Notary Public and wills
In Los Angeles County, and throughout California many clients and signers request whether a mobile notary in Los Angeles can notarize a will for them. California Notary Publics cannot give legal advice, the only advice we can give you is to research and to contact a lawyer if you need legal advice about the requirements of a will and whether your will should be notarized or just witnessed. If a lawyer indicated that the will should be notarized, then a California Notary Public may notarize the document provided all other criteria for being notarized are met. If the Notary Public indicates that they are not supposed to notarize a will, you can provide them the contact information of your lawyer who drafted the will stating that they want the will notarized, or indicate that you want your will notarized even if the document doesnt say to notarize it.
Another alternative we at Los Angeles Mobile Notary Now encounter is being asked to witness a will or notarize and witness a will for a client. According to the Notary Public handbook for California Notary’s we are not prohibited from acting as a witness to a will or document, but we cannot witness in a Notary Public capacity. We can witness as individuals only. However, if the witnesses need to be notarized, a Notary Public cannot notarize their own signature so they would have to decline to do both witnessing and notarizing.
Getting a will witnessed or notarized can be a very complex process, especially in the state of California. The above information is provided for informational purposes only and Los Angeles Notary Now procedures regarding the process, it is not to be taken or given as legal advice. Always consult a lawyer first and foremost. Notary’s can only provide information regarding notarization.