CLEAR defines a structured, trackable, interoperable exchange model for legal referrals. It is the first OLE module and the primary implementation path in v0.1.
Attorney-to-attorney referrals are among the most common events in legal practice. They are also among the most unstructured. No standard format. No tracking. No consent record. No way to know if a referral was received, accepted, or closed.
"Roxana gets an HOA call she can't handle. She refers it to Maria. CLEAR makes that referral structured, trackable, and interoperable."
Five stages define the minimum viable referral lifecycle. Each stage has defined transition rules. Fork and termination paths are explicit.
Originating attorney creates a Referral resource with matter summary, prospect consent, and fee arrangement. Status: initiated.
The referral is transmitted to the receiving attorney's OLE endpoint. A referral.sent webhook event is fired. Status: sent.
Receiving attorney confirms receipt. A StatusUpdate resource is returned. Status: acknowledged.
Receiving attorney accepts or declines the referral, with optional reason. If declined, the originating attorney may initiate a new referral to a different attorney.
Referral reaches a terminal state: engaged (client retained), no_action (client did not proceed), withdrawn, or expired.
Every CLEAR referral carries an explicit status. Transitions are defined. Terminal states are marked.
| Status | Stage | Description |
|---|---|---|
initiated | 1 — Initiation | Referral created, not yet transmitted |
sent | 2 — Transmission | Transmitted to receiving attorney |
delivered | 2 — Transmission | Delivery confirmed at transport level |
acknowledged | 3 — Receipt | Receiving attorney confirmed receipt |
under_review | 3 — Receipt | Receiving attorney is evaluating |
pending_conflict_check | 3 — Receipt | Conflict check in progress (do not proceed) |
accepted | 4 — Decision | Receiving attorney accepted |
declined | 4 — Decision | Receiving attorney declined (terminal for this recipient) |
pending_client_decision | 5 — Close | Client has not yet decided to engage |
engaged | 5 — Close (terminal) | Client retained receiving attorney |
no_action | 5 — Close (terminal) | Client did not proceed |
withdrawn | Any (terminal) | Originating attorney withdrew the referral |
expired | Any (terminal) | Referral timed out without response |
error | Any | Processing error — see attached StatusUpdate |
Tier 1 (Exchange) requires four REST endpoints and webhook support. Authentication: OAuth 2.0 bearer token. Format: JSON. Transport: HTTPS.
| Method | Path | Description |
|---|---|---|
POST |
/referrals |
Create and transmit a new referral |
GET |
/referrals/{id} |
Retrieve a referral by ID |
POST |
/referrals/{id}/status |
Submit a status update for a referral |
GET |
/referrals |
List referrals (with filters) |
POST |
/webhooks |
Register a webhook endpoint |
GET |
/.well-known/ole-discovery.json |
OLE discovery document |
| Event | Trigger |
|---|---|
referral.sent | Referral transmitted to receiving attorney |
referral.acknowledged | Receiving attorney confirmed receipt |
referral.accepted | Receiving attorney accepted the referral |
referral.declined | Receiving attorney declined the referral |
referral.status_updated | Any status change not covered above |
referral.closed | Referral reached a terminal state |
Pre-Tier (Packet) is the simplest conformance level — read and write OLE JSON. Here is the minimum valid CLEAR referral document.
{
"resourceType": "Referral",
"id": "ole_ref_2026_0522_001",
"oleVersion": "0.1",
"module": "clear",
"createdAt": "2026-05-22T16:45:00-04:00",
"status": "initiated",
"participants": [
{ "role": "originating_attorney", "actorId": "ole_actor_roxana_tejeda" },
{ "role": "receiving_attorney", "actorId": "ole_actor_maria_santos" }
],
"matterSummary": {
"practiceArea": "SALI:HOA-LAW",
"jurisdiction": { "country": "US", "state": "FL" },
"description": "HOA dispute — notice requirements under F.S. 718.112"
},
"consentRecord": "ole_consent_2026_0522_001",
"feeArrangement": {
"type": "referral_fee",
"ruleReference": "FL Bar Rule 4-1.5",
"percentage": 25
},
"visibility": { "scope": "participant_visible" }
}
CertusGate by CyVine LLC is the first reference implementation of OLE/CLEAR. The CLEAR Referral Tracker provides free lifetime accounts for verified attorneys.