Notary public

From Wikinvestor

A notary public is an officer who can administer oaths and statutory declarations, witness and authenticate documents, and perform certain other acts depending on the jurisdiction.

With the exception of Louisiana, whose private law is based on civil law rather than common law, a notary public in the United States has powers that are far more limited than the role of a civil law notary in the rest of the world. There are far more notaries in the United States than in other countries (4.5 million^[1] , compared with 900 even in fellow common-law (not civil-law) nations England and Wales. For the purposes of authentication, most countries require commercial or personal documents which originate from or are signed in another country to be notarized before they can be used or officially recorded or before they can have any legal effect. This includes the translation of such documents done by a sworn translator approved by a governmental entity.

Notaries in some countries and states are required to undergo special training in the performance of their duties. Many must also first serve as an apprentice before being commissioned or licensed to practice their profession. In many countries even licensed lawyers (such as barristers or solicitors) must go through additional specialized notarial training and apprenticeship before being allowed to practice as a notary. Notaries public in the United States may not engage in any activities that fall under the heading of practice of law unless they are also admitted to the bar. Some countries consider the profession of a civil law notary to be the practice of law. Many even have institutes of higher education issuing degrees in the field. In the United Kingdom, for example, a notary public can perform any task a solicitor or other lawyer can perform, as part of their notary public duties, with the sole exception of representing others before the courts (unless they are also a licensed barrister).

See also

• Lawyer
• Solicitor

References

External links

• A Brief History
• State Notary Info