Is My Electronic Signature Enforceable?
Published: August 1, 2022
As a transactional lawyer, I’ve always found a special delight when the occasion arises to use one of my favorite sayings: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” It provides a certain level of self-importance that transactional attorneys enjoy in relatively few circumstances. But in today’s electronic world, where ballpoint pens may soon join VHS tapes and 8-tracks in the trash can, we’ve had to reassess whether that saying still holds water. If no one handwrites agreements, or almost anything for that matter, where does the power go that was otherwise held by the prestigious pen? Or (perhaps) more importantly, how can parties execute transaction documents without having to resort to printing and physically signing their documents, and can this be done electronically?