Top 5 Reasons To Use A French-Speaking Notary
Notaries are an essential part of many legal cases. They are responsible for authenticating signatures and details regarding documents used abroad. They can also conduct minor legal practices such as conveyancing and general soliciting. Still, they cannot perform any official court proceedings. Notaries were historically employed in London to record transactions, as the wider public was often unable to read or write.
There are many additional benefits to having a multi-lingual notary. Not only do they have a broader understanding of language, but they are permitted to certify documents written in other languages. A French-speaking notary can legally certify documents in both French and English under the Notaries Practice Rules 2014. These specialist notaries are referred to as Scrivener notaries. They have trained in addition to their general notary practice and must speak in at least two additional languages to English.
Here are five reasons why you could benefit from choosing a French-speaking notary to aid in your legal proceedings.
1. Reduce Time To Complete Transactions
By employing a french-speaking Scrivener notary over a general notary, you can overcome any additional time spent getting documents translated from French to English. Your notary will be able to read and explain the documents to an English-speaking client.
2. An Increased Understanding
It takes a lot of extra training to become a licensed Scrivener notary. With this comes more extensive knowledge and understanding of a broader range of subjects. In 2020, there were a mere thirty-five Scrivener notaries out of a total of eight hundred general notaries in England and Wales. A scrivener will already have existing experience in law before undergoing additional training. So, suppose you opt for a Scrivener notary. In that case, you know you are guaranteed to get a highly knowledgeable and qualified individual.
3. Strong Communication With All Parties
If you are involved in a case where one of the parties is only French-speaking, and you are not, then a Scrivener notary can help communicate between both parties. Their knowledge and qualifications in the French language allow them to translate and issue certified French documents legally.
4. Prevent Confusion and Minimise Mistakes
Having a notary fully competent in the French language can avoid any errors or important information getting lost in translation. To achieve their qualifications as a Scrivener, the notary must have a comprehensive enough understanding of their chosen languages to deal with legal documentation in those languages.
5. A Knowledge of French Law
A French-speaking notary in England will likely have to deal with various cases involving French law. This gives them greater knowledge and background of the French legal system, which can benefit you if you are involved in such a case. Scrivener notaries must also complete at least one exam in foreign jurisdiction law in the country of one of their additional spoken languages.
If a client wished to buy a property in France but did not speak French themselves, they would legally require a French-speaking notary to oversee any documentation. Our team here at France Tax Law has a broad knowledge of French property law. We provide many different services to assist you in buying or selling a property in France.
If you seek any further advice regarding French-speaking notaries, or you have any other legal queries, do not hesitate to contact us. We have offices in London and Newcastle so you can get in touch with us across the country. We will be happy to answer any of your questions.