Corporate & Commercial

INTRODUCTION:
I provide a comprehensive corporate notarial service to private limited companies, FTSE 350 in-house legal teams, private equity firms, financial institutions, international companies with London operations, regulated sector corporate clients, professional services firms and companies involved in international arbitration, all across London. As a practising notary with over 18 years of experience and a background as a General Counsel, I understand the commercial context behind the documents I authenticate and approach every corporate transaction the way an in-house lawyer would — checking execution formalities before the appointment, knowing the destination jurisdiction’s requirements before I see the documents, and managing the entire process to completion.
All corporate appointments are conducted at your office. I serve clients across the City of London, Canary Wharf, Central and South London, Victoria and the West End.

SERVICES:

Examples of Notarial Services:

→ Private Equity & M&A – Power of Attorneys, closing documentation, cross border corporate authority
→ Financial Services – KYC certification packages for overseas regulators, notarised corporate authority for account opening
→ International Companies – constitutional document certification, director appointment/resignation for overseas entities
→ International Arbitration – corporate authority to participate in proceedings, affidavits, award enforcement documentation
→ Global Mobility/HR – work permit packs, professional qualifications, credential authentication for overseas regulators

Corporate Document Notarisation
Authentication and certification of corporate documents for use in any international jurisdiction. Documents commonly notarised include:
→ Board resolutions and written resolutions
→ Certificates of incorporation and good standing
→ Articles of association and constitutional documents
→ Director and officer identity and authority documents
→ Shareholder registers and certificates
→ Commercial contracts and agreements for foreign execution
→ Corporate authority letters and mandate documents

Company Verification & Due Diligence
Notarised certification of company status, director identity and corporate authority for international due diligence, regulatory submissions and commercial transactions. Accepted by overseas courts, banks, regulators and counterparties worldwide. Before completing any notarisation for corporate clients, we undertake our own checks with Companies House. If the company or its subsidiary is registered in a foreign jurisdiction, then we will check with the local company registries, but we may also ask the client representative to provide a certificate. of incorporation, certificate of good standing, or extract from the company register or company accounts verifying the existence of the foreign entity.

KYC & AML Documentation
Notarised certified copies of identity and corporate documents for Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Customer compliance. Required by many overseas banks and regulated institutions where a solicitor’s certification is insufficient.

Power of Attorney (Corporate)
Drafting, notarisation and legalisation of commercial Powers of Attorney for use in any jurisdiction. I advise on the form required by the destination country before drafting begins, avoiding costly errors at a late stage.

Apostille & Embassy Legalisation – a Managed Service
Hand over the document and the notary manages the rest. Following notarisation, the notary arranges the FCDO apostille (and Embassy or Consular legalisation if required) for documents destined for any country worldwide, and then arranges the courier and return of the documents to you – all as a single fixed-fee instruction. See the dedicated Apostille & Legalisation page for full details or our article on the apostille process for corporate documents.

Executing documents on behalf of a company or partnership:

If a document is to be signed by an individual on behalf of a company, a partnership, a charity, club or other incorporated body, there are further requirements on which I may have to insist are also made available to confirm the signatory’s authority. Please be prepared for these and telephone with any point of difficulty before attending on the appointment.

These documents include the following:

1. Evidence of identity of the authorised signatory.
2. A copy extract from an authorised signatory register.
3. A Letter of Authority, Minute, Resolution or Power of Attorney, authorising you to sign the document.
4. The company’s constitutional documents (i.e. Articles of Association) or shareholder agreement, authorising the signatory.
5. A board or shareholder resolution authorising the signatory.

Additionally, for partnerships, clubs, etc: A Partnership Agreement; or relevant Trust Deed; or Charter; or Constitution/Rules may need to be produced.

FEES:
Fees are charged per document at a standard rate. Indicative standard corporate instructions are £275 per document (e.g. for Power of Attorneys, constitutional documents, affidavits, shareholder/board resolutions, declarations, registry applications, director ID verifications, etc.). The fee will vary if the notary has to draft specific documentation or multi-document packs are required (contact us to discuss these non-standard requirements and associated fees). Same-day and out-of-hours appointments are available at an additional charge. Apostille and Embassy Legalisation and any disbursements are additional charges. Our fees can be found here.

Preferred Supplier Arrangements:
Our Notary is happy to discuss preferred notarial supplier terms including, no minimum volume commitment, pre-agreed fee schedule, direct mobile access and office attendance to meet with and verify director identifications. Please contact us to discuss this option.

Related Resources:
Our News and Information page contains further resources, guides and information for corporate clients.