Asked in Contracts and Business Law for California

Q: Using an online form for contracts but I cannot export clients' answers directly; can I paste their signatures...

I am using an online form software to have customers sign COVID19 declarations (i.e. affirm they exhibit no symptoms). The form supports signatures, names, and other relevant information for a legally binding contract. The form the customers fill out has the contract outlined in it.

However, when I want to export the client's answers, the software only exports his answers (name and signature) and not the contract AND answers. Thus, my workaround boils down to extracting their signatures and names, and 'pasting' them into a document with the exact same contract they read and signed.

The problem I'm seeing is that this is analogous to having a client sign a contract by hand, then cutting out his signature, and gluing it onto an identical (but blank) contract, which seems illegal. I would like to know if my workaround is legally binding.

DISCLAIMER: I have neither finished that form, nor do I plan on using it without being certain of its legitimacy; it's why I'm asking.

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: It would be unwise for you to do anything to manipulate a signature from someone else. Your problem is both a legal one and technical one. You need a better online document. There are currently several platforms available to create the contract with signatures, and I just had to sign several for my daughter's summer camp. These had the entire contract sent to me with the signatures in place.

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