Requesting contracts to be signed can involve a lot of unnecessary bureaucratic tasks. But it does not have to be complicated. The process of signing contracts and any other types of agreements can be streamlined using Capboard. If you have to request signatures from different stakeholders (like employees with ESOP grants, investors, or third parties), this guide will teach you how to do so easily.
How to send contracts and request e-signatures using Capboard?
- Go to the Documents section on the left-side menu. Click on the Signatures sub-section.
- Create a new contract using the “+” button at the top right of the page.
- Upload the document that needs to be signed (e.g., equity grant, NDA, board meeting minutes, or any other agreement requiring signatures).
- Click on the “Add” button to enter the names of the individuals who are required to sign the contract. Once added, their names and emails should appear on the “Signers added” list. Click on Save.
- Then you will see the list of “Signers”. Click on the “Signature” button to add the field where the individual has to sign the contract. Position the field in the contract file. If you want to request multiple signatures from one person on different pages, create a new field when scrolling down to each page by clicking on the “Signature” button.
- If you have more than one individual that needs to sign the contract, select each one of them and add the fields where necessary.
- In case you’re not ready to send the contract to signers, click on the “Save Draft” button to save the current version of the contract and the newly added fields.
- Once you are ready to request e-signatures, access the contract again and click on the “Send” button. Upon receiving an email, signers will be required to use the link provided in the email to access the contract and e-sign it using Capboard’s signing feature.
- When all the parties have signed, the status will change to completed, and you will be able to download the audit trail as well as the signed version of the contract. At the same time, all parties will receive the signed version of the contract by email.
- Congrats! You have successfully requested and received an e-signature contract.
Legal considerations
In many jurisdictions, e-signatures are legally recognized under certain conditions, usually governed by electronic signature laws and regulations. These laws may specify the type of documents or transactions for which e-signatures are acceptable and the required level of certification for such signatures to be legally binding.
For an e-signature to be legally binding, it typically requires the presence of specific certificates that ensure its authenticity, integrity, and non-repudiation. The e-signature tool offered by Capboard does not have those certificates.