It’s Christmas come early in Virginia this year. As of July 1, 2024, attorneys in Virginia can officially (and permanently!) use electronic signatures to sign pleadings in Virginia’s state courts. It only took twenty-plus...more
The renewable energy industry is growing rapidly but it faces several challenges, including ever-increasing competition amongst developers for rights to the same land. This creates a race between developers to encumber...more
On December 30, the Department of Treasury (“Treasury”) and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released a notice of proposed rules relating to the use of an electronic medium for retirement plan participant elections and...more
Certain elections made by participants and spouses under retirement plans must be signed “in the physical presence of a plan representative or a notary public.” The IRS provided relief from this physical presence requirement...more
Digital technologies are paving the way for more convenient and efficient transactions. Paper documents and wet-ink signatures are being replaced by their electronic equivalents, and “in-person” appearances can now be...more
Remote executions of estate planning documents are again allowed in Michigan through December 31, 2020. On November 5, 2020, Michigan’s Governor signed 2020 PA 246, allowing remote witnessing, and 2020 PA 249, allowing...more
Electronic signatures have soared in popularity as a result of social distancing measures related to COVID-19. While such signatures are generally accepted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Wilson...more
Given the increase in virtual working environments due to COVID-19, many lenders are exploring electronic notarization, remote online notarization (RON), and even electronic signatures. While the pandemic may have spurred...more
COVID has caused a lot of changes in our everyday lives and is changing the way many of us do business. While many things can be done remotely by telephone or over video-chat, certain tasks are best accomplished in person....more
Governor Whitmer signed Michigan Executive Order No 2020-41 on April 8, 2020, allowing the use of virtual platforms to "enable and encourage the use of electronic signatures, remote notarizations, remote witness attestations...more
One of the most common questions being asked of estate planning attorneys lately is: “Is it possible to sign my will during the COVID-19 quarantine?” The same question can be asked with respect to other common estate planning...more
In response to the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, many states are authorizing the temporary use of remote notarization and, in some cases, remote witnessing for estate planning documents. While individuals...more
On March 22, 2020, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a proclamation temporarily allowing documents in Iowa to be notarized remotely, subject to certain restrictions. This waiver lasts only for the duration of the COVID-19...more
As millions of people are under mandatory or voluntary restrictions limiting their in-person interactions with others in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and are dependent more than ever on remote technology and virtual...more