What are the missions of the notary? The notary is a public officer appointed by the Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice, whose mission is to advise the parties, to draft authentic instruments with the triple objective of balance, efficiency and legal certainty. Thus, the notary ensures: - personalized advice and long-term support - the guarantee of the effective drafting of secure deeds respecting the balance of interests involved - a commitment to quality, transparency and speed - coordination and teamwork with other professionals - the conservation of the acts he writes Article 1 of the ordinance of November 2, 1945 relating to the status of the notariat: "Notaries are the public officers established to receive all acts and contracts to which the parties must or wish to give the character of authenticity attached to the acts of public authority ". Good to know: Extract from the speech delivered by the Réal Councilor before the legislative body during the debates of the law of 25 Ventôse year XI, law which created the notariat after the Revolution: "Beside civil servants who reconcile and judge disputes , tranquility calls other officials, who, disinterested counsel of the parties, as well as impartial drafters of their will, letting them know the full extent of the obligations they contract, writing these commitments with clarity, giving them the character of 'an authentic act and the force of a judgment of last resort, perpetuating their memory and keeping their deposit with fidelity, prevent disputes from arising between men of good faith and take away from greedy men with the hope of success, the want to raise an unjust challenge. These disinterested counsels, these impartial drafters, this kind of voluntary judges who irrevocably compel ent the contracting parties, are the notaries. This institution is the notariat. "The notary writes and receives acts The notary designs and writes acts intervening in all the disciplines of the law which govern the life of the individuals, the companies and the public collectivities. These acts take the form of acts authentic, which gives them probative force, certain date and enforceability throughout the national territory and in the European legal space. The possession by the notary of the seal of the State gives to authentic acts the character of public authority and the value of a judgment. The notary officially confirms the consent of the parties and personally commits to the content and date of the authentic instrument. Effective means of proof, factor of transparency, the latter is binding on the contracting parties, prevails in court and is enforceable by operation of law and its forced implementation can be requested. Its conservation by the notary strengthens the legal certainty which brings e to clients the deed, which allows the notary to issue copies. After 75 years, the acts of notaries are kept in the departmental archives (or national for notaries in the capital). Keeper of the memory, the notary nevertheless uses the most modern techniques in the exercise of his profession. Today, it uses secure Internet systems, set up by the profession, for the exchange of documents whose provenance, integrity and confidentiality are guaranteed. Electronic scanning and archiving have replaced paper. The dematerialized notarial act is now essential with all the qualities attached to authenticity. The notary, advising individuals The notary advises and implements the solutions best suited to the needs of his clientele of individuals, of which he is often the confidant. He intervenes at all the key moments of family life: at birth, marriage, PACS, succession, separation. Responsible for settling disputes and avoiding conflicts and litigation between the parties, the notary is sometimes led to intervene in relations between clients in order to find a solution to a problem, by using conciliation or mediation. The notary, advising companies The notary is also called upon by French and international entrepreneurs and companies for whom he provides, sometimes in conjunction with other legal professionals, services in fields as varied as legal or tax advice, expertise or audit, business transfer or asset management advice. He supports companies on a daily basis in their legal procedures: incorporation or transfer of companies, commercial lease, taxation ... The notary, council of local authorities With a good knowledge of the local economic and social fabric, the notary is often the only lawyer that can support local authorities, to give them independent legal advice in the areas that concern them (real estate, town planning, drafting of acts, etc.). The notary, creator of law Close to his clients, the notary is able to assess their needs and the means to satisfy them by drafting in particular innovative contractual clauses, some of which have been established by the legislator. As such, the notariat contributes to the formation of the law in its daily practice, but also by its reflection during the annual Congresses which are at the origin of important reforms, the latest of which concerns the new rights of the surviving spouse.