Copthorne Notary
New Enquiries
Please email: gillian@gilliangadd.com or call: 07747 540260
A Copthorne Notary refers to a notary service provided in the town of Copthorne, located in West Sussex, England. Notaries, in the context of the UK, are public officials appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and regulated by the Master of the Faculties. These individuals play a crucial role in non-contentious matters involving estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and other business activities that require documented authentication or certification.These services comprise the verification of legal documents and are frequently employed for documents that need to be employed abroad. In essence, a notary's role is to ensure that the transaction to which you are committing is fair, legally acceptable, and that the documents are genuine and in due order. When you engage with a Copthorne Notary, you can expect to receive a specialised form of independent advice in the context of documents you have to sign, verifying both your understanding and willing acceptance of those contents.Moreover, a Copthorne Notary will also conduct formal acts on documents to give them an internationally recognised guarantee. For instance, Apostilles and Legalisation are common services provided. Apostilles are issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in order to certify a Notary’s seal and signature. In some cases, further verification from the consulate or embassy of the foreign jurisdiction where the document will be used might be needed. Therefore, a Copthorne Notary plays an integral role in the process of securing important transactions and maintaining legal order.
How much will it cost me?
My minimum fee for notarial appointments is £90, but the cost is often more and will depend on the number and complexity of the documents. I will give you a final estimate of my fees before I begin any work for you.
Some documents require legalisation before they will be accepted for use in the receiving jurisdiction by obtaining an apostille through the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and, for some countries, additional legalisation is required through the relevant embassy or consulate. Either before or at our meeting I will obtain an estimate for the cost of legalisation, including agent’s fees and postage to and from the legalising authority.
Payment can be made by cash, cheque or bank transfer. Payment of my fee and disbursements is due when the document has been prepared which I may retain pending payment in full.
Occasionally unforeseen or unusual issues arise during the course of the matter which may result in a revision of my fee estimate. Examples of this could include where additional documents are required to be notarised, additional translations or legalisations are needed to meet the requirements of the receiving jurisdiction, third party fees are adjusted to reflect external factors such as fuel price changes and so on. I will notify you of any changes in the fee estimate as soon as possible.
Typical Stages of a notarial transaction
Each notarial matter is different and the requirements will vary according to whether the client is a private individual or a company. Some of the typical key stages are likely to include:
Receiving and reviewing the documents to be notarised together with any instructions you may have received
Liaising with your legal advisors or other bodies to obtain the necessary documentation to deal with the document (e.g. information from Companies House or foreign registries, powers of attorney etc)
Checking the identity, capacity and authority of the person who is to sign the document
If a document is to be certified, checking with the issuing authorities that the document/award is genuine. In the case of academic awards, this would entail checking with the appropriate academic institutions.
Meeting with the signatory to verify their identity and to ascertain that they understand what they are signing and that they are doing so of their own free will and ensuring that the document is executed correctly
Drafting and affixing or endorsing a notarial certificate to the document
Arranging for the legalisation of the document as appropriate
Arranging for the storage of copies of all notarised documents in accordance with the requirements of the Notarial Practice Rules 2019
Redress
I am insured under a professional indemnity policy for £1,000,000.00.
Complaints & Regulatory Information
My notarial practice is regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury:
The Faculty Office
1, The Sanctuary
Westminster
London SW1P 3JT
Telephone 020 7222 5381
Email Faculty.
office@1thesanctuary.com Website www.facultyoffice.org.uk
If you are dissatisfied about the service you have received please do not hesitate to contact me.
If we are unable to resolve the matter you may then complain to the Notaries Society of which I am a member, who have a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office. This procedure is free to use and is designed to provide a quick resolution to any dispute.
In that case please write (but do not enclose any original documents) with full details of your complaint to :-
The Secretary of The Notaries Society
Complaints to the Notaries Society should be addressed to Elaine Standish, Secretary of The Notaries Society, P O Box 876 Chichester PO19 9ZH. Email: secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk
Legal Ombudsman
P O Box 6806
Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ
Tel: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
If you decide to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, you must refer your matter to the Legal Ombudsman within one year from the act/omission or within one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
Please phone me on 01403 262520, 01293 553434 or 07747 540260 or e-mail me at gillian@gilliangadd.com to discuss your requirements.
Useful links
For more information about the legalisation of documents, visit www.fco.gov.uk
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