What makes a signature legally binding

If you are unable to look for a notary, a lawyer can act as an impartial witness too. They do not read the contents of the document. Lawyers will only verify the validity of both parties' agreements.

The agreement part of a contract includes counteroffers, offers, and a meeting of the minds. If you take a taxi to the airport, you're verbally agreeing that you'll pay a certain amount when you get to your final destination. However, certain contracts must be written agreements, such as real estate contracts or contracts with a length longer than a year.

Each state has its own legal requirements, and these should be consulted to see what regulations need to be in a contract you're making. During the agreement process, one party offers certain terms and conditions that the other party either accepts or rejects.

If one party decides to change its terms or conditions, the offer then becomes a counteroffer. The parties can then change any condition or term of the offer. They will continue negotiating the terms until they have a meeting of the minds, which is when they've come to an agreement and a contract can be formed. Both parties need to be competent in order to enter into the agreement.

They cannot be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, have an unsound mind, or under the age of In order to enter into the contract, they need to have legal power.

With that, this is not truly necessary in all cases. All one would need is a mark that represents who that person is. It can be in the following forms:. As long as the signature represents who that person is and his or her intent, any of the marks are considered valid and legally binding. Signatures are usually recorded in pen, but this is not always the case. A signature may be issued by anything that marks on paper. The pencil is not the ideal choice because it can erase or be smudged, but signatures made in pencil are just as valid as signatures based in pen.

Signatures can be issued in digital form or via stamps because there are various forms of writing implementations.

If you cannot sign an agreement on your own, you can give it to another party who can sign documents on your behalf. However, a signature is not always necessary to bind an agreement, but when signatures are necessary, whether it is in e-form depends entirely on the consent and intent of the parties involved. Browse the providers in our gateway credit card processing comparison chart to find the best option for your business. Then sign up for Formstack Forms, customize your payment forms, and start collecting profits in minutes.

NOTE: These amounts reflect the monthly subscription for the payment provider. Formstack does not charge a fee to integrate with any of our payment partners. Contact Sales Resources Popup. Heather Mueller. About the Episode. Episode Highlights. Meet our Guest. Wondering if electronic signatures are legally binding?

The short answer is "absolutely. In other words What, specifically, makes electronic signatures legal? There must be a legitimate intent to sign. Great, thank ya! You can now access the content. Download Now Download Now.