CounselLink Answer Center for Clients

Contract Workflows

  • Updated

This article covers the following:

Accessing the Workflows Administration Page

Approval Workflows control how contracts move through internal and external approval stages. Once configured globally, workflows apply automatically based on contract-level selections.

You must have the Admin role under Contracts to perform the actions detailed in this section.

For CounselLink+ Users:

  1. Click the Corporate Profile option from the drop down under your name in the header.

  2. Click Workflows under the CLM Administration section of the QuickLinks panel.

    The Workflows Admin page displays.

For non-CounselLink+ Users:

  1. Click Administration on the side toolbar.

  2. Click the Workflows tab.

Creating or Editing Approval Workflows in CLM

Back to top

  1. Do one of the following:
    • To edit an existing approval workflow, click the three vertical dots at the end of the workflow's row and select Edit.
    • To create a new approval workflow, click +New Workflow and select Approval from the dropdown.
  2. Select users by placing them in the conditions. Approval workflows have three available conditions:
    • Contract Request
    • Prior to Negotiate
    • Prior to Sign
  3. Click the plus sign next to the condition to display a drop-down list of users and teams that have been created in your organization. You may select from the dropdown or manually enter an email address.

  4. Optional: Specify an approval order. If you select Set Approval Order, the users selected for that stage will need to submit their approval in the order you've set. 

  5. Optional: Select Allow to Modify Approvers, and the Chief Negotiator can adjust the users or teams at the contract level. You can also enter a minimum number of approvers to approve at the particular stage before it can advance.

  6. Enter a name, and complete the fields displayed.
    • The fields here vary depending on your organization's configuration. Fields with a red asterisk are required. The information provide in the fields of an approval determines when it activates. The custom fields set up for your organization determine the choices available. You can make an approval workflow broad or specific.
    • Assign a minimum and maximum value, a minimum with no maximum, or leave this area blank. If blank, the workflow encompasses all contract value ranges. The currency default is USD, but select others if needed.
  7. Click Save.

Using Conditions in an Approval Workflow

Back to top

Conditions

You may configure one, two, or all three conditions within a single workflow.

  • Green indicators represent internal processes.
  • Purple indicators represent external actions (e.g., negotiation or signing).

If multiple approvers are selected:

  • With approval order enabled, each approver receives the request sequentially.

  • Without approval order, approvals occur simultaneously.

If no approvers are preconfigured:

  • The Chief Negotiator must select approvers at the contract level.

  • The configured minimum number must be met.

At the contract level, when the minimum number of approvers is set to 1, the Chief Negotiator must select at least one user or team.

Contract-Level Behavior

When a contract meets workflow criteria:

  • A new Approval stage appears.

  • If Prior to Negotiate is selected, Approval appears between Review and Negotiate.

  • If Prior to Sign is selected, Approval appears between Negotiate and Sign.

To initiate approval:

  1. Click Approval.

  2. Click Next in the dialog box.

  3. Click Start Approval.

Approvers can approve, reject, or cancel approval.

Contract Request Condition

This condition differs from the others:

  • At least one approver must be configured at the workflow level.

  • It is the only purely internal condition.

  • Approvers cannot be modified at the contract level.

Sequential approval and approval order adjustments still apply.

Teams as Approvers

If a team is selected:

  • All team members receive the notification.
  • Only one team member must approve for the workflow to proceed.

Setting Up a Requester Workflow

Back to top

If Requester users exist, at least one Routing Workflow must be configured for requests.

Prerequisites

  • You must have the Admin role under Contracts.
  • You must have custom Request fields created. Default request fields do not exist.

Instructions

  1. Click +NEW WORKFLOW on the Workflows Administration page and select Contract routing. The Routing Workflow window displays.
  2. Enter the workflow name.
  3. Click Add Field in the bottom left corner of window.

  4. Select a field from the Request fields group. This is very important, as otherwise requests won’t submit.

  5. Choose the appropriate value(s).

  6. Assign a person in the Contract Requested field.

  7. Click Save.

Test

Login as Requester and submit a request with that field value (e.g., category value). If you receive an error, verify that Request fields and routing conditions are configured correctly.

Setting Up a Contract Request Approval Workflow

Back to top

The Contract Request Approval workflow ensures that a designated Approver receives the request before routing it to the Chief Negotiator.

Ensure Request Routing fields are properly configured before creating this workflow. It is suggested that you contact LexisNexis support to configure custom fields.

Create a Contract Request Approval Workflow

  1. Click +NEW WORKFLOW on the Workflows Administration page and select Contract routing. The Routing Workflow window displays.
  2. Select Approval from the dropdown menu.
  3. In the Approval workflow window:
    • Provide the name of the workflow
    • Choose appropriate standard fields (contract category, Contracting department, etc.)
    • Select Contract value range, if needed
    • Add custom fields if needed. Cick +Add Field to select.
  4. Click Contract Request.

  5. Optional: Set approval order for users.

    By default, the approval is simultaneous.

  6. Select individual user(s) or team(s).

    If you've selected sequential approval, drag and drop names to change approval order.

  7. Click Save.

Contract Request Approval Process

Once your Approval is set, the designated approver(s) will receive emails when a matching request is submitted. The notifications contain a secure link to the Contract Request.

Once the approver reviews the request, they can:

  • Approve the request: Both the Requester and the assigned Chief Negotiator will receive email notifications. The Contract Request will be routed automatically to the Chief Negotiator.
  • Reject the request: The Requester will receive the rejection notification, and the request will be canceled.

For sequential approval:

  • The first approver must approve before the next is notified.

  • If rejected, subsequent approvers are not notified.