I’m having great fun learning about legal documents.
In the 90’s I served as a public notary in Saskatchewan. The task was not onerous, nor was the influx of people wanting documents verified. My expired stamp/seal sits in my closet.
With my father’s death there has been more than one occasion where a copy of a document has been needed. And not just a photocopy, fax of email attachment. The document must be notarized. There must be an actual piece of paper with a statement that this is a facsimile of the original – verified by an honest person authorized to do so.
Two of us are doing the paperwork. We live four hours apart. Only one of us will have the original documents. Every time verification is needed, we have to ship “real” paper back and forth. That takes time – and money, as compared to an email or fax.
Is there a way to make that verification quicker and easier? As a registrar years ago, that debate was just getting into full swing. Now, 15-20 years later the “real” paper is still the preferred thing. And may be into the future. As one of my library science colleagues said, “paper will never be replaced”. Maybe they are right. Or we could revert back to rock and chisel. Might take a little longer to transport, but it would be rather difficult to alter!!