So just to get it out of the way right away, we're not lawyers, and this isn't legal advice.

With that being said, legal reviews around the world continue to confirm that signing electronically is just as valid as a handwritten signature.

In Australia, electronic signatures are legally recognized and are provided for by the Electronic Transactions Act of 1999 (Cth) and its implementing regulations, the Electronic Transactions Regulations 2000 (Cth), at the federal level as well as by various State and Territory laws and regulations at the local level.

At Kearney Group we've been using electronic signatures provided by DocuSign for over a decade now, and acceptance of electronic signature is growing every day. While there are still a few institutions that scenarios where electronic signature is not accepted, those situations are becoming fewer and fewer all the time.

If you'd like to know more about the legality of electronic signature in Australia (or many other countries), please have a read here.