agreementsFixed fees, estimates, hourly rates and disbursements set out clearly, then signed by every party online.Explore
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Staged litigation estimatesEach stage estimated as a range, counsel and expert fees as disbursements, revised before the next stage starts.Explore
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Engagement letters & matter scopeWhat's included, what isn't and the assumptions behind the estimate, from your firm's own approved wording.Explore
- Matter intake formsThe client's details, other parties and key dates collected inside the document, ready for your conflict check.
- Fixed-fee legal packagesWill and power of attorney bundles, employment advice and visa packages, chosen and signed in one document.
- Conveyancing & property costs agreementsA fixed conveyancing fee, searches and settlement costs as their own lines, signed by both buyers.
- Signing, passcodes & multiple partiesClients, both spouses or a guarantor sign online, each after a one-time passcode, with a certificate and audit trail.
- Payments on signingA set amount or the whole fixed fee paid when the client signs, through Stripe or PayPal into the account your firm connects.
- Practice management, CRM & accounting integrationsSigned engagements to your practice-management system through Zapier or the API, and to Xero or QuickBooks.
- Legal templatesReal QuoteCloud agreement templates, and how your firm's own precedents become QuoteCloud templates.
- QuoteCloud implementation for law firmsPrecedents converted, standard terms locked, fee items in the library, partner approvals and training.
- FAQAnswers to the questions law firms ask most about costs agreements, signing and payments.
Your next revised estimate, accepted in writing
Free for 14 days. No credit card required.