A notary public is a public officer constituted by law to serve members of the public in non-contentious issues. Such matters usually involve deeds, estates, foreign and international business and powers-of-attorneys. Therefore, a notary’s main functions are to administer affirmations and oaths, declarations, take acknowledgements of deeds and other conveyancing problems and to execute certain classes of documentation. Its origins... The concept of a notary dates back to the courts of Rome when they were using scribes as a reliant way of maintaining court records. These scribes developed a system of legal shorthand called notae. The name was handed down through the centuries and during the Middle Ages the role of the notary public was often taken by the clergy, who were in control of document keeping, recording private transactions and public issues. Today, a notary public’s duty is different to its past role. A notary public is now authorised by a specific body to perform the services of a notary. What a notary public allows... In many areas such as notary London, a notary public is permitted to provide the services a lawyer can offer. However, it is not allowed to offer legal representation in court for an individual. In order for the documents that are verified by a public notary to be legal and verified, the stamp or seal is always required on the documents. The documents are regarded as notarised only when they contain the specific stamp or seal. The services which are offered by a notary public are quite significant in the property and marketing sector. The notary is the person that identifies the borrower and helps to ensure you the mortgage documents are signed by the appropriate person. A notary public will check the legal forms for identification of the borrower. A loan officer may close the housing deal only after the completion of this process. The notary public needs to have legal authority for scrutinising and verifying the authenticity of all the documents. The notary public can validate the deeds and business documents and they are allowed to be witnesses at the contracts. This kind of confirmation is required for international transactions, business contracts and property acquisitions. For those who are entering into the stages of adoption cases or legal contracts, then such a service is needed. The notary public represents a dependable third party for witnessing and in this manner authenticating a contract that is drawn between them. The benefits of using a notary public are vast. By certifying the veracity of the signing parties, the notary provides an inexpensive way for companies and individuals to enter into contracts and conduct business with a reasonable assertion that the notarised documents will be valid in court. As the notary is responsible for requiring the signer of a legal document to establish his or her identity, it is a way to protect against fraud. Although this is not conclusive proof of identity, it provides reasonable evidence of identity so that every day business can be conducted. A notary also acts as a disinterested third party for those entering into a legally binding agreement.