Can You Provide Me With a Power of Attorney?

Can You Provide Me With a Power of Attorney?

As a California Notary Public I am often times asked to help with legal matters. However, since I am not an attorney and can not provide legal advice, I must refer my clients to a competent legal professional.

Power of Attorney Notarized

One document I am presented with most often is a Power of Attorney. While I can not provide forms for my clients or help them make any changes to the document, I am very familiar with various forms and variations of Power of Attorney documents and can provide the needed signature notarization.

As is often the case, this document is needed when a loved one is ill or near death and the family members looking over the signer’s affairs need to gain access to banking, medical or real estate services as an advocate for the Power of Attorney signer.

Just as in notarizing any document it is important that I obtain the correct and valid identification from the document signer. In most cases that means the signing party would provide a valid state issued Drivers License, ID card or a federally issued Passport. However, when the signer is elderly, often times they have relinquished their Drivers License and don’t have a valid ID card or Passport.

What to do?

If a signer does NOT have the proper valid legal identification, there is another option. The signer may present to me, the notary public, two witnesses who can vouch for the identity of the signer. The two witnesses must have valid Identification cards themselves and they MAY NOT be mentioned in the document being signed, or have anything to gain by it’s signing.

A Recent Client

I recently helped a family who’s father did not have a valid Identification card. However, he was able to present two witnesses who could vouch for his identity. When choosing witnesses in this situation, it is best to avoid using family members as they may be able to be linked to benefiting from the signing of the Power of Attorney document. I often recommend that my clients find neighbors or co-workers who have known the signer for several years and who feel comfortable vouching for the identity of the party being notarized.

Call for Help

While I can not provide legal advice, I can answer many questions about the notarization process and am always willing to discuss your situation with you. Feel free to call or email me any time! I also have a network of attorneys who I can refer you to as well for any specific legal questions.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

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Senior Citizens Special Notary Requests

Senior Citizens Special Notary Requests

It’s a difficult call – both to take and receive. I pick up the phone and the person on the other end is often in a panic. There’s a document that *MUST* be notarized, signed by their elderly parent or relative who is in poor health.

These situations are difficult, because the signer often may not fully understand what is going on – perhaps they are days or weeks away from dying. Yet, as often happens in life, there are legal, financial or real estate documents that must be signed by the elderly individual to give the adult child or caretaker the ability to handle the affairs of the aging person.

No Coersion

When I get these sorts of requests, as a Notary Public, I must be careful that the person signing the document is doing so of their