The functions that close a deal between a client and a lawyer
CITADEL turns a legal engagement into a single transaction, from intake to settlement. This page is not a brochure. It is a function-level record of what the platform actually does. Open any module below.
Matched, then the auction goes live
Matching is not a private hand-off. The moment a case is structured, every verified member is alerted, and anyone can watch the bidding as it happens. Open bidding is what keeps the price honest, and it is the part of CITADEL that no competing marketplace runs.
- The alert reaches everyone A new auction is pushed to all verified members whose practice areas, jurisdictions and fee range fit the case.
- The live room opens Members enter as spectators. They see the redacted case card, the clock and the bids, and nothing that identifies the client.
- Bids stream in real time Every accepted bid appears within a second with its distance from the target fee, so the whole market sees where the price is settling.
- The award is announced on air The client's choice is published in the room, the remaining bids close, and the session stays as a replay.
How a transaction runs
- Case intake Facts, counterparty, desired outcome, jurisdiction and target fee are captured as structured fields.
- AI analysis Issue tags, a 0–100 risk score and an expected duration are attached as a report.
- Auction opens The case is published to verified counsel and a closing timer starts.
- Bids collected Scope, duration and fee are submitted on an identical form.
- Match and retain Bids are ordered by distance from the target fee; the client makes the final choice.
- Room and deposit A secure room opens and the winning amount is locked in escrow.
- Release and settle Funds are released per milestone and reviews open at closing.
Function catalog — 11 modules, 79 functions
Accounts and verification
The two sides are onboarded separately, and counsel may bid only after their right to practise has been confirmed.
- Client registration — Sign up with email and phone verification, then select a jurisdiction.
- Counsel application — Submit licence number, firm, practising jurisdictions and practice areas.
- Automated licence check — Submitted licence data is matched against public registers as a first pass.
- Administrator approval — A person reviews the automated result and approves or rejects the application.
- Periodic standing review — Practising status is rechecked on a schedule and listings are suspended on change.
- Wallet whitelisting — Addresses used for on-chain settlement are registered and verified.
Case intake and structuring
A client's narrative is turned into something counsel can judge immediately. Only structured cases reach the auction.
- Structured intake form — Facts, counterparty, desired outcome, jurisdiction and target fee are captured field by field.
- Evidence upload — Contracts, receipts and message captures are attached and hashed file by file.
- AI case summary — The submission is rewritten as a briefing for counsel.
- Risk score — A 0–100 difficulty and risk score is produced.
- Issue tagging — Practice area and issues are tagged for search and alerts.
- Similar case report — Outcome distribution and duration for comparable cases. Sold as a premium product.
- Edit and withdraw — A case can be amended or withdrawn before the auction opens.
Auction and bidding
Proposals arrive on one form so they can be compared. Without comparability there is no auction.
- Auction opening — The case is published to verified counsel with a closing time.
- Case alerts — Counsel matching the tags and jurisdiction are notified of new cases.
- Uniform bid form — Scope, expected duration, fee and a first strategy note go in the same fields.
- Closing timer — Time remaining is shown to both sides and bidding locks at close.
- Rebid and withdrawal — Amount and terms can be revised, or the bid pulled, until close.
- Sponsored bid labelling — Bids arriving through an ad product are labelled as such.
- Failed auction handling — If no bid stands, the case returns to a re-listable state.
Automatic matching
Ranking is built from distance to the target fee. The decision stays with the client.
- Distance ranking — Bids are ordered by the smallest |bid − target fee|.
- Tiebreakers — Ties are settled by rating, then similar-case experience, then response time.
- Reputation filter — Blocked counsel and sub-threshold profiles are removed from the feed.
- Bid comparison board — Amount, duration and scope are placed side by side.
- Retainer confirmation — Choosing one bid closes the rest automatically and notifies them.
- Ranking rationale — Distance and rating are shown so the order is explainable.
- Composite match score — Proximity, rating, domain fit, response speed and capacity are weighted into one score.
