In the space of a little over a month, remote working has, for many, become the new normal, bringing with it many benefits, and challenges. It is in this context that the recent clarification from the Lord Chancellor – which predated the extent of the COVID-19 outbreak becoming apparent – as to the validity of electronic signatures as a matter of English law came at so pertinent a time.
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland QC, recently confirmed, in the Government’s response to the Law Commission’s detailed report from last year, that electronically-executed documents are legally valid as a matter of English law, even in the context of statutory requirements that predate the digital age.
