Adrian Falck and Mark Lello are dual qualified Notary Public, Solicitors and Partners of Preston Redman.
Adrian and Mark are qualified to authenticate documents for use abroad, they can assist you with documentation you’ve been sent to sign if you or your company own property or have other dealings in a foreign country, and he can arrange for legalisation in accordance with the Hague Convention and the specialist requirements of countries which have their own alternative procedures.
Please note: Notarial work is undertaken independently of Preston Redman LLP by 'Adrian Falck Notary Public' or ‘JM Lello Notary Public’ and is regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury and not by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Notarial Fees
Notarial fees are calculated on a time basis at an hourly rate of £385, subject to a minimum fee of £100. You will be provided with a fee estimate upon sight of the documents to be notarised and the requirements of the receiving jurisdiction.
The fee charged might include time spent on preliminary advice, drafting and preparation time, correspondence written and received in all formats, making and receiving telephone calls, record keeping and arranging legislation.
In the event a certified copy of a document needs to be provided, we will verify the document with the issuing authority who may charge a separate fee.
Depending upon the nature of the matter, documents may need to be obtained from the Probate Registry, Companies House, or the like who may charge a separate fee.
If a document is prepared in any other language than in English, a formal translation may be required, which would be charged separately.
Some documents require legalisation before they will be accepted for use in the receiving jurisdiction. This is done by obtaining an Apostille through the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and, for some countries, additional legalisation is required through the relevant consulate or embassy.
The FCO charge £30 + £5.50 courier fees to issue an Apostille using their standard service (2-10 working days), however if you require this more quickly or need additional legalisation, an estimate of legalisation fees can be obtained using consular agents. Adrian and Mark charge an administration fee of £15 to arrange legalisation either with the FCO or through consular agents.
Notarial Service Information
Each notarial matter is different, and the requirements vary according to whether the client is a company or private individual. Some of the typical key stages are likely to include:
- Receiving and reviewing the documents to be notarised alongside any instructions you might have received
- Liaising with your legal advisors or other bodies to obtain the necessary documentation to deal with the documents (e.g., information from Companies House or foreign registries, powers of attorney, etc.)
- Checking the identity, authority and capacity of the person who is to sign the document
- If a document is to be certified, checking with the issuing authorities that the document/award is genuine. In the case of academic awards, this would entail checking with the appropriate academic institutions
- Meeting with the signatory to verify their identity and ascertain that they understand what they are signing, that they are doing so of their own free will and ensure that the document is executed correctly
- Drafting and affixing, or endorsing, a notarial certificate to the document
- Arranging for the legalisation of the document as appropriate
- Arranging for the storage of copies of all notarised documents in accordance with the requirements of the Notarial Practice Rules 2019
Redress
Adrian and Mark are insured under a professional indemnity policy for at least £1,000,000.00.
Complaints and Regulatory Information
1. Adrian and Mark's notarial practices are separately regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury:
The Faculty Office
1, The Sanctuary
Westminster
London SW1P 3JT
Telephone 020 7222 5381 Email Faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com Website http://www.facultyoffice.org.uk
2. If you are dissatisfied about the service you have received please do not hesitate to contact me.
3. If they are unable to resolve the matter you may then complain to the Notaries Society of which they are both members, who have a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office. This procedure is free to use and is designed to provide a quick resolution to any dispute.
4. In that case please write (but do not enclose any original documents) with full details of your complaint to :-
Christopher Vaughan
Secretary of The Notaries Society
P O Box 7655
Milton Keynes
MK11 9NR
Telephone: 01908 803527
Email: secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk
If you have any difficulty in making a complaint in writing please do not hesitate to call the Notaries Society/the Faculty Office for assistance.
5. Finally, even if you have your complaint considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure, you may at the end of that procedure, or after a period of 6 months from the date you first notified me that you were dissatisfied, make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman*, if you are not happy with the result :
Legal Ombudsman
P O Box 6806
Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ
Tel : 0300 555 0333 Email : enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk Website : www.legalombudsman.org.uk
6. If you decide to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman you must refer your matter to the Legal Ombudsman :-
• Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint and
• Six years from the date of act/omission; or
• Three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint (only if the act or omission took place more than six years ago)
The act or omission, or when you should have reasonably known there was cause for complaint, must have been after 5th October 2010.
*certain kinds of commercial entities are not eligible to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman – please refer to the Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules or consult the Faculty Office.
