Notary Public
AAJ Robertson-Gopffarth

Home: Welcome

What is a Notary Public?

In the UK the legal profession is divided into three branches, with the Notary Public being the oldest branch. In England and Wales Notaries are qualified lawyers who are appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and are subject to regulation by the Court of Faculties.

The rules that affect Notaries are similar to those rules that affect solicitors. Notaries must be insured for the protection of their clients and the public. Notaries must keep clients’ money separate from their business and comply with stringent rules of practice, conduct and discipline.

Notaries can be members of the Notaries Society and further information can be found on their website at https://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk.

The Notaries Society

Home: Text

What is the role of a Notary Public?

The international duty of a Notary involves a high standard of care. This is not only towards the client but also to anyone who may rely on the document and to governments or officials of other countries. These people are entitled:

To assume that a Notary will ensure full compliance with the relevant requirements both here and abroad;
To rely on the Notary’s register and records; and
Great care is essential at every stage to minimise the risks of errors, omissions, alterations, fraud, forgery, money laundering, the use of false identity, and so on

Notarisation is the accepted safeguard under international law and the signature and seal of the Notary is recognised as a link in the chain of evidence relating to international documents. It is therefore important that the Notary remains independent and the Notary’s duty is to the transaction.

Home: Text

Apostille

The 1961 Apostille of the Hague Convention is an international treaty drafted by the Hague Conference on Private International Law. This is sometimes also referred to as Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) legalisation. When a country is a signatory to this convention and the receiving party in that country wants full and final proof of my signature and seal, an apostille from the UK FCDO will need to be obtained.

There are three ways to obtain an apostille, as follows:

Posting the completed notarial act to the UK FCDO legalisation office in Milton Keynes and waiting for it to be posted back (or sent on to recipient). Processing times vary. The cost is £30.
Submitting the notarial act via an agent to the UK FCDO legalisation office in Milton Keynes to be collected the next working day.
Using the legalisation office in London where apostilles can be obtained on a “while-you-wait” basis. This can be done in person, so long as you are registered as a business client, or an agent can take the document for you. This is the most expensive option - £75 per apostille.

Home: Text

About the Notary Public Firm

About Us

Following a successful career in the Royal Navy, having served in surface ships and submarines, Alistair Robertson-Gopffarth retrained to become a solicitor specialising in Private Client matters. To supplement his skill set he also qualified in March 2018 as a Chartered Tax Adviser and after completing his studies at University College London in 2020 he is now also qualified as a Notary Public.

Separately, as a solicitor Alistair assists both domestic and international clients with preparing wills and advises on a wide range of estate cases, which include the administration of estates where assets are located in multiple jurisdictions.

To complement Alistair’s specialism, Alistair speaks fluent German and has a working knowledge of Dutch.

As a Notary Public Alistair assist clients with their cross border requirements. Alistair lives in East Dorset near the New Forest and Salisbury and is able to assist clients in the Dorset / Wiltshire and Hampshire area.