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NOTARIAL PRACTICE TRAINING COURSE

  • Become a Notary Public
  • Live in-person
  • 19 CPD units
  • Certificate of completion

OVERVIEW

 

The College of Law in conjunction with the Society of Notaries of New South Wales, is authorised to conduct training for barristers or solicitors of not fewer than five (5) years continuous standing, who wish to apply for appointment as a Public Notary under the Public Notaries Act 1997 (NSW).

Notarial practice is a specialised area of legal practice involving the authentication and certification of documents for use internationally. For lawyers looking to expand their professional capability, differentiate their practice and provide an additional service to clients, becoming a Public Notary can be a significant next step.

Successful completion of this course satisfies the training requirement to apply to the Legal Profession Admissions Board (LPAB) for appointment by the Supreme Court of NSW as a Public Notary.

Following appointment, Public Notaries commonly perform functions for overseas use only, including:

  • Authenticating official, government and personal documents
  • Witnessing signatures and authenticating identity
  • Witnessing and, where appropriate, preparing Powers of Attorney
  • Certifying true copies of documents
  • Authenticating corporate documents, status and transactions
  • Dealing with documentation relating to property, land and deceased estate matters

 

 

BEFORE YOU ENROL: WATCH THE NOTARIAL INFORMATION SESSION

 

You must watch the Notarial Information Session in full before purchasing this short course. 

This information session has been designed to help you understand what is involved in becoming a Public Notary and, importantly, whether this course is right for you.

The course involves a significant time commitment, intensive preparation and formal assessment. The examination is rigorous, and you should understand the course structure, assessment requirements and expectations before committing to enrol.

 

COURSE STRUCTURE

Build the practical knowledge and confidence to navigate the responsibilities of notarial practice. Through expert-led sessions, drafting workshops and practical demonstrations, you’ll learn how to:

  • Identify appearers and manage key verification considerations.
  • Prepare and draft notarial certificates in both private and public form using precedents.
  • Distinguish between common law and civil law notarial practice and select the appropriate certificate for different jurisdictions.
  • Notarise educational, online, copy and foreign-language documents.
  • Understand apostilles, the Hague Convention and the role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
  • Recognise and respond to vexatious documents, deepfakes and AML considerations relevant to notarial practice.
  • Address corporate signing requirements and other practical issues that arise in notarial practice.
  • Complete and bind notarial certificates, understand recommended fees and the process for appointment as a Public Notary.

This course is delivered by senior members of the Society of Notaries of New South Wales, bringing specialist knowledge and practical experience directly into the classroom.

Your main presenters:

  • Charles Appleton Vice-President, Society of Notaries of New South Wales
  • Colin Dunston Secretary and Treasurer, Society of Notaries of New South Wales
  • Justin Betar Council Member and past President, Society of Notaries of New South Wales
  • Peter Snelgrove Council Member and past President, Society of Notaries of New South Wales

By purchasing this course, you acknowledge and agree that you have:

  • Watched the Notarial Information Session in full before purchasing the course and you understand the course particulars including the assessment, and
  • Considered whether you meet the relevant eligibility requirements to pursue appointment as a Public Notary.

REGISTER YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

Places are limited and demand is expected to be high. Register your interest today to receive early notification when the course opens for registration.

FAQs

The Notarial Practice Training Course is designed for eligible NSW solicitors and barristers who are seeking to pursue appointment as a Public Notary.

It is suited to practitioners who:

  • Have been in legal practice for at least five (5) continuous years and meet the relevant eligibility requirements
  • Want to develop a specialist capability in notarial practice
  • Regularly work with clients, transactions or documentation involving overseas jurisdictions
  • Want to expand the services they can provide to clients
  • Are looking to differentiate their professional practice
  • This course has been designed for NSW practitioners. If you are from another state, please check with your relevant law society or regulator prior to enrolling.

This course is approved for NSW practitioners only. If you were admitted in another Australian jurisdiction and wish to attend the course, please contact the Legal Profession Admission Board directly to confirm your admission requirements before enrolling.

Notarial practice is specialised

Before you enrol, it is important to understand what a Public Notary does and where notarial services are relevant.

Notarial practice is concerned with the authentication and certification of documents and matters intended for international or overseas use.

It is not simply an extension of ordinary witnessing or certification services performed by solicitors for domestic purposes.

If your primary reason for undertaking the course is to perform routine witnessing, certification or document services for use within Australia, this course may not be suitable for you.

For further information as to whether this course is right for you, we strongly recommend that you watch the Notarial Information Session.

If you are an in-house lawyer, you should carefully consider whether this course is appropriate for your circumstances before enrolling.

Section 11 of the Public Notaries Act 1997 (NSW) restricts public notaries who are not part of a law practice (for example, in-house counsel) from performing notarial work for their employer or a client of their employer.

Accordingly, if you are an in-house counsel considering this course, you should ensure you understand the applicable requirements and restrictions before purchasing.

Location:

  • College of Law - Level 1, 570 George Street, Sydney 2000

Course components:

To successfully complete this course and thereafter be eligible to apply for appointment as a Public Notary, participants must:

  1. Review the materials and view the video recordings on the learning portal

You will have access to the College’s Learning Portal two weeks prior to the workshop component.  Once confirmed into the course, you will receive an email with the Learning Portal login details. The Learning Portal contains the pre-workshop materials such as videos, which you are required to view before attending the workshop.

  1. Attend and participate in all sessions of the training course

Participants must attend all sessions of the training course and follow the reasonable directions of the course facilitators. Strict compliance with the attendance requirements is a condition of successful completion of this course.

Activities that relate to work or personal commitments (including phone calls, emailing etc.) may only be undertaken during the scheduled breaks and not during sessions.

Any participant that misses more than 15 minutes of a session without the prior authorisation of the course facilitators shall be at risk of failing the course and such authorisation shall only be granted in extenuating circumstances relating to ill health, emergency or serious misadventure.

  1. Pass the online examination

The online examination will be available to participants via Canvas.

  • Participants will have up to 14 days to complete and submit the online examination in Canvas.
  • The exam will consist of five sections, including both multiple choice and written answers of varying lengths to exam questions and drafting Notarial Certificates.
  • To achieve a passing mark in the examination and successfully complete the course, participants must achieve 75% or better in each section of the online examination.

If you are unable to commit the required time to the course and assessment, this may not be the right time for you to enrol.

Please read the Legal Profession Admission Board’s Guide for Applicants for Appointment as a Public Notary.

If you have any doubts about your eligibility for appointment as a Notary, please contact the Legal Professional Admission Board (LPAB) before enrolling in the course.

The intakes are scheduled to be offered three times a year, in February, May, and September. Please note that this is subject to change.

The investment cost with registering is $3,650 inclusive of GST (subject to change).

Register your expression of interest to receive early notification when a course opens for registration.

 

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