Morin Simard

In the Province of Quebec, civil-law notaries are lawyers of noncontentious private civil law who :

1. Are Public Officers (they are vested with the authentication power of the State and have to retain and keep a minute copy of their legal instruments in a fireproof, waterproof vault) ;

2. Take part in the administration of Justice (they have the authority to appear in court on their client's behalf in noncontentious matters) ;

3. Are legal advisers (Lawyers being the only others who can give legal advices in the Province).

Unlike notaries public, their common-law counterparts, civil-law notaries are highly trained, licensed practitioners providing a full range of regulated legal services, and whereas they hold a public office, they nonetheless operate in private practice and are paid on a fee-for-service basis.

They receive the same education as attorneys at civil law, but without qualifications in advocacy. They hold undergraduate degrees in civil law and graduate degrees in notarial law. Notarial law involves expertise in a broad spectrum of private law including family law, estate and testamentary law, conveyancing and property law, the law of agency, and contract and company law.

Student notaries must complete a long apprenticeship as a trainee notary and usually spend some years as a junior associate in a notarial firm before working as a partner or opening a private practice. Practice of this profession is tightly regulated.