Signing something on a smartphone may not feel very legit, but be careful where you squiggle because mobile contracts are for real. And if you’re trying to keep legal fees down, a contracts app like Shake may actually help. Shake’s CEO claims that $US1 million worth of contracts have already been signed on the app, which was originally released last year. A significantly updated 2.0 version is out this week.
There are big names behind Shake including Jon Steinberg of BuzzFeed, Stuart Ellman from RRE, and Jared Grusd from Spotify. Basically the idea is to reduce legal costs by providing free, stock agreements for independent contractors, non-disclosure, buy and sell, goods rental or a personal loan. And other types of agreements are coming. A user creates a document by answering a series of questions, reading an agreement, signing and then sending the document to the other party or having them sign in person. The philosophy behind Shake is to “combine the simplicity, convenience, and collaborative spirit of a handshake with the protection of a legal agreement.”
Shake agreements are available cross-platform in the web app, Android and iOS, and this week’s overhaul includes a new UI, Facebook integration which adds things like expanded language options, draft saving, and editing for pending contracts. And it really can’t be beat as an alternative to signing in blood, which honestly just gets old after a while. [AppAdvice, Forbes]