Speedy and secure: Nigel Smith, Ellis Jones’ Managing Partner (seated) and Gustav Patrick, a solicitor in the firm’s Business Services Department, demonstrate the new DocuSign service.
Speedier – and easier – agreements are on the cards after a Dorset law firm adopted a new electronic signature service.
A process which could take weeks has now been reduced to just hours after Ellis Jones Solicitors became the first law firm in Dorset and Hampshire to offer DocuSign to its clients.
It follows a successful 12 month trial which saw 45 per cent of agreements completed and returned in less than six hours.
Ellis Jones now plans to introduce electronic signing to complete various kinds of transactions.
They include terms and conditions, commercial agreements, business sales and purchases and board minutes and resolutions.
Gustav Patrick, a solicitor in Ellis Jones’ Business Services Department who has spearheaded the DocuSign initiative, said: “Finalising contracts and agreements can often be a time-consuming administration task for our clients.
“However, since piloting DocuSign we have seen this lengthy process reduced from days and weeks to a matter of hours now that agreements don’t have to be printed, scanned or posted for manual signing.
“We can now offer a more convenient service as well, given that clients can finalise and sign agreements securely from any device and any location.”
By using DocuSign, Ellis Jones expects that agreements will be completed in less time, be more secure and provide clients with a better overall experience.
Gustav added: “A recent deal was completed in a matter of hours despite multiple signatories being located in the United Kingdom and the United States.
“Our clients will be able to complete and sign agreements from anywhere on any device, allowing them to complete important agreements on the move without losing valuable time.”
DocuSign is now used by more than 250,000 companies and over 100 million customers across 188 countries with almost one million transactions completed each day.
Jacqueline de Gernier, Regional Vice President Commercial Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “We are seeing encouraging momentum with regards to legal firms adopting electronic signature platforms. Ellis Jones is a shining example of a forward-thinking law firm.”
Nigel Smith, Ellis Jones’ Managing Partner, said: “We are the first law firm in Dorset and Hampshire to be offering DocuSign as a service to our clients.
“This clearly demonstrates our continued commitment to providing the best possible service for our clients.”
In a separate development, Ellis Jones is currently trialling Virtual Data Rooms (VDR) for the buying and selling of businesses using the cloud to securely store and share documents.
Note to journalists: Ellis Jones is one of the largest law firms in Dorset and West Hampshire with more than 140 staff including 12 partners. It has offices in Bournemouth, Canford Cliffs (Poole), Ringwood, Swanage and London offering a wide range of services to individuals and businesses.
For more details, please contact: Andrew Diprose, Director, Deep South Media Ltd, on 01202 534487.
