Gracie said:
***Q1. Sylvia's right, the (seal) is archaic, but here's why: in the "old days," people had personal seals that they applied next to their names whenever they signed legal documents. You'll see the (seal) notation most often next to witness lines on forms that haven't been modernized.***
This is not necessarily correct. The "l/s" after a name may be archaic in form, but not in application. As pointed out in this forum several weeks ago, it rachets up the legal significance of the signature. I'm sorry, I can't recall the precise ramification, but it is not simply excess verbiage: It has a purpose. Someone, perhaps the all-knowing, ever-helpful, never-cranky Sylvia/FL, noted that it may extend the time available for a party to take legal action, and I suspect that is correct. It is analagous to a sworn vs. unsworn statement: That oath means something, and it is something that has legal significance.
When this subject came up before, I tried to ferret out the significance of the personal seal from the remnants of my law library, but my contracts material is long gone. Sorry I can't be more precise. |
