Tip #265 - How to Send a Document For eSignature

Today, most firms use some sort of eSignature application to send documents to other parties for electronic signing. The most common use is to send documents such as Retainers, Contracts and Authorizations to clients for eSignature. As of this writing, SmartAdvocate clients have the choice of integrating with AssureSign, DocuSign and OnTask. Once the appropriate integration is in place, the firm would generate the document in SmartAdvocate and send it from the case to the appropriate party to be signed (typically to the client). Other than the integration itself being configured, there are a few things that should be in place for the process to work:

• One or more appropriate document template(s) must first be created which will be used to generate the document to be sent for eSignature.

• The document must be sent from the Case in SmartAdvocate.

• The client’s cell phone number (if sending via text) and/or email address (if sending via email) must be in the client’s contact card.

Once the above are in place, here are the steps to send a document for eSignature:

1. Go to Templates and select the Template to be used to generate the document (e.g., Retainer Agreement, Contract, Authorization, etc.)

2. Generate the document using the selected template as you normally would and edit the resulting Word document, if necessary. Make sure to close the document before you go to the next step.

3. Go to the Documents Page and locate the document generated in Step 2 above.

4. Right-Click on the document to display the drop-down menu to send the document.

5. Select “Send for eSignature” (most likely you will have only one option to ‘Send for eSignature’ depending on which integration your firm has installed).

6. Verify the method you wish to use to send the document for eSignature (Text, Email or both).

7. Click the “Send” button to send the document to the client.

    

Sample email for documents sent via AssureSign

Sample email for documents send via DocuSign

Sample email for documents sent via OnTask

After the client completes the signing process, the signed document is automatically uploaded to the case in SmartAdvocate.