With the onset of the Internet and electronic equipments such as the personal computers and cell-phones, legal instruments or formal legal documents have undergone a progressive change of dematerialisation.

In this electronic age, document authentication can now be verified digitally using various software. All documents needing authentication can be processed as digital documents with all the necessary information such as date and time stamp imbedded. To prevent tampering or unauthorized changes to the original document, encryption is used. In modern times, authentication is no longer limited to the type of paper used, the specialized seal, stamps, etc., as document authentication software helps secure the original context.

The use of electronic legal documents is most prominent in the United States' courts. Most United States' courts prefer the filing of electronic legal documents over paper. However, there is not yet a public law to unify the different standards of document authentication. Therefore, one must know the court's requirement before filing court papers.