As a Commissioned California Notary I have been asked quite a few times to prepare documents. Can this be done?
The simple answer to the question is no. A notary public is there to make sure you are who you say you are. Preparing documents would be in my opinion practicing law. This is forbidden by the Secretary of Sate.
I have had people ask me about preparing a "Power of Attorney" document. No I won't do that but I will suggest that they type the document name in their search engine. You can find various documents online and then populate the information. Once the document is complete then I can come in and make sure that everything is complete and notarize. If there is any questions about what the document should say or how it should be completed, these types of questions should be directed at someone with a law degree.
Hopefully this has helped you before calling a notary. We as notaries are here to help but must work within the strict confines of the law.
Have you ever wanted to give the gift of notarization?
This month we started selling gift cards. Gift cards have been gaining popularity in the last few years. Since gift cards are not generally used in this market we decided to give the gift of notarization. For each notarization appointment you will receive a gift card to use for your next appointment or to give to someone in need. Each gift card contains $15 to apply to any service that we offer. If you know that you will need additional services/notarizations you can load your gift card with any dollar amount and receive a discount.