Q&A

Question: What is the legal effect of a signature?

A signature on a contractual document or other written agreement, demonstrates that a party has read, understood and consents to the terms and conditions in a contract.

A party to an agreement is bound by his signature, regardless of whether he has actually read the contract or not.

Exceptions to this rule apply in instances where the signature has been obtained unfairly through misrepresentation, duress or undue influence (when one party unfairly influences another to enter into a contract). It is therefore of undeniable importance to read through something before you sign it and thus agree to be bound by it, or have a contract lawyer go through the contract with you in order to avoid being legally bound to something you don’t wish to be!