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Agreements & Signing Process Guide

This guide explains which agreement covers which situation, how a document travels from draft to signed and locked copy, what a signatory needs to show, and how changes are handled afterwards. It is a reference document — there is nothing to fill in or return. Where this guide and a signed agreement differ, the signed agreement governs.

Section 1 — Which Agreement Applies

Each document in this pack answers a different question. Most relationships use two or three of them, not all six.

Document	What it covers	When it is used	Who signs
Service engagement agreement	Scope of work, fees, term, cancellation, liability and ownership of deliverables	Before any paid work begins	Both parties
Non-disclosure agreement	What counts as confidential, permitted use, and how long the duty lasts	Before sensitive information is exchanged, often before scoping	Both parties
Liability waiver	Acknowledged risks of an activity and the limits of our responsibility	Before participation in an activity carrying physical or financial risk	The participant, or a guardian if a minor
Personal-data consent	What data we collect, why, who it is shared with, and how consent is withdrawn	At the point personal data is first collected	The individual whose data it is
Power of attorney / authorisation	Which acts one party may perform on the other’s behalf, and the limits on that power	Where we must deal with a third party in your name	The grantor; witnessing or notarisation may be required
Image & testimonial release	Permission to use photographs, video, name or quoted feedback, and where	Before anything identifiable is published	The person appearing or quoted

Section 2 — The Signing Route, Step by Step

Draft. We prepare the agreement from the details held in your counterparty record, so names, addresses and registration numbers are already correct.
Internal check. A second reviewer reads the draft against the agreed commercial terms before it leaves us.
Issue for review. You receive a link to the document. The review window is five business days unless a shorter or longer period is agreed in writing.
Comments and revisions. Raise every point in one pass where possible. Each round of revisions restarts a fresh review window on the changed clauses only.
Electronic signature. The authorised signatory signs in the document itself. The signature is captured with a timestamp and the signer’s session details.
Countersignature. We countersign. Until both signatures are present the agreement is a draft and creates no obligations.
Lock and file. The signed document is marked final and locked against further editing, then filed against your counterparty record.
Copies. Both parties receive the locked copy. You may request a further copy at any time while the retention period runs.

If wet ink is required, print the final version, sign it, and return a scan. We attach the scan to the same record so the electronic and paper trails stay together.

Section 3 — Identification & Signing Authority

Individuals signing for themselves

One current photo identification document — passport, national identity card or driving licence.
A signing email address that belongs to the signer personally, not a shared mailbox.
Where a guardian signs for a minor, proof of the guardian relationship.

Signing for a company or partnership

The exact legal entity name and registration number, matching the public register.
Evidence that the individual may bind the entity — a directorship, a board resolution, a delegation of authority, or a power of attorney.
Any internal signing limit that applies, so we know whether a second signature is needed before the agreement binds.
Where two signatures are required, both must be present before the agreement is treated as executed.

Keeping signatories current is what the counterparty record is for. If a signatory leaves or a signing limit changes, update the record before the next document is drafted rather than at the moment of signing.

Section 4 — Amendments, Renewals & Termination

A signed agreement is never edited in place. Changes are made by a separate signed amendment that names the clause it replaces.
Start every change with an amendment request. It captures the current wording, the proposed wording, the requested effective date and the commercial impact.
Renewals on unchanged terms are confirmed by a short renewal notice. Renewals with changes are handled as an amendment.
Where an agreement renews automatically, notice of non-renewal must be served before the deadline stated in the agreement. That deadline is tracked in the counterparty record.
Assignment or novation to a different entity requires the written consent of both parties and a fresh signature from the incoming entity.
Termination follows the notice period in the agreement. Confidentiality, data-protection and payment obligations usually survive termination.
Every amendment, renewal, assignment and termination is logged against the counterparty record so the full history stays readable in one place.

Section 5 — Retention of Records & Personal Data

Signed agreements and their amendments are retained for the life of the relationship and for the statutory limitation period that follows termination.
Signature images, timestamps and audit records are held for as long as the agreement they belong to, because they are the evidence that it was validly executed.
Identification documents are checked and then held only for as long as anti-fraud and record-keeping obligations require.
Consents and releases are held with their validity dates so we can tell at a glance whether a permission is still live.
You may ask for a copy of your records, ask us to correct them, or withdraw a consent, at any time. Withdrawing consent does not undo processing that was lawful before withdrawal, and does not cancel a signed agreement.
Documents are stored with access limited to the people who need them, and are not sold or shared for marketing.

Section 6 — Frequently Asked Questions

Is an electronic signature as binding as a handwritten one?

In most jurisdictions, yes, for ordinary commercial agreements. What matters is that the signer intended to sign, that the signature is linked to them, and that the document cannot be changed afterwards without detection. Our process records all three. A small number of document types — certain property transfers, wills and some statutory declarations — still require wet ink or notarisation, and we will tell you when that applies.

Do agreements need a witness?

Ordinary commercial agreements do not. Documents executed as a deed, and powers of attorney in many jurisdictions, do. A witness must be an adult who is not a party to the document and has no interest in it, and must watch the signature being made.

What if I sign and then spot a mistake?

Tell us immediately. A clear clerical error is corrected by a short amendment signed by both parties. A change of position on a commercial term is a normal amendment request and needs agreement on both sides.

Can I take longer than the review window?

Yes. Ask before the window closes and we will extend it. We would rather you read the document properly than sign it on time. Nothing is treated as accepted merely because the window passed.

Can someone else sign on my behalf?

Only with documented authority — a role recorded in the counterparty record, a board resolution, or a power of attorney. Verbal authority is not enough, because the evidence has to survive the relationship.

Should I take independent legal advice?

You are always free to, and we encourage it for long terms, unusual liability positions, or anything you do not fully follow. We will hold the document open while you do.

This guide describes our process in general terms and is not legal advice for any particular situation. Requirements for valid signature, witnessing and retention vary by jurisdiction — please seek qualified advice where the stakes warrant it.

Use this template

Templates in this pack

The Common Agreements pack includes 10 ready-to-use templates. Each one is a structured, fully editable form you can share with clients to collect information, documents, and signatures in one place.

Frequently asked questions

What's included in the Common Agreements templates?

The Common Agreements pack contains 10 templates: Agreements & Signing Process Guide, Counterparty & Contract Register, Service Engagement Agreement, Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement, Liability Waiver & Release of Claims, Personal Data Collection & Use Consent, Limited Power of Attorney, Image & Likeness Release, Amendment, Renewal & Termination Request, Internal Review & Approval. Each is ready to use and fully editable.

Can I customize these templates?

Yes. Every Pocper template is fully editable — add or remove fields, change the wording, and adapt each form to your workflow before sharing it with clients.

How do I use the Common Agreements templates?

Import the pack into your Pocper workspace, open a template, tailor it to your needs, then share a link so clients can fill it out and upload documents in real time.