Release a legal hold from the Release sub-tab on the Legal hold tab. Record the reason, choose who to notify, review the release email, and type the case title to confirm. Hintyr releases the hold first, then emails the release notice and reports who it reached. Anyone it missed is listed so you can send it to them from the same sub-tab. After release, destructive actions like delete and dedupe unblock on the case. The audit log of the hold stays intact. Export a signed package any time. The package gives opposing counsel everything they need to verify the record on their own.
Releasing a hold
Five steps. Plan to do them in one sitting once you've cleared the release with co-counsel.
- Open the Release sub-tab. Inside the case, open Case Settings, choose the Legal hold tab, and switch to Release. On an active hold the sub-tab shows the release form. On a released hold it shows the recorded release instead.
- Record the release reason. Write a short reason that opposing counsel can see in the export package. Add a privileged narrative separately if your firm wants a more detailed work-product note recorded.
- Choose how to notify custodians. Pick All custodians, Selected custodians, or Silent (no notification). For Selected, check each custodian to notify. For Silent, you must record a written rationale.
- Type the case title to confirm. The form requires the case title verbatim before the release button turns on. This guards against accidental release.
- Review and release. For All custodians or Selected custodians, click Review and release, check the release email and how many custodians will be notified, then click Release hold. For Silent, click Release hold on the form; there is no email to review.
Release options and fields
Release reason (short)
Required. Two or three sentences. Appears verbatim in the default export package, so write it as if opposing counsel will read it. Example: "Matter resolved by settlement on 2026-05-15. All preservation duties tied to this case have ended."
Privileged release narrative
Optional. Attorney work product. The narrative is excluded from the default export package; an opt-in toggle at export time includes it when you're sharing with co-counsel under a privilege agreement. Don't paste anything here that you wouldn't want recorded in your firm's case file. Attorney-client privilege risk gives the broader framing for why work-product separation matters.
Notify custodians
Required, with All custodians chosen at first. The mode decides who gets the release notice and which custodians are marked released. The hold itself is released in every mode.
- All custodians- Every active custodian on the hold is marked released and receives the release notice. Use this when the matter has reached a clean conclusion that you're comfortable communicating broadly. The release button reads Review and release.
- Selected custodians - Only the custodians you check are marked released and receive the release notice. Custodians you leave unchecked get no release notice and keep their current status on the Custodians sub-tab. Use this when the firm wants targeted communication. The release button reads Review and release.
- Silent (no notification)- No release notice goes out and no custodian is marked released. Use this only when communicating release would itself cause harm (an ongoing related matter, an undisclosed settlement term, an internal investigation that's still active). The rationale field becomes required and is recorded in the audit log verbatim. The release button reads Release hold and there is no review step.
Choose recipients
Shown when Notify custodians is set to Selected custodians. The list shows each active custodian on this hold as name and email, with none checked at first. Custodians you already released one by one are not listed. Check at least one; until you do, the form shows “Pick at least one recipient or choose another notification mode.” When the hold has no active custodians, the list is replaced by “There are no active custodians on this hold to notify. Choose another notification mode.”
Silent release rationale
Shown and required only when Notify custodians is set to Silent (no notification). Two or three sentences explaining why custodians should not be notified of release. Recorded verbatim. Treat this as a record an attorney may need to defend later.
Typed confirmation
The field is labeled with the case title, for example Type "Smith v. Acme Corp" to confirm. The release button stays off until you type the title exactly. The form pulls the title from the case record so an accidental release on the wrong case is harder to trigger. While the title loads, the field reads “Loading case title...”. If it can't load, the form shows “Could not load the case title for the confirmation step.” and the field stays off.
Buttons
- Cancelleaves the form without releasing. If you have entered anything, Hintyr first asks “Discard release draft?” with Keep editing and Discard. Pressing Esc does the same.
- Review and release (All custodians and Selected custodians) opens the review step. It turns on once the release reason is filled in, the case title is typed exactly, and, for Selected custodians, at least one custodian is checked.
