От «простых контрактов, не скрепленных печатью,» значительно отличаются акты, скрепленные подписями и печатями сторон, поскольку имеются дополнительные требования для их оформления, а также более строгие требования к их исполнению. Настоящая статья посвящена рассмотрению этих особенностей. Особое внимание уделяется способам совершения таких актов, в особенности, требованию их засвидетельствования, в том числе, ставится вопрос о возможности засвидетельствования акта членом семьи подписанта в современных условиях удаленной работы.
Deeds are different to ‘simple contracts’ as they have additional formalities, including more stringent execution requirements. Unlike simple contracts, deeds do not require consideration to make them valid. They are used in practice for a number of reasons: certain types of documents are required by statute to be executed as a deed: for example, mortgages over land and powers of attorney; but other documents are often executed as deeds because there are concerns over consideration. Some contracts are executed as deeds when legally there is no need. It is worth taking a moment, or seeking advice, to review any agreements which need to be signed imminently to see if a deed is necessary.
How can a deed be executed?
There are four ways which a deed can be executed by an English company:
By two directors or a director and a secretary signing together on the same page;
By one director signing whose signature is witnessed;
By affixing the company’s common seal; or
By an attorney (signing under a power of attorney which is in itself a deed), whose signature is witnessed.
The recent decision in Bioconstruct GmbH v Winspear and another confirms that deeds should be signed as a physical, assembled, whole document. This means if a deed is being signed virtually, the whole document should be printed out and then signed.
Witnessing requirements
Often the signature of an authorised signatory signing a deed will need to be witnessed. There is nothing at law which requires that a witness needs to be independent of the signatory, but generally accepted best practice has been that family members of the signatory should not act as witnesses. This requirement is more challenging in the current remote-working environment, and so the practicalities around this will need to be considered a case by case basis.
Автор: Emma Giddings
Источник: https://sites-nortonrosefulbright.vuturevx.com/966/22728/march-2020/tea-break-tips—deeds.asp?sid=6c92687d-2063-4350-a87b-a7ce9b231656