The person signing is, I believe, acting as a fiduciary- they are expected to hold the highest standards of care in their actions, or face the legal consequences. However, this is a question of law and I would recommend asking a lawyer for the details of what it involves.
Very good advice, Rums03.
I recall a problem, years ago, when I was working in Germany. In England at the time a letter might be signed:
J Bloggs pp Fred Smith. This simply meant that J Bloggs (probably a secretary) had signed the letter for Fred Smith, who had left the office before the letter had been typed up for his signature. At least, that was what I understood. In Germany, however, I discovered that it meant that J Bloggs had full legally-recognised authority to sign for, and on behalf of, Fred Smith. If the letter committed Fred to anything legally, then J Bloggs would have committed him.