- Release hold(Silent) releases the hold right away, once the release reason, the rationale, and the case title are in. While it works, the button reads “Releasing...”. If the release is refused, the reason appears above the buttons.
Review the release email
For All custodians and Selected custodians, Review and releaseopens a review step before anything happens to the hold. It shows the release email exactly as Hintyr will send it. The preview is addressed to a sample custodian with a placeholder link; each custodian's copy carries their own name and their own link to confirm receipt. The email uses Hintyr's standard release wording, with the hold's scope summary as the matter and you as the preservation contact. There is nothing to edit in this step.
What the review step shows
- Email preview: the rendered release email. On a phone the review step fills the screen and the preview scrolls on its own.
- Subject: “Legal hold released: preservation duty ended”.
- Preservation contact: your name and email address, such as “Eli Brennan <eli.brennan@lawfirm.com>”. Custodians see the same name and email address in the email.
- How many custodians will be notified, such as “5 custodians will be notified”: every active custodian for All custodians, the ones you checked for Selected custodians. Show list and Hide listshow each custodian's name and email.
- Back returns to the form with every field as you left it. Pressing Esc does the same.
- Release holdreleases the hold and sends the email you just reviewed. It stays off until the preview has finished rendering (“Rendering preview”). While the release runs, the button reads “Releasing” and every button is off.
If the preview doesn't load
Ending the hold matters more than showing its email, so a preview that fails to load doesn't stop the release, unless the release would be refused for the same reason.
- “Couldn't load the release email preview.” The button becomes Release without preview. It releases the hold and sends the release notice as usual; you just don't see the email first.
- “No preservation contact can be named in the release email, so the release notice can't be sent. You can still release the hold.” Release without preview releases the hold, and the outcome then says the release notice could not be sent.
- When the hold is no longer active (“This hold is no longer issued, so it can't be released.”), you are not a case admin, or your session has expired, Release hold stays off. Go back, refresh the page, and check the hold's state.
What happens when you release
Hintyr releases the hold first. The hold changes from active to released, the custodians the mode covers are marked released, destructive actions unblock on the case, and the audit log records the release with the reason and the notification mode. Only then does Hintyr email the release notice, and only to the custodians it just released. A notice that fails never undoes the release: the hold stays released, and anyone who did not get the email is listed so you can send it again. A Silent release sends no email and records the rationale.
After you release
The review step closes and the Release sub-tab reports the outcome at the top:
- “Hold released. Notified N of M custodians.” How many custodians the release notice reached, out of those the release notified.
- “Not delivered”, followed by the name and email of each custodian the release email could not be delivered to.
- “Not sent yet: K” on a very large hold, where the release can stop sending before every custodian is reached. The hold is released either way.
- “Hold released silently. No notice was sent.” after a Silent release.
- “Hold released. There were no custodians left to notify.” when the release had nobody to notify.
- “The hold is released, but the release notice could not be sent (...). Use Send release notice below.” when the email could not go out at all. The reason in parentheses is one of: email sending is not available right now; no preservation contact could be named in it; the notice could not be created; an unexpected error. The hold is released in every case.
- “The hold is released, but the release notice could not be sent (its custodians were not marked released). Contact support to finish releasing them.” when the custodians could not be marked released. Sending the notice again can't fix this, because the release notice only goes to released custodians.
Below the outcome you see “This hold was released on” with the date, the reason under Release reason (in default export), and the Send release notice banner if anyone still lacks the release notice. Done returns to the Overview sub-tab. When you open a released hold later, the Release sub-tab shows the release date, the reason, and the banner, without the outcome.
Sending the release notice again
On a released hold that notified custodians (All custodians or Selected custodians), the Release sub-tab checks which custodians released with the hold have no release notice delivered or on its way. If there are any, it shows a banner titled “Release notice not sent to N custodians” that lists each one by name and email:
- Not delivered: the release email could not be delivered to them.
- Not sent yet: the release never reached them, for example a very large release that stopped before everyone was reached, a release notice that could not be sent, or a release interrupted before the email went out.
