https://magistrate.khanna.law/

 
Magistrate
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Plain text legal contracts  for developers

A simple API for electronically signing plain text legal contracts.

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Docs

 1.
    POST a contract to the endpoint

    $ curl https://api.getmagistrate.com/...

 2.
    The Parties Receive An Email
    Dear Alice, your signature on behalf of Greenacre, Inc.
    is requested by Bob.
 3.
    The Parties View and Sign the Contract
    GREENACRE, INC.

    By: /s/ Alice Smith
    Name: Alice Smith
    Title: Chief Executive Officer
 4. Fully Executed contract.txt Emailed to All Parties
    Dear Alice, please find attached the fully
    executed Bill of Sale.

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Frequently asked questions

Can't find the answer you're looking for?
Let me know.

Is this legally binding?

Yes, if you are in the United States. The Electronic Signatures in
Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) together with the broad
adoption of the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act (UETA) by 47
states ensures the validity of electronic signatures.

If you are outside the United States, this product is not for you
(yet).

You may not be able to use electronic signatures for things like
wills, adoption paperwork, powers of attorney, and other instruments
that are specifically required to be wet signed or notarized. Check
with your lawyer.

How does this work?

You POST the body of the contract to an API endpoint along with the
names and emails of the parties to the contract.

The parties get an email with a unique link that they click to view
the contract. From there, they can sign the contract electronically.

Once the contract has been signed by all the parties, they all are
emailed a fully executed copy of the contract. If the person who sent
the contract initially is not a party to the contract (e.g., a lawyer
coordinating the execution), they receive a copy as well.

How do signatures work?

Magistrate generates signature blocks based on the parties passed in
API call and appends them to the body of the contract. This means you
should not include any signature blocks in the body of the contract.

The signature blocks are formatted in the style recommended by the
Manual of Style for Contract Drafting 4th Edition. The signer clicks
their signature block to sign the contract.

I've always thought that the fake cursive signatures that most
electronic signature platforms make you use when e-signing a contract
are silly. Magistrate instead uses something called a "conformed
signature."

When a person signs the contract, the signature block will display
something like /s/ Jane Smith. This means the contract has been
signed by that person, and this conformed signature is the valid
representation of a person's signature.

Can entities like corporations use this?

Yes. The API accepts entities like corporations as parties and will
generate the appropriate signature blocks. See the docs for more
detail.

Does this create an attorney-client relationship?

No. This is a software product and is not legal services. Nothing on
this website is legal advice. Consult with your own attorney if you
have questions about the law or your particular circumstances.

Why are you doing this?

If contracts were written in plain text files and managed more like
software, from version control to IDEs, lawyers would work more
quickly and intelligently for their clients, saving them money.

But the entire practice of transactional law is stuck on Microsoft
Word. My clients are mostly technology companies with an appetite for
innovation. With their encouragement, I am moving my own legal
practice away from formats like Microsoft Word and into plain text.

Electronic signatures of plain text contracts is the starting point
for that effort. The MVP is this developer API.

If the reception to this product is positive, I'll continue to
release the products that I build. In time, my hope is that plain
text will supplant Microsoft Word in the drafting, negotiation and
execution of contracts.

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