Legal Definitions - blanc seign

A blanc seign refers to a document that has been signed by an individual, but is otherwise left blank or incomplete. This signed, yet unfinished, paper is then entrusted to another person who is authorized to fill in the remaining details. The critical element is that the authority given to complete the document is strictly defined and limited by a specific, prior agreement between the original signer and the person receiving the document. Once the entrusted person completes the document according to these agreed-upon limits, it legally binds the original signer as if they had filled out and signed the entire document themselves.

• Example 1: Real Estate Transaction

  Imagine a property owner who needs to sell a small piece of land quickly but is about to travel internationally for an extended period. To avoid delays, they might sign a blank deed form and give it to their trusted real estate agent. They instruct the agent to complete the deed with the buyer's name and the final sale price, but only if the price meets or exceeds a specific minimum amount they had agreed upon before the owner departed. The signed blank deed is the blanc seign. The agent has the power to legally bind the owner to the sale, but only within the pre-established price limits.

• Example 2: Business Contract Negotiation

  A CEO of a manufacturing company is in the final stages of negotiating a supply contract with a new vendor but must leave for an emergency board meeting. To ensure the deal doesn't stall, the CEO signs a standard contract template, leaving specific details like the exact delivery schedule, quantity variations, and final payment terms blank. They hand this signed, incomplete document to their Head of Procurement. The CEO instructs the Head of Procurement to finalize these blanks, but only within a pre-approved range of dates, quantities, and budget parameters that the CEO and legal team had already established. This partially blank, signed agreement functions as a blanc seign, allowing the Head of Procurement to bind the company to the contract within the CEO's defined boundaries.

• Example 3: Financial Investment Mandate

  An investor wants to participate in a specific private equity fund but needs their financial advisor to determine the optimal entry point and exact investment amount based on market conditions and the investor's portfolio strategy. The investor signs a blank subscription agreement for the fund, leaving the precise investment sum and subscription date blank. They give this signed form to their financial advisor. The investor provides a clear mandate: the advisor can complete the form with an investment amount between $50,000 and $75,000, and choose a subscription date within the next three weeks that aligns with the fund's closing schedule and the investor's tax planning. The signed, blank subscription agreement is the blanc seign, empowering the advisor to commit the investor's funds within the agreed-upon financial and temporal parameters.