Send release noticesends the release email, with you as the preservation contact, to exactly the custodians in the list. While it works, the button reads “Sending”. Hintyr skips anyone who already has the release notice, so nobody gets it twice. The outcome then reads “Release notice sent to N of M custodians.”, with Not delivered and Not sent yet lines like the release outcome, and the banner updates to whoever is still left. A Silent release never shows the banner, because it sends no notice.
You can send one notice per hold per minute, and the release's own email counts. If you click Send release notice within a minute of the last notice, nothing is sent and you see “Another notice for this hold went out in the last minute. Nothing was sent. Try again in 42 seconds.” The button reads “Send release notice (42 s)”, counts down with the message, and turns back on when the minute is up.
The resend uses the email address on file. Released custodians can't be edited on the Custodians sub-tab, so if an address itself is wrong, reach that custodian another way. The release notice also appears in the Notices list with the type Release; expand it to see each custodian's delivery state in the same acknowledgment table described in Composing and sending preservation notices.
If something goes wrong
Errors appear as banners in the review step, on the form for a Silent release, or under the Send release notice banner. Every message below except “We couldn't confirm...” means the request was refused before anything happened: no email went out, and a refused release leaves the hold as it was.
While releasing
- Someone already released the hold:“This hold has already been released. Nothing changed.” The Release sub-tab refreshes to show the release.
- The hold is no longer active:“This hold is no longer issued, so it can't be released. Nothing changed.” The Release sub-tab refreshes to show the hold as it is now.
- You are not a case admin:“Only case admins can release a hold. Nothing changed.”
- Your session expired:“Your session has expired. Refresh the page to sign in again. Nothing changed.”
- A field is not valid:the message names the field to fix, for example “Check the silent release rationale field. Nothing changed.” When no single field is named: “Some of the information isn't valid. Nothing changed. Check the form and try again.”
- Any other refusal:“Couldn't release the hold. Nothing changed.”
- The outcome is unknown:“We couldn't confirm whether the release notice went out. Check the Release tab before resending.” The connection dropped or the release was interrupted, so the hold may already be released and some custodians may already have the email. The Release sub-tab refreshes on its own. If the hold now shows as released, the message stays above the release summary and the banner lists anyone still without the release notice. If the hold still shows as active, you can release it again from the review step; if the first attempt did go through, Hintyr says the hold has already been released.
In the review step
- The preview failed:“Couldn't load the release email preview.” Release without preview stays available.
- No contact can be named:“No preservation contact can be named in the release email, so the release notice can't be sent. You can still release the hold.”
- The hold is no longer active:“This hold is no longer issued, so it can't be released.” Release hold stays off, as it does when you are not a case admin or your session has expired (same messages as above).
When you send the release notice again
- Another notice went out in the last minute: “Another notice for this hold went out in the last minute. Nothing was sent. Try again in 42 seconds.” The number counts the seconds left, and the button counts down with it.
- A release notice is still going out:“A release notice is still being sent. Check again in 90 seconds. Nothing new was sent.” The button counts down until then.
- Everyone already has it:“All custodians already have a release notice. Nothing was sent.” The list refreshes and the banner goes away.
- The hold was released silently:“This hold was released silently, so no release notice is sent. Nothing was sent.”
- The hold is not released:“This hold isn't released, so a release notice can't be sent. Nothing was sent.”
- A custodian is still active:“A custodian on the list is still active on this hold. Nothing was sent. Refresh and try again.”
- No contact can be named:“The release notice could not name a preservation contact. Nothing was sent.”
- You are not a case admin:“Only case admins can send release notices. Nothing was sent.”
- Your session expired:“Your session has expired. Refresh the page to sign in again. Nothing was sent.”
- Any other refusal:“Couldn't send the release notice. Nothing was sent. Try again.”
- The outcome is unknown:“We couldn't confirm whether the release notice went out. Check the Release tab before resending.” The list refreshes on its own; check the banner before sending again. Anyone who already has the notice is skipped either way.
