Looking for suggestions on how to file a Defence

KeithP

For some months now, maybe years, I have been suggesting a method that might be used for filing a Defence...

When you are happy with the content, your Defence should be filed via email as suggested here:

Print your Defence.
1. Sign it and date it.
   
2. Scan the signed document back in and save it as a pdf.
   
3. Send that pdf as an email attachment to CCBCAQ@Justice.gov.uk
   
4. Just put the claim number and the word Defence in the email title, and in the body of the email something like 'Please find my Defence attached'.
   
5. Log into MCOL after a few days to see if the Claim is marked "defence received". If not chase the CCBC until it is.
   
6. Do not be surprised to receive an early copy of the Claimant's Directions Questionnaire, they are just trying to keep you under pressure.
   
7. Wait for your DQ from the CCBC, or download one from the internet, and then re-read post #2 of the NEWBIES FAQ sticky thread to find out exactly what to do with it.

For some time now I have felt it to be a little clunky - print, sign, scan etc. is a faff - but it is a quite simple set of steps.

Everything can be improved.

It has been suggested on a couple of threads today that a move towards digital signatures was the way forward and I have started this thread to avoid diverting other threads with this discussion.

I have looked at Pdfescape as suggested by BrownTrout and it does appear to do the job.

However, I am struggling how to write a simple few bullet point type of instructions that will be easy to understand by 'our customers'.

I feel it would be wrong and possibly counter-productive to have a set of guidance notes that are much longer than those we currently have.

Remember, to create a pdf ready for emailing the instructions are currently:

Print your Defence.
1. Sign it and date it.
   
2. Scan the signed document back in and save it as a pdf.

So I guess I am looking for a few short snappy instructions, maybe something like:

Open your Defence file in

PDFescape online.
[*]some words that describe exactly how to sign the thing
[*]Save the pdf.
Can anyone help me with the middle line there?

Keeping in mind that our clientele may never have heard of PDFescape, as I hadn't until today, and may well be uncomfortable with lots of things IT related.

Redx

looking at that site it states you can add a scanned signature to a pdf, but I have never done this although it should not be difficult for most people who have some technical abilities

I would have thought that this could be done in WORD or Libreoffice etc anyway, but in any case its the scanned electronic signature that needs adding to the document, so scanning a piece of paper with the electronic signature is the crucial part of the equation (I suppose a picture can be taken instead) - either way you are adding a graphical image of the signature



https://www.bettercloud.com/monitor/the-academy/how-to-add-a-signature-to-a-word-document/


one way of many is to sign and date the N180 and scan that or take a pic of it and crop it , save it to your laptop or pc to a suitable folder, all these methods involve technology and some knowledge of I.T. which not everyone will have or can manage

too many people are relying on phones but have no technical knowledge on how to use them or why things fail for them when on the internet

so before the instructions, it would be something like


SIGN a piece of paper with your signature, scan it or take a picture of it and crop to suit, then transfer it to your laptop or pc in the same place as your defence file has been saved

1. Open your Defence file in PDFescape online.
2. Attach your signature file to the bottom of the defence
   
3. Save the completed document as a pdf.

KeithP

Yes Redx, the image of a signature inserted in the appropriate place in the document has been used and accepted. See posts #19 and #21 on this thread for just one example.

Le_Kirk

I had a look at the PDFescape site (seems to be US as they charge for the premium service in $) and it doesn't appear to offer any advantage as you still have to scan (or take a photo - jpg) a signature and add that to the document. If you have to do that, you might as well scan the completed, printed defence document and save as .pdf. The only advantage I can see is if one already has a scanned/photo image of one's signature saved to your PC/lappy.

Umkomaas

I've used computer generated facsimile signatures many times previously.

I simply signed an A4 sheet of paper, scanned just the small area including the signature, pasted it into a Word document and saved it in a file on my Mac.

Whenever I need to append an electronic signature, I open the signature file, click the box outline containing the signature , copy and then paste into the document requiring a signature. Then you can convert that to a pdf file.