Notary
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A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.
A notary at work (painting by German artist Max Volkhart)
Entrance to notary's office in Vigo, Spain
"Der Notar" ("The Notary"), Copper engraving from 1698 book by Christoph Weigel the Elder
Civil-law notary
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Civil-law notaries, or Latin notaries, are lawyers of noncontentious private civil law who draft, take, and record legal instruments for private parties, provide legal advice and give attendance in pe
Notary
…Rico), any person – lawyer or otherwise – may be commissioned as a notary. Most civil law-based systems (including Puerto Rico and Quebec) have the civil law notary, a legal professional performing many more functions than a common-law notary public. They are qualified lawyers who provide many of the same services…
16th-century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Matsys
1400 French royal notary flourish
Notar office