The COVID pandemic had a silver lining in the form of some changes that started out as temporary workarounds that now are with us to stay because people decided they are better ways of doing business than we had before.  One of those is remote notarization.

The law used to be that a document could be notarized only if the person signing it was physically present with the notary.  Not anymore.

We now have “remote notarization.”  It’s a hassle, and because of that, I charge more for work that requires remote notarization, but it can be done.

I have to use videoconference technology, record the proceeding, make the person signing show us two forms of government-issued identification, state that I am physically located in Alabama, verify that the signer’s webcam is focused on the signing area when she signs, and do some other things, but again, it can be done.

I have used remote notarization for a client who was sitting in Mexico when he signed the document.

“No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.”