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Attorney Signature Formats

Documents Requiring One Attorney's Signature

Anything filed using an attorney’s login and password will be deemed to have been signed by that attorney for all purposes, including Fed. R. Civ. P. 11. Attorneys may, but are not required to, place an electronic signature on documents and papers. For the attorney whose login and password is being used, it is sufficient to indicate a signature as in the following example:

 

__________/s/__________
John M. Barrister, Esquire

Documents Requiring Signatures of Multiple Attorneys

Documents and papers which are normally signed by more than one attorney, regardless of whether the attorneys represent the same party or different parties, may be handled in any of the following ways.  

In any case where attorneys become aware that someone has proffered to this Court that they have consented to their signature being placed on a document or that they have signed a document when in fact they have not signed or consented, it is the responsibility of that attorney to notify this Court immediately and request the document be stricken.

Option 1

First, the attorney whose login and password are being used to file the document may obtain approval from any other attorney to state the other attorney has authorized him or her to sign the document on his or her behalf. Such approval may be indicated as in the following example:

 

__________/s/__________
Sally Solicitor, Esquire

 

__________/s/__________
John M. Barrister, Esquire
(signed by Sally Solicitor with permission of John M. Barrister)

In such circumstances, the attorney whose login and password is used to file the document is responsible for maintaining a record of when and how permission was obtained to sign the other attorney’s name, in case any questions arise.

Option 2

Second, the attorney whose login and password are being used to file the document may obtain and maintain in his or her records a paper copy of the document signed by the other attorney. Possession of such a signed copy may be indicated as in the following example:

 

__________/s/__________
Sally Solicitor, Esquire

 

__________/s/__________
John M. Barrister, Esquire
(signed copy of document bearing signature of John M. Barrister is being maintained in office of Sally Solicitor)

In such circumstances, the attorney whose login and password are used to file the document is responsible for maintaining the signed copy of the document until all appeals have been exhausted or the time for seeking appellate review has expired.

Option 3

Third, the attorney whose login and password are being used to file the document may obtain original signatures from all attorneys who are filing the document, scan the signature page only and file it as an attachment to the document. In this situation, the electronic version should bear language similar to the following:

 

__________/s/__________
Sally Solicitor, Esquire

 

__________/s/__________
John M. Barrister, Esquire

 

*A copy of the signature page bearing original signatures is attached hereto as Attachment 1.

In such circumstances, the attorney whose login and password are being used to file the document is responsible for maintaining the signed copy of the document until all appeals have been exhausted or the time for seeking appellate review has expired.