- Domain fit weighting — Past cases carrying the same issue tags raise the score.
- Capacity check — Counsel carrying too many open matters are ranked down.
- Underbid penalty — Bids far below the target fee lose points instead of gaining them.
Live auction and alerts
Every auction is announced to the whole membership and can be watched while it runs.
- Auction broadcast — A new auction is pushed to every verified member as an alert.
- Alert preferences — Members choose the practice areas, jurisdictions and fee ranges they want to hear about.
- Case redaction — Names, contact details and documents are stripped before a case is published.
- Live spectator room — Members watch the bidding without taking part.
- Real-time bid ticker — Each accepted bid appears with its distance from the target fee.
- Viewer counter — The number of watching members is shown to both sides during the session.
- Anti-sniping extension — A bid in the final minute extends the clock by two minutes.
- Award announcement — The client's choice is published in the room and the losing bids close.
- Session replay — The finished auction stays available as a replay.
Secure transaction room
A room for the two parties opens on award, holding conversation, documents and schedule in one place.
- Automatic room creation — Created per case the moment the match is confirmed.
- End-to-end encryption — Messages decrypt only with party keys; the platform holds no plaintext.
- Document hash records — Only hashes go to the ledger; originals stay in party storage.
- Milestone linkage — Deadlines and approval requests appear beside the conversation.
- Room sealing — The room locks at closing and becomes read-only.
- Off-platform detection — Attempts to move payment outside the platform are detected and penalised.
Smart-contract escrow
Funds are locked and released against milestone approval. Every transition is recorded as an event.
- open() — Sets parties, total, jurisdiction, caseHash and milestone weights summing to 100%.
- fund() — The client deposits and 2% moves to Treasury immediately.
- acknowledgeMilestone() — Approval by both sides executes that milestone automatically.
- release() — Deducts the 2% counsel fee from the slice and remits the balance.
- dispute() — Freezes the remaining balance for an arbitrator to split via resolve.
- cancel() — Refunds the balance if no milestone has yet executed.
- Event log — Every state transition is kept as an auditable log entry.
- Custody in parallel — Phase 1 runs alongside a licensed payment provider's escrow account.
Payment orchestration
Several payment APIs sit behind one escrow, and counsel are paid the way they prefer.
- Card payment — Deposit by Visa, Mastercard or regional cards.
- P2P transfer and QR — Deposit by instant account-to-account transfer.
- Wire deposit — Wire, SWIFT and local bank deposits are confirmed automatically.
- USDT settlement — A stablecoin rail that removes cross-border payout delay.
- Token payment — Platform utility token for fees and ad products.
- Payout rail selection — Counsel choose their currency and disbursement rail.
- Idempotent webhooks — Duplicate payment events are applied exactly once.
- Daily reconciliation — Internal ledger and provider balances are compared every day.
Compliance
Both sides are screened before funds move, and the commercial structure adapts to each jurisdiction's rules.
- canTransact check — Sender and receiver whitelists and jurisdictions are tested together.
- Blacklist — Sanctioned accounts are barred from transacting.
- Jurisdiction codes — Permitted jurisdictions are kept as a list, such as AE-DIFC and AE-ADGM.
- Reentrancy lock — The payout path runs under a reentrancy guard.
- Pause switch — New deposits and releases can be halted during an incident.
- Multisig withdrawal — Treasury withdrawals require multiple signatures.
- Fee structure switch — Where fee sharing is restricted, the transaction fee is set to zero by configuration.
Reputation and blocking
Reviews are written only on closed cases, and the result is shown identically to every client.
- Four-axis review — Service quality, process experience, ethics and transparency, and willingness to re-engage.
- Public profile — Rating, engagement count and average response time appear on the profile.
- Personal blocking — A blocked lawyer's bids disappear from that client's feed only.
- Appeal procedure — Counsel may request removal of a review they consider false.
- Ad eligibility gate — Ads are not served when the rating falls below threshold.
