Offering timestamping to clients: buy it from US$5, sell it as your service

Why lawyers are looking at this now

Version disputes are rarely about whether a document exists. They are about which version was current on a given day: the draft the other side saw, the PDF that was signed, the advice that went out before the client acted. Your document management system records dates, but those dates sit on the firm’s own systems. Email shows when something was sent, not necessarily what the attachment looked like later. And in an AI era, anyone can produce a polished document that looks as if it was always there.

An independent timestamp adds one thing your systems cannot: a time recorded outside the firm and outside the other party, for the exact file. That is a simple, explainable service for clients who sign contracts, hold IP, run creative businesses or expect disputes. For the evidence background, see our free guide, Evidence AI Can’t Backdate: Cryptographic Timestamps for Lawyers, and Is a blockchain timestamp admissible in court?.

The practice-growth case

• A new revenue line with a very low cost of goods. The tool costs US$5 to US$15 a TimeBind, or less on a plan. What the client pays for is the firm’s judgement, care and file discipline, and that is where the margin comes from.
• Repeatable and easy to explain. One sentence sells it: "We record an independent, dated fingerprint of the signed version, so there is no argument later about what was signed." Nothing for the client to install.
• A reason to contact existing clients. Contract-heavy clients, IP owners, agencies, developers and creators all have files they would like dated.
• It fits work you already do. Files already pass through your hands at intake, execution and dispute-readiness reviews. The timestamp is a few minutes of administration on top.
• Differentiation. Few firms can say they date every executed version independently of their own systems.
• Low cost to test. The Free plan includes 1 Token a month, so you can try it on a real matter before you price anything.

Six ways a firm can package it

1. At matter intake. Date the files the client hands over, so there is a record of exactly what they held on the day they instructed you. See Timestamping at matter intake.
2. At contract execution. Date the final signed PDF, and any version the other side relied on. See the contract execution checklist.
3. For IP and creative clients. Date the work a client brings before a licence, assignment or collaboration begins: songs, designs, source code, manuscripts, brand assets. The date records what the client held then, not who made it.
4. Dispute-readiness. A short review where you help a client date the files they would rely on if a dispute arose: the master contract set, key correspondence exports and deliverables.
5. A fixed-fee "evidence hygiene" add-on. A defined package, for example: date the executed agreement set, file the certificates, give the client a one-page note on how to check them.
6. Part of a retainer or transaction fee. Include a set number of timestamps a month, or one per signing, for clients who send documents regularly.

Pricing: what you pay and what you charge

There are two numbers. The first is what TimeBinder charges the firm. The second is what the firm charges the client, which is entirely the firm’s decision.

TimeBinder’s published prices (US dollars):

Checking a TimeBind is free. Each TimeBind holds up to 10 files, so a full executed agreement set can be dated in one go. Prices are from TimeBinder pricing and business plans, checked on 10 November 2026.

What the cost per TimeBind works out to. On Business, a Token is about US$2.48, so a Pooled TimeBind costs about US$2.48 and an ASAP TimeBind about US$7.45. On Business Plus a Token is about US$1.99, so a Pooled TimeBind is about US$1.99 and an ASAP TimeBind about US$5.98. The more you use, the lower your cost per TimeBind.

Ways firms might price the service (illustrative only, set your own):

An illustrative example. A firm offers a fixed-fee "executed agreement package" for US$60. It includes an ASAP TimeBind (US$15 if bought on its own), filing the certificate with the matter, and a one-page note for the client on how to check it. Before staff time, that is US$45 of margin on each package. If the firm does 20 a month and buys them through a Business plan (US$149 for 60 Tokens, which covers 20 ASAP TimeBinds), the tool cost is US$149 a month against US$1,200 of fees. These figures are illustrations only: the price that is right for your clients, your costs and your market is your decision, and the staff time involved is real.

Keep the value genuine. The service earns its margin when it helps the client: a clear explanation, the right choice of Pooled or ASAP, the certificate filed properly, and a note the client can use. Do not add it where it would not help the client.

A light note on billing and disclosure. Follow your own rules on fees, costs disclosure and how you describe charges. In particular, many jurisdictions treat a charge shown as a disbursement or expense differently from a professional fee. For example, ABA Formal Opinion 93-379 says a lawyer should not add a surcharge to a disbursement over the amount actually incurred unless the client has agreed, so firms in the US often bundle the service into a stated professional fee or set the arrangement out in the engagement terms. Fees must also be reasonable, as in ABA Model Rule 1.5. Other places have their own requirements, for example costs disclosure under the legal profession legislation of your state or country, or the SRA’s rules on price and service information. This is general information, not legal or ethical advice. Check your own rules.

