Is an electronic signature valid?

This is general information, not legal advice. In the UK, the US and the EU, the law generally recognises simple electronic signatures, like the ones SIGNL collects, for most everyday contracts, including service and coaching agreements. A signature is not refused just because it is electronic. Whether a particular agreement is enforceable still depends on what it says, who signs it and the rules where you and your client are, so check with a lawyer for anything high value or unusual.

Documents to avoid signing with SIGNL

• Wills, codicils and testamentary trusts.
• Deeds that must be signed in front of a witness, and anything that needs a notary.
• Lasting powers of attorney (in England and Wales these go through the Office of the Public Guardian).
• Documents that create or transfer rights in land or property, other than leases and rentals that do not need a deed, and anything to be filed with a land registry, Companies House or a court.
• Court orders, court filings and other court documents.
• Family-law documents, such as divorce, separation or adoption papers.
• Negotiable instruments, such as bills of exchange and promissory notes.
• Regulated consumer credit agreements, unless you have taken advice on their prescribed form.
• In the US: notices of default, repossession, foreclosure or eviction for someone's home; notices cutting off utilities or health or life insurance; product recall notices; and documents that must travel with hazardous materials.
• Anything a law or regulator says must be signed on paper, witnessed, or with a qualified or advanced electronic signature (some Scottish documents, for example).

What SIGNL records

For every signature SIGNL keeps a tamper-evident record: when the signer opened, read, agreed to sign electronically and signed, with their IP address and browser details, and a hash of the document as signed. The signer is emailed a PDF copy. If anyone disputes a signature, this record is your evidence; it is not a guarantee of any outcome.