Fees and revenue
Thin on the transaction, fuller on exposure products. Nothing is charged when nothing closes.
- Two-sided 2% fee — 2% from the client on deposit and 2% from counsel on release.
- Ad inventory — Exposure slots sold by practice area and jurisdiction.
- Promotion engine — First-case waivers and category campaigns run from configuration.
- Premium analytics — Similar-case reports sold per case or by subscription.
- Counsel subscription — Higher bid limits, priority alerts and profile enhancement in one plan.
- Settlement reports — Period statements of receipts and fees for counsel and administrators.
Matching algorithm
For a client budget B and a bid P, the smaller |P − B| is, the higher the bid ranks. Ties are settled by rating, similar-case experience and response time. The algorithm proposes an order; the client decides.
How the match score is built: Proximity to target fee 40%, Rating and reviews 20%, Domain fit 20%, Response speed 10%, Open capacity 10%
Fees and revenue structure
The transaction carries 2% from each side, 4% in total. If nothing closes, nobody pays. The rest of the revenue comes from exposure products counsel choose for themselves.
The company behind CITADEL
CITADEL is built and operated by GOLDMOON — FZCO, a Dubai company wholly owned by SALAHUDDIN GROUP. The platform launches in the UAE first, then the GCC, then selected common-law markets.
GOLDMOON — FZCO · Dubai Silicon Oasis, DDP, Building A1, Dubai, UAE · info@salahudingroup.com · Customer support (UAE, WhatsApp) +971 58 8383 087 · Mobile (Korea) +82 10-8759-5581
Last updated: October 2026
CITADEL app — launching March 2027
The CITADEL mobile app launches in March 2027: case intake, the live auction, your secure room and milestone escrow in one app. Pre-registration is open to clients, lawyers and partners. Register on the site, or contact customer support on WhatsApp at +971 58 8383 087 or by email at info@salahudingroup.com to reserve an onboarding slot.
App screens
- Case overview — matter, value, jurisdiction (DIFC, ADGM, KR) and the next milestone on one screen.
- Verified lawyers — ranked for your case, each with licence, reviews and years in practice.
- Escrow — funds held by a neutral agent and released step by step on mutual approval.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CITADEL?
- CITADEL is an auction-based legal services marketplace, delivered as Legal Infrastructure as a Service. A client registers a case with a target fee, verified counsel bid on it, and the engagement is settled through smart-contract escrow. It is operated by GOLDMOON — FZCO in Dubai and launches in the UAE before the GCC and selected common-law markets. CITADEL is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
- How does the auction work?
- The client sets a target fee. Verified counsel submit scope, duration and fee on one identical form until the closing timer runs out. Bids are ordered by how close they sit to the target fee, not by who is cheapest, and the client makes the final choice. Retaining one bid closes the rest automatically.
- How are lawyers matched to a case?
- Matching uses a composite score: proximity to the target fee 40%, rating and reviews 20%, domain fit 20%, response speed 10% and open capacity 10%. A bid far below the target fee loses proximity points rather than gaining them, and counsel carrying too many open matters are ranked down. Weights are set per market.
- Can anyone watch a CITADEL auction live?
- Yes. The moment a case is structured, every verified member whose practice areas, jurisdictions and fee range fit the case receives an alert, and members can enter a live spectator room to watch bids arrive in real time. Watching is open to all members; bidding requires an approved practising licence.
- Is the client's identity visible during a live auction?
- No. Names, contact details, documents and case numbers are stripped before a case is broadcast. Spectators see issue tags, jurisdiction and the target fee only. A bid in the final minute extends the clock by two minutes to prevent sniping, and every bid, extension and award is written to the ledger.
- What does CITADEL charge?
- Two per cent from the client on deposit and two per cent from counsel on release, four per cent in total, charged only when a case is awarded. Additional revenue comes from counsel advertising, promotions, premium analytics and counsel subscriptions. Where fee sharing is restricted by jurisdiction, the transaction fee is set to zero by configuration and the market runs on subscriptions and exposure products.
