This Agreement Shall Be Controlled, Construed And Given Effect By And Under The Laws Form

Use a This Agreement Shall Be Controlled, Construed And Given Effect By And Under The Laws template to make your document workflow more streamlined.

What this governing-law agreement does

This form identifies the law that will control, construe, and give effect to an agreement, so the parties can state which legal framework should guide interpretation and enforcement. It is not a universal substitute for state-specific drafting. In the United States, electronic execution may be recognized under the federal ESIGN Act, 15 U.S.C. chapter 96, and UETA in adopting jurisdictions. New York instead applies its Electronic Signatures and Records Act. Review the chosen jurisdiction, signer authority, required notices, and excluded document categories before execution.

How the signNow workflow works

The workflow converts the agreement into a controlled signing record without changing the governing-law language.

Upload: Upload the agreement PDF
Prepare: Detect and place signature fields
Route: Send to named signers
Archive: Store the completed record

Authenticate:

Record signer authentication and access event

Timestamp:

Capture each signing timestamp and action

Hash record:

Preserve the document’s signing evidence

Seal:

Seal the completed agreement and history

Retrieve:

Export the audit trail with PDF

Archive:

Store both records under retention policy

Protecting signed agreement records

Two-factor authentication:

Use two-factor authentication for higher-risk signers

Signer attribution:

Capture signer identity and signing intent

Transport encryption:

Encrypt documents in transit with TLS 1.2/1.3

Stored encryption:

Encrypt stored documents with AES-256

Audit evidence:

Preserve timestamps and document history

Security certifications:

Use SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 controls

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Setting	Recommendation
Authentication method	Email link with SMS verification
Signature type	Typed or drawn electronic signature
Audit trail	Capture timestamps, IP, and actions
Document retention	Follow the applicable subject rule
Encryption	TLS 1.2/1.3 and AES-256 encryption

Challenges when preparing this agreement

Copying the governing-law clause without checking the transaction’s parties, location, and state-specific execution requirements can create interpretation or enforceability questions.
Sending a final agreement before confirming signer authority can leave the record signed by someone unable to bind the named organization.
Separating the signed PDF from its audit trail can make it harder to demonstrate intent, attribution, timestamps, and document history later.
Treating every agreement as eligible for electronic execution can overlook wills, certain court filings, family-law decrees, or notarization requirements.

Retention rules for related records

Retention depends on the agreement’s subject matter, parties, and governing obligations; apply only the rule that actually covers the record.

Six years for HIPAA records

Apply the agreement’s designated governing-law clause and preserve the executed copy.

Three years for tax records

Retain tax-related records three years from filing under IRC §6501(a), when applicable.

Three years for payroll records

Retain payroll records three years under 29 CFR §516.5, when applicable.

Five years for injury records

Retain OSHA injury records five years under 29 CFR §1904.33, when applicable.

Seven years for SOX records

Retain audit records seven years under 15 U.S.C. §7245, when applicable.

Record-keeping practices for this form

Preserve the signed agreement, audit trail, signer evidence, and applicable retention authority as one controlled record.

Keep the clause with the signed record

Keep the governing-law clause and signature pages in the same completed PDF. Export the audit trail with the executed agreement so signer identity, timestamps, IP information, and document history remain available if interpretation or execution is later questioned.

Apply the transaction-specific retention rule

Use the retention period tied to the transaction rather than applying one universal schedule. For example, tax records generally use three years from filing under IRC §6501(a), while HIPAA records use six years under 45 CFR §164.530(j).

Confirm authority before sending

Route the agreement to each required reviewer before the final signer receives it. Confirm names, roles, and authority, then use signNow’s audit trail to document every signing action rather than relying on email correspondence alone.

Archive securely and review state rules

Restrict access to the executed agreement and audit trail, encrypt stored files with AES-256, and use TLS 1.2/1.3 for transmission. Review state-law requirements when the agreement concerns notarization, deeds, or excluded documents.

Platform requirements for signing

Use signNow through Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge on Windows or macOS. Signers can also use signNow mobile apps on iOS and Android, subject to device access and organizational policy. TLS 1.2/1.3 protects data in transit.

Browsers Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
Desktop systems Windows and macOS
Mobile apps iOS and Android

Organizations handling sensitive agreements should manage access through approved devices and role permissions. Where the workflow requires stronger assurance, configure signer authentication, retain the completed PDF and audit trail together, and verify any state-specific notarization, recording, or filing requirement before relying on the electronic record.

Legal standing and practical value

A signed agreement can provide evidence of intent, attribution, consent, and record integrity when executed and retained properly. ESIGN, 15 U.S.C. chapter 96, and UETA generally recognize qualifying electronic records and signatures, but exclusions include wills, certain court filings, and family-law decrees. State law and transaction-specific formalities still control.

Why teams look for DocuSign alternatives

Documents needing additional formalities

Notarization

May require wet-ink or notarization

Wills

Electronic execution may be excluded

Court filings

Court filing rules may still apply

Real-estate deeds

Recording may require acknowledgment

Troubleshooting this agreement workflow

Resolve field, signer, legal-scope, and retention questions before treating the completed agreement as an operative record.

Upload the agreement as a PDF, then use signNow’s field tools to place signature, initials, date, and text fields beside the applicable governing-law provisions.

The Business plan includes legally binding eSignatures, templates, and audit trails at $8/user/month when billed annually. Business Premium adds bulk send at $15/user/month.

For interstate transactions, ESIGN establishes electronic-signature equivalence under 15 U.S.C. chapter 96. UETA generally governs intrastate transactions, while New York uses ESRA.

If the agreement includes consumer-facing electronic records, provide the ESIGN disclosure, explain paper-record rights, confirm electronic access, and explain how consent may be withdrawn under 15 U.S.C. §7001(c).

Use role-based routing when the agreement requires sequential review. signNow can send the document to named recipients, capture timestamps and IP details, and preserve the completed record with its audit trail.

Do not use electronic signing alone for wills, codicils, testamentary trusts, certain court filings, or family-law decrees. Confirm the document’s state-specific execution requirements before sending.

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This Agreement Shall Be Controlled, Construed And Given Effect By And Under The Laws Form

What this governing-law agreement does

How the signNow workflow works