Law Commission report on electronic execution: does it change anything?

As part of its most recent Programme of Law Reform, the Law Commission of England and Wales recently published a report on electronic signatures for deeds and documents. The report confirms what was already the consensus amongst the London legal community: it is possible to use an electronic signature to execute a document (including a deed) under English law. However, the Law Commission has also recognised that there remain practical and technological obstacles with their use in some areas. In this Legal  Update, we consider some of the key findings of the Law Commission report and developments we are seeing in connection with electronic signatures.