Resources
Glossary
The concepts, explained once
Searchable and alphabetised. Every entry is a concept the system actually implements, with a note on how Legarch handles it where that matters.
26 terms
A
- adjuster
- The person appointed to review minutes and confirm they match what was decided. Without the adjuster's signature the minutes are not finished.In LegarchThe adjuster is a named signatory role. The agreement cannot become active while the role sits empty.
- advanced electronic signature
- An electronic signature meeting stricter requirements than a simple one: it must be linked to the signatory, the signatory must be identifiable, and any later change to the document must be detectable. The level is defined in the eIDAS regulation.In LegarchLegarch detects change through the content hash: taken when the document is opened, compared when the signature is placed. Work toward fully meeting the level is under way.
- agreement instance
- A single agreement created from a template version. The instance has its own reference code, its own field values, its own selected clause variants and its own lifecycle state.In LegarchAn instance always points at exactly the template version it was built from. Publishing a new version never changes an existing instance.
- agreement template
- The ordered list of clauses an agreement is built from, together with the variables the text needs. The template is not a document but a structure documents can be rendered from.In LegarchA template's identity is its slug plus version number, for example avtal/uppdrag@v3.
- audit log
- A record of what has happened to an agreement: which states it has held, who did what, and where the action came from. The log exists to be shown afterwards, not just for debugging.In LegarchThe log can only grow. No entry can be changed or removed once written.
- authority
- The right to do a particular thing with a particular agreement: open it, pick among variants, send it, or conclude it. Authority to prepare an agreement is not the same as authority to bind the organisation.In LegarchWho may pick is set per clause, and only a registered statutory signatory or an attorney can conclude the agreement.
C
- clause
- A self-contained provision in an agreement, usually corresponding to a numbered section. The clause is the smallest unit Legarch versions and reasons about.In LegarchA template is an ordered list of clauses, and each clause owns one or more pre-approved variants.
- clause variant
- One of several pre-approved wordings of the same clause. The variants are written and approved in advance, so negotiation becomes a choice between known alternatives rather than newly written text.In LegarchThe operator opens only the variants that are acceptable for that individual send.
- content hash
- A cryptographic fingerprint of the document's content. The same content always gives the same hash, and a single changed character gives an entirely different one.In LegarchThe hash is taken when the document is opened and sent back with the signature. If it no longer matches, the signature is refused.
- counterparty
- The other side of the agreement: the one who fills in details, reads and signs. The counterparty does not work in the system and has no account.In LegarchThe counterparty surface is two token-authenticated routes. The token in the link is the credential.
D
- data minimisation
- The principle of collecting only the personal data needed for the stated purpose, and no more. It follows from data protection law and applies even to data that would be convenient to hold.In LegarchLegarch asks for a personal identity number only once the counterparty's choice actually creates a relationship requiring one.
- data processor
- A party that processes personal data on behalf of someone else and according to their instructions. The relationship is governed by a separate agreement between the controller and the processor.In LegarchWhen you use Legarch for your agreements, you are the controller and we process the data on your instructions.
E
- eIDAS
- The EU regulation on electronic identification and trust services. It defines three levels of electronic signature — simple, advanced and qualified — the requirements for each, and the legal effect they carry across the union.In LegarchLegarch is working toward alignment with the regulation. We are not qualified and do not issue qualified signatures today.
- electronic signature
- Data in electronic form attached to a document and used by the signatory to sign it. It is not a picture of a handwritten name but the data binding a person to a specific content.In LegarchIn Legarch the signature includes the content hash of the document that was shown, the timestamp, and whose action it was.
I
- intake
- The step where the counterparty fills in the details the agreement needs, before signing. The point is that details land as values in fields, not as free text in an email reply.In LegarchIntake happens in a form behind a single-use link, and every field maps to a variable in the template.
L
- lifecycle
- The states an agreement can hold and the permitted transitions between them, from draft to active and on to closed. A state changes through a recorded transition, never by someone overwriting a field.In LegarchEvery transition is logged with actor and origin, so an automated action is traceable as automated.
M
- minutes adjustment
- The act of confirming that minutes accurately reflect a meeting. It is performed by one or more appointed adjusters and is a precondition for the minutes being relied upon.In LegarchThe adjustment is a signature from a named role and appears as its own entry in the audit log.
O
- obligation
- Something a party has promised to do: deliver, pay, give notice in time. The obligation is registered separately from the agreement text and carries its own state.In LegarchFulfilment is attested by a person. The system never assumes something is done because a date has passed.
P
- power of attorney
- A document by which someone grants another person the right to act in their or the company's name, often limited in time or to certain kinds of agreement. An agreement concluded without valid authority may have no effect.In LegarchA power of attorney is itself an agreement in Legarch, with a reference code and a lifecycle, and other agreements can point at it as evidence of authority.
- purpose limitation
- The principle that personal data may only be used for the purpose it was collected for. A new purpose requires a new basis — it is not enough that the data is already there.In Legarch"Nice to have" is not a purpose. Legarch ties collection to the purpose the counterparty's choice actually creates.
R
- reference code
- The readable identity of an agreement instance, for example NORDEN-0142. It is used in email, in conversation and in logs so everyone is talking about the same agreement.In LegarchThe code points at the instance, not at a document. The same code holds through the whole lifecycle.
- retention basis
- The reason a piece of personal data may remain, and for how long. The basis may be that the agreement is still in force, or a separate requirement such as bookkeeping duty.In LegarchThe basis is recorded per record, so it is possible to see why data remains rather than only that it does.
S
- signatory
- The person who is to sign an agreement, identified by role rather than by name alone. Which roles are required is decided before the agreement is sent.In LegarchLegarch names the roles and will not conclude the agreement until every named role has signed.
- signing link
- The single-use link the counterparty receives to read and sign. The link is time-bounded, revocable and requires no account.In LegarchOnly a sha256 hash of the link is stored, so the link itself cannot be reconstructed from the database. Sending a reminder revokes the previous link.
- statutory signatory right
- The right to bind a company by signing. It follows from the company's registration and may be held alone or jointly, meaning two people together.In LegarchOnly a registered statutory signatory can conclude an agreement in Legarch. Anyone can prepare one.
T
- typed field
- A field in the agreement carrying a definite type: an amount is SEK, a share is a percentage, a point in time is a date. The type governs what may be entered and how the value can be read later.In LegarchBecause the value is typed, it can be queried out of the agreement without anyone opening the document.