For the many of us who don’t work in the legal field, some of the terminology used can be confusing. Indeed, some of the professionals’ job titles themselves can be a source of confusion, such as the slightly unusual job title of a notary public. Let us have a look at what a notary public is exactly, what their role is and how this is different from a solicitor’s role.
What Is a Notary Public?
Simply put, a notary public is a legal professional whose role and specialism it is to notarise documents. That is to say, they are able to witness signatures, prepare legally acceptable copies of legal documents and authenticate documents.
Often a notary public will specialise in documents which have been sent from, or are destined for, countries overseas. Their signature and seal is sufficient proof that the documents have been verified, checked and copied where necessary, and this seal and signature will be recognised within the legal profession across the world.
A notary public has the ability and authority to deal with legal documents of any type, but they most frequently deal with documents relating to property, attorney, immigration and personal documents such as marriage certificates, according to the Notaries Society.
How Is This Different to a Solicitor?
These two professions have quite different qualifications. Additionally, a solicitor is much more likely to have a specialist area of law, such as employment law or family law, whereas a notary public works across all fields. Professionals offering notary services London such as Bridge Law Solicitors are also rarer than solicitors.
Additionally, a solicitor is limited to working with matters only within the UK, whereas a notary public’s work can always be recognised internationally.
Finally, one more key difference: a solicitor represents one party during a dispute, whereas a notary public is completely impartial and does not have the authority to represent one party as such. Their role is much more concerned with the authentication of documents.