You've been invited to collaborate on a contract through DocJuris Arbiter. Arbiter is a secure, browser-based platform that lets you review, mark up, and return contracts — all without needing a full DocJuris account or exchanging Word documents over email.
This guide walks you through everything you need to know as a guest collaborator, from accepting your invitation to returning the contract when you're done.
The Invitation Email
You will receive an email invitation from the organization you are collaborating with. The invitation will include:
- A proposed due date for your review
- A link to the contract associated with your email address
- A link to add team members — this opens a page where you can enter email addresses for colleagues who need access to the contract. Each person will receive their own personal link and guest account. When adding team members, you can also designate whether they have the authority to return the contract on your behalf
- A note from the sender, if one was included
If you reply directly to the invitation email, your response will go to the person who sent the invitation — not to a support inbox. This can be a quick way to ask questions or coordinate timing before diving in.
Getting Started
Setting Up Your Guest Account
When you click the contract link for the first time, you'll be prompted to set up a quick guest account. This is a one-time step — all future Arbiter invitations sent to your email address will appear in this same account going forward.
Your Arbiter Dashboard
After signing in, you'll land on your Arbiter dashboard. Any contracts that require your attention will be labeled with a "Needs Review" status badge. Click on a contract to open it in the editor.
The Contract Editor
Once you open a contract, you'll see a limited view of the DocJuris Contract Editor tailored for guest collaborators. The editor is split into a left navigation pane and the contract document on the right.
Left Pane Navigation
The left pane provides three tabs to help you navigate and manage your review:
Overview
High-level contract information from your perspective as the counterparty:
- Defined Terms — A list of key terms defined within the contract for quick reference
- Comments — View all comments on the contract
- Incoming Comments — Comments left by the other side for your review
- Drafted Changes by Author — See which edits have been made and by whom
- Incoming Changes — Markups from the other side for your review
- Areas — If the other party has defined Areas for this contract, these highlight specific sections or groups of clauses so you can quickly navigate to them
Find & Replace
Use this tool to locate specific language within the contract and replace it as needed. Available options include:
- Replace a single instance of the found text
- Replace all instances at once
- Match case for case-sensitive searches
- Whole words only to avoid partial matches
Manage Team
Invite additional members of your team to collaborate on this contract.
Editor Functionality
Text Editing
You have full access to standard text editing tools within the sections available to you. This includes inserts, deletes, and formatting options such as bold, italic, underline, small caps, all caps, and indent/unindent controls for numbered and bulleted sections.
Some sections may be locked by the other party and will appear as read-only. You will still be able to view locked sections but will not be able to add markups to them.
Comments
Comments are a key part of collaborating through Arbiter. You can both review incoming comments from the other side and leave your own.
- Section-level comments — Click the comment button on the right side of any section to leave a comment that applies to the entire section. Only one section-level comment can be added per section, but it can be replied to for ongoing discussion
- Inline comments — Highlight specific language within a section, right click, then select "create an inline comment" to add a comment on the selected text
- Internal vs. External — Choose between Internal and External when creating a comment. Internal comments are only visible to your team — DocJuris does not let either side see the other's internal comments
Section-Level Undo and Redo
DocJuris breaks contracts down at the section level, so each section has its own Undo and Redo button in the top right. If you need to revert or redo a change, the will apply only to the section you're working in — it won't affect edits in other sections. These options will become available within a section once a change has been made.
Bulk Actions
Use the checkboxes on the left side of each section to select multiple sections at once. Once selected, you can apply bulk actions from the menu above the editor:
- Delete selected sections
- Add a comment across selected sections
- Accept or reject incoming markups for all selected sections
Returning the Contract
When you've finished your review and are ready to send the contract back, you or any team member with return authority can click "Return Contract" in the top right corner of the editor.
Before returning, keep the following in mind:
- Your contract will be returned for the other side to review
- You will not be able to make further changes after returning, but you can still come back to view the edits and comments you've made
- Once the other party finishes their turn, they will notify you of the next steps
- You can add a message to accompany the contract when it's returned
You will receive an email notification when the contract is ready for the next round of negotiation. You can also check the status on your Arbiter dashboard — the label will read "Needs Review" when it's your turn, and "Awaiting Other Side" when the contract is with the other party.
If you have any questions or need assistance during your review, reach out to your contact at the organization that sent the invitation.
Like What You See?
DocJuris Arbiter is just one part of the DocJuris platform. If you're interested in learning how DocJuris can streamline contract review, markup, and collaboration for your own organization, we'd love to chat.