How it protects the client

For a client, a TimeBind is a dated record that this exact file existed and still matches:

• Which version was signed. The fingerprint of the executed PDF is recorded. If a different version surfaces later, it will not match.
• What the client held, and when. For IP and creative clients, the files at intake are dated, so there is a record of what existed by that time.
• A check anyone can repeat. The certificate can be shared with the other side, a mediator or an insurer, and anyone can re-fingerprint a file and compare. Verification can be public by QR code, or restricted to chosen email addresses.
• Privacy. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device. Only the fingerprint, and any reference text you add, is processed by TimeBinder, so use a matter number rather than client names in reference text.

What it does not show: who created or signed the file, that its contents are true, that anyone received or read it, or that a court will accept it. Keep the original file, the certificate, the covering emails and your normal file notes together.

How it protects the lawyer

The same record helps the firm:

• A record of which version you advised on or sent. If a client later says they relied on a different draft, a dated fingerprint of the version you actually sent is a useful addition to your file. See Protect your own file: record the version you advised on.
• Support for professional-risk files. It sits alongside your file notes, email trail and document management history, and is held outside your own systems. It does not replace any of them, and it does not prevent a claim.
• A clearer scope of service. Dating the version you reviewed makes it easier to show what your advice covered.
• Less argument about versions. Where the record is clear, there is less to dispute.

Read our related article, Could ignoring timestamping create liability risks for lawyers?, and speak to your insurer or risk adviser about how it fits your firm’s risk management. A TimeBind is a supporting record, not a defence.

A workflow example

A hypothetical example. A small commercial firm adds timestamping to the execution of a services agreement:

1. Agree the service and the price. The engagement letter says the firm will record an independent, dated fingerprint of the executed agreement and give the client the certificate. The fee for this step is stated.
2. Finalise the exact file. The signed PDF is exported as the final version. The firm does not re-save or edit it afterwards, because the TimeBind matches the exact file.
3. Make the TimeBind. A staff member drops the file into the TimeBinder app. The fingerprint is made in the browser. The firm adds the matter number as reference text, not the client’s name.
4. Choose Pooled or ASAP. For routine agreements, Pooled is usually enough. For something likely to be contested, the firm chooses ASAP.
5. File the certificate. When the certificate is ready, it goes on the matter file next to the original PDF, with a short file note: date, who exported the file, where it is stored.
6. Share it if useful. The client gets the certificate and a one-page note on how to check it. Verification can be limited to chosen email addresses.
7. Repeat for later versions. If the agreement is varied, each executed variation is dated the same way.

What to say to clients

Keep it short and accurate:

• "We can record an independent, dated fingerprint of the signed agreement. If anyone later asks which version was signed, we can show the record."
• "It shows that this exact file existed by that time and hasn’t changed. It doesn’t show who made it or whether a court will accept it."
• "The file itself stays on our computer. Only a fingerprint is recorded."
• "The fee for this step is [amount] and it is included in [package / shown as a separate line]."

Setting it up for your firm

1. Try it free. Use the Free plan’s monthly Token on a real executed agreement.
2. Buy as you go while you test. A Pooled TimeBind is US$5 and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15, bought in the app by card. Tokens you buy never expire.
3. Move to a plan when volume is steady. Expert (US$50 a month for 15 Tokens) suits a sole practitioner. From about 37 Tokens a month, Business (US$149 for 60 Tokens) usually costs less, and comes with one company account and a monthly invoice. See business plans.
4. Add the service to your engagement terms and price list. Describe it plainly and state the fee.
5. Make it routine. The value comes from doing it at the same step in every matter.

If a client would like to sign up for TimeBinder themselves, they can use the Free plan. There is a second option. Instead of reselling, a firm can refer clients and earn a commission under the Partnership Program; the terms (20% of settled transactions) are published on the affiliate program page. The two options are separate, and a firm can use either. A commission raises its own questions about telling the client and about conflicts of interest, so check your professional rules first.

When it is not the right service

• The client needs a registered right. Trade marks, designs and patents come from filing, not from a timestamp.
• You need signatures, witnessing or identity checks. Use e-signature, a notary or a justice of the peace as the matter requires. A TimeBind can sit alongside them.
• The issue is an earlier date. A TimeBind made today shows what a file looks like today.
• The service would not help the client. Do not add a fee for something the client does not need.

The protection your clients are asking for

Clients already worry about edited documents and disputed versions. Offering a TimeBind gives them a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes, in the form of a dated record of their exact file, and gives the firm a simple resale line. In the resale option the firm sets its own price and keeps the margin; the referral option is described above.

General information, not legal advice. A TimeBind shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It does not show authorship, ownership, copyright status or how any court, tribunal, client or insurer will treat it.