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9 January 2026

Solicitor versus a notary

Solicitors and notaries have several differences in the services they offer, but they also have some crossover as well. We shall take you through the differences so you understand when you might need either one.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The difference between a solicitor versus a notary may not be immediately clear to many people. Whilst solicitors are much more widespread and well-known, notaries are not.

This can lead people to not know the differences between the two professions, so they may not know if they need a notary or solicitor. Many people may think that a solicitor can just do the same things as a notary. However, this is not the case, as notaries hold more qualifications.

We shall take you through the differences between a solicitor versus a notary, the services they offer, and the ways in which we can help you if you need a notary.

What is a solicitor?

First, we will briefly discuss what a solicitor is. You likely already know all about them, but we shall discuss them so that you have a greater understanding of the differences between a solicitor and a notary later on.

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Solicitors can deal with many areas of UK law depending on what they have studied and specialised in. For example, employment law and family law. They will offer you legal guidance on your issue, try to assist you as best they can to resolve it, and even partake in legal proceedings.

Additionally, solicitors can deal with the certification of documents if they are to be used in the UK, as well as draft some documents for you.

Finally, solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

What is a Notary Public?

A Notary Public is a legal professional who notarises documents for use abroad, which is essentially a different type of document verification.

Only a Notary Public can notarise documents, but they can also certify them for use in the UK as well. Furthermore, notaries can be solicitors, but not all solicitors are notaries. It takes years of extra studying to qualify as a Notary Public. If you are going abroad with important documents and wondering if you need a notary or solicitor, then you will need a notary.

Notaries in the UK are not the same in every constituent country, as England and Wales have the same rules, whilst Scotland has its own, as does Northern Ireland. As we are based in England, we are focussing on those who can operate in England and Wales.

Finally, notaries have their own regulatory body, which is the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. They are also represented by the Notaries Society. Both of their websites can be used to check if a notary is registered or not.

Similarities and differences between a solicitor versus a notary

The main differences between a solicitor and a notary comes in what services they offer, which we have already touched on a bit.

Similarities

First, we will quickly go through the main similarities between the professions, which are the following:

Both can certify documents
They both draft documents
Notaries and solicitors can act as witnesses to documents being signed

Differences between a notary and solicitor

Now, we will take you through the key differences between a solicitor versus a notary.

Solicitor	Notary Public
Can provide legal advice.	Do not provide legal advice.
Represent clients in legal proceedings.	Do not represent clients.
Only certifies documents for the UK.	Can notarise documents for use in the UK and abroad.
Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.	Regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Administers oaths only in the UK.	Administers oaths in the UK and abroad.
Solicitors are more common.	Notaries are rarer due to requiring extra qualifications.

Scrivener notaries

Even notaries can vary in what services they offer to a degree, since there are not just differences between a solicitor versus a notary, as scrivener notaries show. You may have heard of scriveners before, but many people are not aware of them or why they exist.

Scrivener notaries are even more different to a solicitor, and historically exist to provide specialised services.

Basically, scrivener notaries are those who know at least two foreign languages and hold additional qualifications that prove their expertise. They must first qualify as a normal notary, then they can proceed to become a scrivener.

Additionally, scrivener notaries have historically and still are based solely in the City of London, due to its history as a hub of trade which would require people to do business in other languages.

However, due to legal changes in the 1990s, any notary can deal with matters in any language they are proficient in, regardless of being qualified as a scrivener notary. They can also operate in London, which is where one of our notaries operates from.

A notary such as those at our firm are suitable for the needs of both businesses and individuals.

How we can help

Now you know the differences between a solicitor versus a notary, you will hopefully know whether you need the services of one or the other. If you need to go abroad, then we can help you with preparing all of your documents.

At our firm, we have two notaries who are fully qualified to operate in England and Wales. They can assist you with any one of your notarial needs, including the notarisation, legalisation, translation and drafting of documents. All you need to do is book an appointment with us.

If you are in or near London, then you will likely have your appointment at our Canary Wharf office with Notary Public of England and Wales, Papia Kabir.

However, those outside of London will have their matter dealt with by our founder and principal Notary Public of England and Wales, Nathan Woodcock. He takes appointments at our Manchester and Sheffield offices, but if you cannot reach these places, then you can also make use of our mobile notary service; this allows you to have an appointment at a location of your choice.

You can contact us by phone, email, or through our website chatbox to discuss your needs with a helpful member of our team. Then, you can book an appointment at a time and place suitable for you. Get in touch with us today for all of your notarial needs.

Finally, we have a video on the differences between a solicitor versus a notary if you would like an accessible overview of the topic.

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If you have any questions about our notary, apostille or consular services,
contact Woodcock Notary Public today.

Call us on 0800 049 2471 (free to call) or email info@woodcocknotarypublic.com.

If you have any questions about our notary, apostille or consular services, contact Woodcock Notary Public today.