- How is the client's money protected?
- The awarded amount is locked in a smart-contract escrow and released milestone by milestone, only when both sides approve. The contract holds six states: None, Funded, Active, Disputed, Completed and Cancelled. Disputes freeze the balance for an arbitrator. Phase 1 runs alongside a licensed payment provider's escrow account.
- Which payment methods does CITADEL support?
- Card (Visa, Mastercard and regional cards), instant account-to-account transfer and QR, wire including SWIFT and local banks, USDT stablecoin settlement, and a platform utility token. Counsel choose the currency and rail they are paid on. Token and USDT rails activate only in markets where licensing and whitelisting are in place.
- Which jurisdictions does CITADEL cover?
- The platform launches in the UAE, covering DIFC and ADGM, then expands to the GCC and selected common-law markets. Both sides of a transaction must sit in the permitted jurisdiction list, and new markets are added by adding a jurisdiction code.
- How are lawyers verified and rated?
- Licence, disciplinary history and practising rights are matched automatically against public registers, then approved by an administrator; only approved accounts may bid. Reviews are written on closed cases across four axes — service quality, process experience, ethics and transparency, and willingness to re-engage — and every client sees the same record. A client may block a lawyer, which removes that lawyer's bids from their feed.
Available languages
- The functions that close a deal between a client and a lawyer — CITADEL turns a legal engagement into a single transaction, from intake to settlement. This page is not a brochure. It is a function-level record of what the platform actually does. Open any module below.
- الوظائف التي تُتمّ الصفقة بين العميل والمحامي — يحوّل سيتاديل التوكيل القانوني إلى معاملة واحدة، من استلام القضية حتى التسوية. هذه الصفحة ليست كتيّباً تعريفياً، بل سجل على مستوى الوظيفة لما تفعله المنصة فعلياً. افتح أي وحدة أدناه.
- 促成委托人与律师 成交的各项功能 — CITADEL 把一次法律委托变成一笔完整交易，从受理到结算。本页不是宣传册，而是逐项记录平台实际做什么的功能清单。请在下方展开任一模块。
- मुवक्किल और वकील के बीच सौदा पूरा कराने वाले फ़ंक्शन — CITADEL एक कानूनी नियुक्ति को, मामला दर्ज होने से लेकर भुगतान निपटान तक, एक ही लेनदेन में बदल देता है। यह पन्ना कोई विज्ञापन पुस्तिका नहीं, बल्कि यह रिकॉर्ड है कि प्लेटफ़ॉर्म वास्तव में क्या करता है। नीचे कोई भी मॉड्यूल खोलकर देखें।
- Функции, которые доводят сделку между клиентом и юристом до конца — CITADEL превращает юридическое поручение в одну сделку — от приёма дела до расчётов. Эта страница не буклет, а перечень того, что платформа действительно делает, по каждой функции. Откройте любой модуль ниже.
- 依頼者と弁護士のあいだで 取引を成立させる機能群 — CITADEL は法律の委任を、受付から精算までひとつの取引にまとめます。このページは紹介パンフレットではなく、プラットフォームが実際に何をするかを機能単位で記録した文書です。下のモジュールを開いてご確認ください。
- Las funciones que cierran el trato entre un cliente y un abogado — CITADEL convierte un encargo legal en una sola transacción, desde la admisión hasta la liquidación. Esta página no es un folleto: es el registro, función por función, de lo que la plataforma hace realmente. Abra cualquier módulo más abajo.
- Fungsi-fungsi yang menutup transaksi antara klien dan advokat — CITADEL mengubah sebuah penugasan hukum menjadi satu transaksi utuh, dari penerimaan perkara sampai penyelesaian dana. Halaman ini bukan brosur, melainkan catatan per fungsi tentang apa yang benar-benar dilakukan platform. Silakan buka modul mana pun di bawah.
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