Areas of Practice

Notary Public and Commissioning Services

The lawyers at Siksay & Fraser are also Notaries Public and Commissioners. We offer notarizing and commissioning services to our clients, by appointment.

Prior to August, 2009, we frequently did not charge clients for routine notarization services. Of course, notarization services do cost us in terms of administrative overhead (file opening, closing, storage, staff time), photocopies, and billable lawyer time - generally speaking, $25.00 per notarization of “already prepared” documents is about “break-even” for costs (without any amount for lawyer time).

After reading an article in the August 23rd, 2009 edition of the New York Times Magazine (“Why Women’s Rights are the Cause of our Time”) and learning how micro loans to very small scale entrepreneurs in impoverished countries have the potential to turn oppression into opportunity, we decided that we would change our policy regarding the provision of notarization services in order to utilize the proceeds for the provision of micro loans. Until otherwise determined, we will now charge for notarization services ($25.00, plus HST, per notarization for “already prepared” documents or as quoted in other circumstances, fee subject to change without notice) and we will invest the proceeds into micro loans. We have chosen Kiva (http://www.kiva.org/about) as the funding conduit.

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