E-signatures for law firms

Which documents can a law firm reasonably e-sign?

Most of the volume in a small firm is not the deal itself but the paper around it: the client care letter, the terms of business, an authority to act, and the NDA before a transaction starts. These are ordinary contracts and electronic signature is widely accepted for them.

Commercial work adds the agreements themselves. Share purchase side letters, settlement agreements and simple supply contracts are signed electronically every day, often with each party signing a counterpart.

• Client care letter and engagement terms
• Authority to act and consent forms
• NDAs and confidentiality undertakings
• Settlement agreements
• Simple commercial and partnership agreements

Where legal signing gets particular

Deeds are the main trap in England and Wales. A deed signed by an individual needs a witness, and the Law Commission's 2019 report said that witness should be physically present when the electronic signature is applied. Lasting powers of attorney, wills and many property transfers have their own formal rules.

In the EU, some filings and contracts call for a qualified electronic signature under eIDAS, which requires a certificate issued after an identity check by a qualified trust service provider. Sign PDF produces a simple electronic signature with strong supporting evidence, which is not the same thing. Many courts also run their own e-filing systems with their own signature rules.

How a firm uses Sign PDF for a client care letter

The client's side is quick; the firm's side is where you check the boxes are right.

• Upload the letter and terms as Word or PDF. Sign PDF places the client's signature and date boxes from the wording.
• Type 'client initials the fee schedule' or 'add a checkbox to confirm the client has read the complaints procedure'.
• Add the client's name and email, write a short personal message, and send.
• The client confirms a six-digit email code and signs in their browser.
• The completed PDF is sealed. Opposing counsel or a court can compare any copy with the sealed original at signpdf.ai/verify.

What it costs a law firm

A sole practitioner opening two matters a month could use Light at $5 a month. A small firm sending client care letters, NDAs and agreements across several matters will want Full at $10 a month for unlimited documents and templates.

A settlement agreement signed by the employee, their adviser and the employer counts as one document.

Limits a law firm must weigh

We do not offer qualified electronic signatures, advanced electronic signatures with certificate-based signer keys, notarisation or remote online notarisation, and we do no identity verification. We have no conflict-checking, matter management or document management integration, no SSO, no team seats and no API.

We are not ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certified, and some regulators and insurers expect firms to check suppliers' security. Decide for each document type whether a simple electronic signature is enough. This page is general information, not legal advice.