Career description:
A Notary Public is an official of integrity appointed by state government —typically by the secretary of state — to serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents. These official acts are called notarizations, or notarial acts. Notaries are publicly commissioned as “ministerial” officials, meaning that they are expected to follow written rules without the exercise of significant personal discretion, as would otherwise be the case with a “judicial” official.
What it’s like:
Common duties:
- Screen the signers of important documents — such as property deeds, wills and powers of attorney — for their true identity, their willingness to sign without duress or intimidation, and their awareness of the contents of the document or transaction
- Put signerers under an oath, declaring under penalty of perjury that the information contained in a document is true and correct
- Serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents
- Certify the proper execution of many of the life-changing documents of private citizens — whether those diverse transactions convey real estate, grant powers of attorney, establish a prenuptial agreement, or perform the multitude of other activities that enable our civil society to function
Similar occupations:
Attorney, Paralegal, Senator, Congressman, Mayor, Diplomat
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