Send a data collection request to the opposing attorney for review before it reaches the custodian. The opposing counsel reviews and approves or rejects the request. Once approved, they enter the custodian's contact details and the custodian receives the collection instructions.
Set up the request
The Send To step of the case wizard lets you route the request to opposing counsel instead of sending it directly to the custodian.
In the Send To step, select Opposing Counsel.
Enter the attorney's name, email address, and firm name. All three fields are required.
Click Continue to proceed.
The Require client payment option is not available on the Opposing Counsel path.
For a walkthrough of the full wizard, see How do I create a case and data collection request?.
What opposing counsel receives
Opposing counsel receives an email that explains what Hearsay is, how data stays private until released, and that the case is paid for by the originating firm. It includes two buttons.
Accept invite and create my organization opens the account creation page.
Book a call to learn more lets the attorney schedule a call before deciding.
Account creation
When opposing counsel clicks the invite link, they land on the account creation page at portal.usehearsay.com.
Enter a full name.
Confirm the email address (prefilled and locked to the invited address).
Set a password.
Click Accept Invitation.
If the attorney's email already belongs to a Hearsay organization, they log in with their existing account and join with that organization. The new organization name comes from the firm name the requesting attorney entered.
How opposing counsel reviews the request
After signing in, opposing counsel sees the shared case and the pending request.
If the requesting firm configured Pre-defined Search & Share (Auto Share), an AUTO SEARCH TERMS block shows the search criteria as chips. If the request uses Manual Search & Share, the custodian selects what to share.
Opposing counsel has two actions available.
Approve asks for the custodian's name, email, and phone number, then sends them their collection instructions. Skip and Approve approves the request without entering contact details.
Reject opens a modal with an optional message field for the originating firm. Click Reject request to confirm. After rejection, the Approve and Reject buttons remain available so the attorney can change their decision if the originating firm submits a revised configuration.
What the firm sees after sending
The Opposing Counsel Review panel shows the current state. The following table describes each status.
Status | Badge | Available actions |
Pending | PENDING OC REVIEW | Remind OC (greyed), Equipment, Assistance, Delete Collection Request, Lock Collection |
Approved | OC APPROVED | Equipment and Assistance (greyed) |
Rejected | OC REJECTED | Remind OC (greyed), Equipment, Assistance, Delete Collection Request, Lock Collection |
After approval, the Edit button remains visible but the request is locked against changes.
Review and release collected data
After the custodian shares data, it lands in the opposing counsel's copy of the case first. Nothing reaches the originating firm until opposing counsel releases it, and release is set per data source.
Open the shared case and click Case Data.
Select a data source under Data Sources, for example the custodian's phone Messages.
To release specific conversations, tick their checkboxes and click Share selected (N). Click Share selected items to confirm. The firm sees exactly the selected items, and a new selection replaces anything already shared from that data source.
To release everything in the source, click Share all. Click Share all items to confirm. Review the contents before you share.
Repeat for each data source you want to release. To change a selection, tick a new set and share again; the new set replaces the old one.
To withdraw access, click Revoke. The modal warns that the originating firm will immediately lose access to all items shared from this data source. Click Revoke access to confirm. Revoke removes everything shared from that source; to narrow a share instead, use Share selected with a smaller set.
The originating firm sees the case and, under Case Data, only the conversations you released, with the usual review tools. Comments the firm leaves on a released conversation are visible to you in the Conversation Comments panel.
Billing
The requesting firm's card on file is charged for the collection when data is uploaded, the same as a My Client request. Opposing counsel is not asked for payment or billing details. Add-on services (equipment and managed collection) pre-approved by the firm are billed to the firm. Opposing counsel cannot purchase add-ons through the platform. Contact Support if opposing counsel needs additional services.