RPost Registered E-mail - Lawyers Weekly USA

You've Got (Registered) Mail:

Tired of hanging out at the post office?

While the world becomes increasingly paper-free, lawyers continue to be mired in paper mail.

"Traditionally, you would send a certified letter or a FedEx package in order to prove when, what and whom you sent something to," Zafar Khan, CEO and co-founder of RPost, said. "But there was nothing like that for e-mail."

Until now.

Khan said the company developed the technology in 1999 in response to a consumer need. Registered e-mail is exactly what it sounds like: an e-mail with legal, verifiable proof that it was sent and received.

The proof is an electronic receipt, returned to the sender in a counterfeit-free form.

For lawyers, that means documents can legally be served via e-mail, and if signed electronically, can be enforced as contracts with the registered receipt as proof.

Once the software is downloaded, users of RPost have an additional "send" option on their e-mail toolbar.

When they want to send a registered e-mail, they click the alternate send button and will receive an electronic receipt with the date, time and even the content of the message (with any attachments).

And at any time, the receipt holder can verify the content of the message.

Alex Khan, Zafar's younger brother and RPost's director of services, explained that the software compresses the text and any attachments in the registered messages as part of the receipt the original sender receives.

He also emphasized that RPost doesn't store any of the information on its server.

In addition, the "Register Reply" feature allows registered e-mail recipients to send a registered reply, even if they don't have the software.

The service is especially valuable for IP attorneys who need to send cease-and-desist notices, Zafar Khan said.

"Often an Internet address is the only information available on a website," he said. "RPost is perfect not only because of the proof that the message was sent but also because you can't send certified mail internationally."

Dennis J. Rasor, a corporate attorney at Greenberg Traurig in Costa Mesa, Calif., said registered e-mail is also a great tool for business lawyers.

RPost "allows me to e-mail time-sensitive documents, such as director and shareholder written consents or contract notices, with assurance that delivery is verifiable and admissible in court," he said.

He also appreciates that during negotiations, the service allows him to verify that interested parties receive his messages in a timely manner.

RPost offers two pricing plans.

For $29 per month, users get 100 registered e-mails. An annual flat-fee rate is also available, with 100 e-mails available for $300 per year.

Alternatively, RPost offers a metered rate with blocks of e-mails for user groups, such as a firm. For example, a user can purchase 250 registered e-mails to use without an expiration date for $173. Smaller and larger blocks are offered.

Both plans require a $39 per account activation fee for 50 or fewer users, an amount which decreases with more accounts. The fee includes off-site support.

RPost offers a live demonstration for new users.

"The cost savings are tremendous," Zafar Khan said. In addition to saving the cost of certified or return receipt mailings, the time saved adds up as well - a savings that is passed on to your clients.

He also noted that RPost meets the legal standards for proof of delivery and receipt of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), a feature Jeremiah Buckley, a partner at Buckley Kolar in Washington, D.C., also praised.

"Registered e-mail offers significant advantages to our financial services clients who need reliable proof that disclosures and confirmations are reaching their customers in a timely way," he said.

He added that the record retention features are "invaluable" when proving an e-transaction in court.

Questions or comments can be directed to the writer at:
correy.stephenson@lawyersweekly.com

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