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Keep the signed PDF with its hash
The hash is only useful if you still have the PDF it describes.
Two files, one folder, one comparison when a copy shows up later.inSigner
The signed PDF is the agreement you can read. The hash in the completion record is how you check that a later copy is the same file. Keep them together from the day signing ends.
01 · Download both
Download both
When the request is complete, download the PDF and the completion record. Do not leave the only copy inside one person's mailbox. The workspace stores the completed file, and your matter folder should store it too.
02 · Name them clearly
Name them clearly
Use a file name that distinguishes the signed PDF from drafts. Put the record beside it. A future reader should not have to guess which PDF the hash belongs to.
A hash without the PDF is a number. A PDF without the hash is a file you can no longer check.
03 · Compare before you rely on a copy
Compare before you rely on a copy
If a signer or a colleague sends another PDF, compute the SHA-256 hash and compare it with the record. A match is the integrity check. A mismatch means you should not treat that copy as the completed file.
- ✓Are the signed PDF and the record in one folder?
- ✓Is the draft stored under a different name?
- ✓Do we know how to recompute SHA-256?
- ✓Is the legal conclusion left to counsel?
04 · Do not encrypt the story
Do not encrypt the story
The hash is not encryption, and storing the PDF is not a certification. Transport uses HTTPS. Say those facts separately if a questionnaire asks.
05 · Leave the legal conclusion to counsel
Leave the legal conclusion to counsel
The folder proves what you kept. It does not decide whether the signature met every rule of the governing law. Pair the folder with the country guide you relied on, and let counsel answer the legal question.
Primary sources
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