Notary
German law requires the intervention of a Notary in many business and commercial transactions, as well as in personal and family matters, to make these transactions valid and binding. Notaries are thus more than just a necessary evil: their training and experience make them competent legal consultants and advisors to their clients.
Unlike an Advocate, the Notary is an impartial third party and does not have to focus on the interests of only one party. Thus in any transaction which requires the involvement of a Notary, the Notary has to point out the consequences of a clause and the contractual agreement as a whole to both parties. Similar to the judges, the Notaries are closely integrated into a specific legal system and code of procedure as part of the preventive administration of justice. Therefore, the Notary is an independent bearer of a public office appointed by the competent state judicial department.
In general terms, the Notary is responsible for that legal assistance which, through legally informed participation in the structure of private legal relationships, serves to secure and protect them both in the interests of the private persons concerned and in the public interests of legal security and the prevention of disputes.
Several Taylor Wessing offices have acknowledged and renowned experts acting as Advocate Notaries in all areas of the Notarial Practice, especially in but not limited to the fields of Real Estate Law, Corporate Law and Commercial Law. Taylor Wessing's Notaries act on behalf of banks, private and public companies as well as for private individuals.