Remote Electronic Notary Act - As discussed in last year's advisory, the North Carolina Remote Electronic Notary Act (referred to as RENA or the Act) was enacted on July 8, 2022. This Act permanently codified remote...more
It’s Christmas come early in Virginia this year. As of July 1, 2024, attorneys in Virginia can officially (and permanently!) use electronic signatures to sign pleadings in Virginia’s state courts. It only took twenty-plus...more
In response to COVID-19, courts were forced to adapt to the pandemic and adopt new rules regarding in-person and remote proceedings. The list below contains links to each state’s laws and rules related to remote proceedings....more
On October 17, 2023, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated its Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) to fully incorporate into the IRM certain e-signature policies and procedures permitting the use of electronic signatures...more
In 2020, North Carolina passed a temporary law authorizing Emergency Video Notarization (“EVN”) to alleviate the requirement that notaries be in the physical presence of signers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This law was set...more
The renewable energy industry is growing rapidly but it faces several challenges, including ever-increasing competition amongst developers for rights to the same land. This creates a race between developers to encumber...more
As New York approaches the start of designating petition season, the Department of State has issued new rules notaries must follow when notarizing documents, including designating petitions. As a result, if one passes...more
Under current Texas law, a home equity loan must be “closed only at the office of the lender, an attorney at law, or a title company.” This has proved to be a considerable obstacle for borrowers who are “homebound” or in...more
On December 29, 2022, the IRS issued proposed regulations that would permanently allow retirement plans to accept remote participant elections and spousal consents. PROPOSED REGULATIONS STEM FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC-...more
On December 30, the Department of Treasury (“Treasury”) and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released a notice of proposed rules relating to the use of an electronic medium for retirement plan participant elections and...more
The IRS issued new proposed regulations that would permanently change the rules that require spousal consent for plan distributions to be signed in the physical presence of a notary or plan representative. Specifically, the...more
Since the COVID-19 pandemic upended life as we knew it, the use of remote communication and collaborative technologies have become a permanent addition to everything; from schools to workplaces and everything in between....more
Many tasks that were relatively easy to accomplish became nearly impossible during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while much of everyday life has returned to “normal,” some modifications to accommodate social...more
Recently, the House of Representatives passed the SECURE Notarization Act of 2022 (H.R. 3962). The legislation that creates federal minimum standards to allow notaries in all states to perform remote online notarization...more
The IRS recently issued Notice 2022-27, providing a six-month extension of the temporary relief from the physical presence requirement for certain plan elections (including spousal consents) required to be witnessed by a plan...more
Last week, Governor Cooper signed House Bill 776 that permanently codifies remote online notarization and restores emergency video notarization. Remote Online Notarization (“RON”) will become effective on July 1, 2023, and...more
At the onset of the pandemic, North Carolina passed a law allowing emergency remote notarization and oaths by live video (e.g., Facetime, WebEx, Zoom). This emergency law had a built-in sunset of August 1, 2020, since the...more
Remote online notarization will continue in Massachusetts through July 15, 2022. Originally approved on April 23, 2020, Chapter 71 of the Acts of 2020 “An Act Providing for Virtual Notarization to Address Challenges Related...more
On May 13, 2022, the IRS issued Notice 2022-27 (available here), which further extends, by six months, from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, the IRS’s previously-granted temporary relief from the “physical presence...more
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill 7780 on Feb. 25, 2022. The new law makes significant updates to Senate Bill 1780C, the prior RON bill. ...more
On December 22, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law Senate Bill 1780C, which allows notaries to perform remote online notarization (RON). Effective as of June 20, 2022, this new law means that New York has...more
PropTech shatters investment record with $32B VC haul in 2021 - Bisnow – December 21 - PropTech’s rapid growth attracted a record-breaking amount of venture capital in 2021. Private investment into the sector hit $32...more
On December 22, New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, signed Senate Bill 1780C (S1780C), which allows the state’s notaries to conduct remote online notarizations (RON). The law is to be effective on June 20, 2022. Among other...more
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill 1780C on Dec. 22, 2021, which allows the state's notaries to conduct remote online notarizations (RON). The law is slated to be effective on June 20, 2022. New York joins more...more
Remote depositions are becoming more prevalent in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This list tracks the various state and federal authorities that govern remote depositions and the administration of oaths or affirmations...more