Fees agreement, mandate ad litem, settlement protocol, transaction agreement, letter of retainer, electronic legal deed: digitise the entire lawyer-client relationship and inter-professional agreements with enhanced probative value. Compliant with CNB deontological rules, the eIDAS regulation and article 1366 of the French Civil Code.
All private deeds throughout the law firm's operations can be electronically signed, from the initial client consultation to the final settlement agreement.
Mandatory since the Macron Act (article 10 of the Act of 6 August 2015), the fees agreement must be signed by the client before any service is provided. Remote signature in 2 minutes, compliance with prior information obligations.
Mandate by which the client entrusts the lawyer with the power to represent them in court. Advanced electronic signature to formally identify the principal and trace the scope of the mandate.
Mediation protocols, amicable transactions, private agreements: multiple signatures coordinated by the respective lawyers, common audit trail archived for 10 years.
Deed by which a lawyer engages to represent a client in proceedings: electronic signature for client notification and archiving with probative value.
Deed countersigned by lawyer (articles 66-3-1 to 66-3-3 of the Act of 31 December 1971): enhanced probative force, exemption from handwritten notation. Certyneo enables electronic countersignature by the lawyer and electronic signature by the client.
Confidentiality undertakings between lawyer and client, engagement letters for services outside the fees agreement, wealth management mandates: the entire scope of the client relationship is covered.
Six guarantees specifically tailored to the probative and deontological requirements of the legal profession.
Dual email + SMS OTP, document fingerprint verification, qualified time-stamping. The signatory's identity and intent are traced with a level of assurance compatible with the highest probative requirements.
Each envelope produces a detailed signature certificate: time stamps, IP address, coarse geolocation, SHA-256 fingerprints, OTP identity, all embedded in the signed PDF. Admissible before all French and European courts.
TLS 1.3 encryption in transit, AES-256 encryption at rest, strict data isolation by firm. Standard DPA available, no transfers outside the EU, compliant with legal privilege requirements for lawyers (article 66-5 of the Act of 31 December 1971).
Duration compliant with civil action limitation periods and most contractual disputes. Export the complete file with its audit trail at any time for transmission to a colleague or judge.
Signatures compliant with Regulation (EU) No 910/2014. For documents requiring qualified level (QES), our roadmap includes a partnered QTSP provider — available on request for law firms with this specific need.
In the event of dispute, the Certyneo audit trail provides a coherent and timestamped body of evidence that facilitates demonstration of informed consent and document integrity, in accordance with article 1366 of the Civil Code.
The evidentiary value of an electronic signature depends on the ability to demonstrate, before a judge, two elements: certain identification of the signatory and document integrity (article 1366 of the Civil Code).
Certyneo delivers for each signature an audit certificate embedded in the PDF, which compiles all technical evidence:
This body of evidence is recognised by French case law (Cass. civ. 1st, 6 April 2016; Cass. com., 13 March 2019) and European case law. For documents benefiting from countersignature by a solicitor (electronic solicitor document), evidentiary force is further strengthened — the client is relieved of any handwritten notation.
Certyneo operates within the legal and ethical framework applicable to the legal profession.
The CNB ethical rules (RIN, National Internal Regulations) govern in particular file retention and confidentiality of client communications. Certyneo applies end-to-end encryption, strict isolation by firm, and evidentiary-grade archiving compatible with these obligations.
Certyneo is not a substitute for the Private Virtual Network for Lawyers (RPVA), which remains the tool for communicating with the courts. Certyneo electronic signature is complementary: it covers the solicitor-client relationship and agreements between colleagues, whereas RPVA covers judicial documents.
Electronic writing has the same evidentiary force as paper writing provided that the identity of the signatory can be duly established and the integrity of the document is guaranteed. Certyneo advanced signature (AES) satisfies both requirements.
Articles 66-3-1 to 66-3-3 define the deed under private seal countersigned by a solicitor, which benefits from enhanced evidentiary force. Electronic countersignature by the solicitor is permitted provided the process used guarantees identification and integrity — which Certyneo ensures.
Yes, without difficulty. Article 10 of the law of 31 December 1971 as amended by the Macron Law requires a written agreement to be concluded, but prescribes no particular form. Certyneo advanced electronic signature (AES) fully satisfies the evidentiary requirement, with the advantage of precisely timestamping the conclusion of the agreement before service begins.
A solicitor document (articles 66-3-1 to 66-3-3 of the law of 31 December 1971) is a deed under private seal countersigned by one or more solicitors, which benefits from enhanced evidentiary force and relieves the need for handwritten notation. Certyneo allows the client to sign electronically (AES), then the solicitor to countersign electronically — everything is archived with a common audit trail.
Advanced signature (AES), which Certyneo delivers natively, covers the vast majority of firm documents: fee agreements, engagement letters, protocols, incorporations. Qualified signature (QES) is reserved for acts where law explicitly requires it (electronic notarial deeds, certain notarial acts): in this specific case, we can refer you to a QTSP partner. Native QES integration is planned in our roadmap.
Yes. The audit trail embeds in the signed PDF all the elements required by article 1366 of the Civil Code: signatory identification (dual-channel OTP), qualified timestamp, document cryptographic fingerprint, IP and geolocation. It constitutes a coherent body of evidence admissible before civil, commercial and employment courts.
Yes. Certyneo applies TLS 1.3 encryption in transit and AES-256 at rest, strict data isolation by firm, and 100% Germany/EU hosting (IONOS) with no subcontracting outside the EU. A standard DPA is available at signup and complies with GDPR requirements — it incorporates specific confidentiality clauses for legal professions.
Yes. Certyneo natively manages sequential or parallel signatures between multiple parties and allows each solicitor to countersign the agreement on behalf of their client. A single audit trail brings together all signatures and timestamps, facilitating archiving in each firm's file.
Our plans include 10-year evidentiary-grade archiving, which aligns with the standard civil limitation period (article 2224 of the Civil Code). For documents requiring longer retention (heritage, succession), extended archiving is available on request. Documents remain downloadable at any time by the firm.
No, Certyneo is complementary: RPVA covers communications with the courts (procedural documents), whilst Certyneo covers the solicitor-client relationship and communications between solicitors (fee agreements, protocols, settlement agreements). Both coexist without conflict and Certyneo stores no RPVA data.
The dematerialised pay slip has the same legal value as its paper equivalent, provided that strict retention rules are observed. Discover everything that dematerialisation entails for your HR obligations in 2026.
Secondment or expatriation: two regimes with radically different tax and social consequences. Master the 2026 rules to secure each international mobility.
Does a contract signed electronically really hold up in a French court? Complete breakdown of the probative value of electronic signature in litigation situations.
Electronic signature in B2C contracts raises precise questions about legal validity and the collection of customer consent. Here is everything you need to know for 2026.
An unsigned SOW exposes your business to costly disputes. Discover how to sign your SOWs with full legal value under eIDAS.
Between SOW, quotation and commercial proposal, legal distinctions are often misunderstood. Discover which ones truly bind the parties and from which threshold onwards.
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. Cookies strictly necessary for the service to function are always active. Learn more