Notarial Services

A notary public’s main duty is to authenticate documents and facts for use outside England and Wales. These can relate to a wide range of activities including overseas property transactions; administration of the affairs of people who have died; commercial transactions in other countries; court proceedings and immigration.

A Notary Public is appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury in accordance with the relevant Acts of Parliament and supervised by The Faculty Office, 1 The Sanctuary, Westminster, London, SW1P 3JT.

Laura Pawley practices as a Notary Public, which is entirely separate from the solicitors’ practice of Gumersalls, although she does work from the same office.

She is able to offer advice and assistance on the completion and authentication of documents required for abroad, verification of identity, certified copies of documents and legalisation requirements.

Fees

My hourly rate is £350 + VAT. A minimum fee is charged for all Notarial matters which is £175 + VAT, the fees will be calculated based on the time spent using the hourly rate detailed above but will not be less than £175 + VAT.

Additional disbursements may be payable to cover any Apostille or Consulate Legalisation Fees. A quote for these costs can be provided on request as each countries’ requirements vary.

Please see Terms of Business document below.

Appointments

Appointments can generally be offered within 2-5 working days subject to holidays and other work commitments.

Most Notarial Services can be completed on the same day however, if further legalisation is required this may take 4 or more working days to complete depending on the country involved. More information will be provided following the initial meeting.

Professional Indemnity Insurance

The Notarial work is covered by the solicitor’s firm’s Professional Indemnity Policy which covers claims up to a maximum of £5,000,000 per claim.

Regulation

My notarial practice is regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury:

The Faculty Office, 1 The Sanctuary, Westminster, London, SW1P 3JT
Email Faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com
www.facultyoffice.org.uk

Complaints

If you have any complaints about my work please do not hesitate to contact me, and if the matter cannot be immediately resolved I will refer your complaint to the Notaries Society of which I am a member, who have a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office.

Alternatively, you can complain to the Notaries Society direct. Please write (but do not enclose any original documents) with full details of your complaint to:

Christopher Vaughan, Secretary of the Notaries Society, PO Box 7655, Milton Keynes, MK11 9NR
Email secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk

Finally, even if you have your complaint considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure, you may at the end of that procedure or after a period of eight weeks from the date of making the complaint to me, make your complaint direct to the Legal Ombudsman (whose contact details are below) if the matter has not been resolved to your satisfaction:

Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Telephone 0300 555 0333
Email enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
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.

Terms of Business

Download my Terms of Business PDF