MICHAEL LIGHTOWLER - NOTARY PUBLIC

As a Notary I am called upon to perform a wide variety of services mostly in connection with peoples’ affairs outside the United Kingdom, although there is an increasing role for notaries within our own country and this gives rise to new areas of business.

The task of the Notary is to complete and make your documents acceptable in the country in which they are to be used, subject to being provided with the relevant paperwork and information in the necessary format and details of any special requirements of the receiving country. All Notaries are subject to professional rules and regulations and must act independently and impartially at all times.

It is important to appreciate that the role of a Notary will often include checking the identity of the person signing as well as his or her legal capacity, authority and understanding of the document. A Notary’s duty is to the transaction (rather than to individual) and it is important to ensure that people who are signing documents do so freely and voluntarily and without duress.

Only after the Notary is satisfied on these points, can he provide the necessary certificate. Our acts and instruments are recognised throughout the World and may be relied upon by many parties. That is why it is important for Notaries to make all the necessary checks beforehand. A Notary may be required to prepare documentation (including his Notarial certificate) in order to give full effect to the particular transaction.

The oath a Notary takes when he is admitted to practice, requires him to exercise his duties faithfully and to the best of his skill and ability, and to make contracts or other documents for or between any parties without adding or altering anything that may alter the substance of the facts set out in the document without the approval of the parties.