- The list can't load:“Couldn't check which custodians have the release notice.” The banner stays hidden until the list loads.
Export options
On the Overview sub-tab, choose Export bundle to produce a signed package of the hold record. Available on active holds and released holds. Only case admins can export.
Include privileged narratives checkbox
Unchecked by default. The default protects attorney work product: privileged narratives recorded with the hold (the basis narrative, the release rationale, the silent-release rationale, and privileged custodian-interview notes) are excluded from the export.
Check it only when you are exporting to co-counsel under a privilege agreement, to internal firm storage, or to insurance counsel where work product remains protected. Leave it unchecked when the export is going to opposing counsel.
Generating the package
Choose Generate bundle. While Hintyr builds and signs the package, the button reads Generating bundle... and Cancelis off. When the package is ready, your browser downloads it as one ZIP file named for the hold and the export date, and the dialog closes. Holds with many custodians and a long audit history make larger packages and take longer to build. Each export is recorded in the hold's audit log, including whether privileged narratives were included.
If the export can't finish, nothing downloads and the dialog says what happened. Hintyr records an export in the audit log only once the package is built and signed, so the message tells you whether anything was recorded:
- You aren't a case admin:“Only case admins can export the hold record. Nothing was exported.”
- Your session expired:“Your session has expired. Refresh the page to sign in again. Nothing was exported.”
- The hold no longer exists:“This hold could not be found. Refresh the page. Nothing was exported.”
- Hintyr couldn't build or sign the package: “Couldn't build the bundle. Nothing was exported. Try again later.”
- The connection dropped, the download was cut off, or your browser couldn't start it:“The bundle didn't download. The export may still show in the audit log. Try again.” The audit log refreshes so you can check. Exporting again is safe: each export is its own entry in the audit log.
- Anything else that was refused:“Couldn't export the bundle. Nothing was exported. Try again.”
What's in the export package
The package is a single download containing the full hold record:
- Summary PDF describing the hold lifecycle: when it was placed, the scope, the custodians on it, when notices went out, when acknowledgments came back, and when (or whether) the hold was released.
- Continuing-counsel sheet, a one-page PDF to forward when outside counsel takes over the matter. It never includes privileged narratives, even when the checkbox is on.
- Audit log spreadsheet with one row per recorded action, opening in Excel or any standard tool.
- Signed copy of the recordthat opposing counsel can independently verify came from Hintyr and hasn't been modified after export. Verification uses stock open-source tools.
- Trusted timestampsfrom an independent timestamping service for the hold's audit trail, so a recipient can confirm when the recorded events existed without relying on Hintyr.
- Recipient verification instructions and the public key needed to run the check. Instructions are written for a recipient with no prior Hintyr exposure.
When can I release a hold?
Release a hold once the matter resolves: a settlement closes, a judgment enters, a regulatory inquiry ends, or your firm and co-counsel agree the preservation duty has expired. Always check with co-counsel before releasing on a matter with related ongoing litigation. Releasing a hold doesn't erase its history. The audit log preserves a record of the hold no matter how the case ends. Spoliation is what you're defending against; a complete audit log is the defense.
Edge cases and limits
- Release is one-way. Re-issuing the hold later starts a new hold record on the case. The original hold's audit log stays available as a closed record.
- Released holds retain their entire audit log. You can still run Verify integrity and export packages from a released hold.
- Names and other text in Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts print as written in the package PDFs. Characters from other scripts, such as Chinese or Japanese, and emoji print as � in the PDFs, with a note on the page saying so. The signed copy of the record keeps the exact text.
- You can release individual custodians before releasing the hold itself. That use case lives on the Custodians sub-tab and does not end the hold.
- Custodians you released one at a time before releasing the hold don't get the release notice when you release the hold: All custodians and Selected custodians both cover active custodians only. The banner and Send release notice leave them out too: the release notice is only for the custodians released with the hold.
- On a phone, the review step fills the screen and the action buttons stay pinned to the bottom.
- External preservation systems (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, and similar) are your firm's responsibility to release in those systems after the Hintyr hold ends.