To the lawyers... I have some kwistyons

[BadGiRL]

How come there are notary publics who charge only P50 bucks a pop whilst others charge more than that? Is it only because of the "name" and prestige they have in the law profession? Like, Atty. X is part of the QRST Firm, that's why pag nagpa notary ka sa kanya, 500 bucks a pop. Tapos, Atty. Y is some unknown lawyer pero naka pasa ng bar ha, he only charges 50 bucks a pop.

Or mas credible ba pag nag pa notarize ka sa mas mamahalin at mas kilalang lawyer? Question lang ha. Kasi parang same lang naman e, wala naman special skills na kailangan for notary public d ba?

Ndi naman tulad sa mga doctors na kasi specialize sya dito sa blah blah kay mas mahal ang PF nya.

Nakapagtataka lang talaga. I hope some nice lawyers would answer my query.

[blue babe]

:lol: interesting kwistyons... :D i'd like to know the answer too.. :D

[yeee]

:lol: at blue babe

[KuyaDanny]

While waiting for explanation/enlightenment from somebody experienced in the field, I'd like to inform everyone that a) there is a fellow who works in the Muntinlupa munisipyo who notarizes documents for free; and b) we know at least two guys in Mandaluyong who notarize, for a fee, but assign the same document number to everything they notarize during a given calendar year. Go figure.

[blue babe]

kd: really? with regard to the 2nd guy, that's illegal. he could be disbarred. :D that's about as much as i know about notaries public.

[KuyaDanny]

From what I know (and I could be wrong), the only qualification needed for a notary public is that he should have taken, not necessarily passed, the bar exams. The Mandaluyong guys I mentioned don't call themselves attorneys at law, only notaries public. They don't seem to think they have much to lose.

[blue babe]

i think they have to be lawyers. in places that are so remote that there are no lawyers, a person of "good repute" can qualify as a notary public.

[green grin]

the integrated bar of the philippines periodically issues a guideline for all notary public (yup, not all are lawyers) for notarial rates. the rates depend on the nature (and length) of the document. for example, the notarial fee for affidavits is the least expensive (i think it's P50) while the rates for a deed of absolute sale of real property can be a percentage of the sale price (ka-ching!).

the guidelines are issued so that these notaries public do not undercut each other's fees. however the same guidelines carry no sanction. some big law firms do not charge notarial fees for retained clients at all. overall, notarial fees are negotiable.

so why are some more expensive than others?

i suspect it has something to do with the integrity of the notary public and the availability of the records. while there is a presumption of regularity in the performance of a public officer, in a trial where the genuineness and due execution of a document is in question, a judge who knows of a notary public's reputation (as in the case of kuyadanny's mandaluyong guys) can give the party presenting such documentary evidence a hard time. also, some of these cheap notaries public might not submit records of their notarized documents (as required by law) to the regional trial court for purposes of making them public records (and thus binding on everybody). law firms are more systematic in their submission and infinitely more reliable. and this reliability (sometimes) carries a price.

(pero kung affidavit lang naman, pwede na siguro doon sa mandaluyong)