About Legalesign

History of the company

Legalesign was founded by Ben Eliott. When Ben worked as a freelance software engineer back in the early 2000's he found that staged approvals for large projects were hard to get and enforce, but critical for survival.

With 100% of income dependent on a large project for several months, large clients could exploit weak or unenforceable approvals, creating a low income trap for workers at the bottom of the chain. Working with James Purves, a web designer, they decided to create a solution. Their first version was called 'Docshaker'.

When it became clear that making the app would be a full time project, James decided to focus on his business, Unstuck Design, but Ben pursued the vision to transform business agreements by studying for an MBA at nightschool at the University of Edinburgh and researching the idea in depth, where he wrote his dissertation on eSignature and the ways it can add value to business.

After the MBA, he joined the University's technology incubator and put together the first versions of Legalesign, securing a few early customers. During this time, Ben studied global eSignature law, while also re-engineering the software to be ultra-reliable. The focus on ultra-reliability has stayed with the company ever since.

Ben raised seed investment to take the business forward - and Legalesign has been growing on a sustainable and organic footing ever since. Today Legalesign serves organisations of all sizes and kinds, from PLCs to sole traders, public sector and private.

What differentiates Legalesign is our focus on finding the real value from eSignature technology for enterprise, on data security, and by taking a partnership approach with our customers.

Customers are at the core of what we are and how we operate, and this makes Legalesign a radically better supplier and partner now and long-term.

Want to be a part of our continued growth?

Board of Directors

Ben Eliott, CEO

Ben has 20 years experience in software development, and holds an MBA from the University of Edinburgh, where he wrote his dissertation on electronic signature, its legal basis in the UK, and how it can deliver value for enterprise. Ben is also a qualified yacht instructor and has sailed the Atlantic several times and extensively around Europe and the Caribbean.

Andrew Shaw, Chairman

Andrew is the MD of a successful developer in the energy sector. He has previously been Group Finance Director at Arjo Wiggins Appleton (a FTSE 100 company), a Director in investment banking at Schroders, and a Chartered Accountant at KPMG.

Read Gomm, Director

Read was a Senior Advisor at Evercore Partners, an international corporate advisory firm based in London. He was previously a Senior Managing Director at Lexicon Partners and formerly at Citigroup and Schroders.

Christopher Wilkins, Director

Christopher has wide UK industry experience, is a successful career entrepreneur, and was a member of the Scottish Economic Council for 10 years. He is currently on the advisory board of the Global Strategy Forum (GSF).

Nicholas Morris, Chief Customer Officer

Nicholas joined Legalesign in 2015 and quickly advanced from Account Executive to Sales, Accounts, and Support Manager before being promoted to the board of directors in August 2023, contributing significantly to the company's turnover and market. Outside work, he plays cricket at Ashdon Cricket Club and enjoys time with his young family.