First Colonial Notaries in America, 1639-1792 Colonial notaries lived in Atlantic seaport towns and were primarily involved with commercial and maritime matters. Although notarial practices varied among the thirteen colonies, they were based on international law (Law of Nations) and the customs of the Law Merchant. Early colonial notaries in British America were Englishmen, familiar with English common law and customs. To assure the documents they prepared would be accepted in England, other colonies, and other countries, they followed a system developed in England for authenticating documents ..read more

Ukrainian Language Notary Guide A Ukrainian language notary guide is a tool to help notarize a document written in the Ukrainian language, or for a signer who speaks Ukrainian.  If the notary does not speak Ukrainian, this helps to bridge the language barrier.  It is similar to a Ukrainian phrase book used by a tourist when traveling in a Ukrainian-speaking country or community. In Colorado, the notary may not use a human as a translator or interpreter.  This is because the notary would not know if the translator is being honest.  The notary must communi ..read more

Siete Partidas, Spanish Notary Laws, 1265 The legal code known as the Siete Partidas (Seven Divisions of Law) was compiled in 1265 by jurists under the direction of Don Alfonso X the Wise (el Sabio), (1221-1284), King of Castile and León. The Siete Partidas is a text of civil law based on the Roman law of Justinian, canon law, maritime law, Visigothic law, and feudal laws, with some influences from the Islamic law of Islamic Spain. Alfonso was called “El Sabio” (“the Wise”) for his love of learning.  He employed Christian, Muslim, and Jewish scholars as his royal scriptorium to translate ..read more

Russian Notary History Russian notary history includes the periods before and during the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the current Russian Federation.   Russian Orthodox Church, 1000 As in Europe, the church contributed to Russian notary history. By the 7th century, churches were engaged in making and storing books and records containing information outside the realm of church affairs. The Russian Orthodox Church was well established by the end of the first millennium. Some scholars consider the 10th and 11th centuries, during the time of Christianization, as the period when notar ..read more

Can Blockchain Replace Notaries? Blockchain technology using smart contracts is creating new alternative processes for many applications, but can blockchain replace notaries? First, we must understand the notary function and the blockchain function and then determine if part or all of the notary public function can be replaced by using blockchain technology. Common Law Notary Functions In most states and territories of the United States, except Louisiana and Puerto Rico, notary laws are originally derived from English common law. Notaries in these jurisdictions are commissioned government offi ..read more

Good Faith and Fair Dealing in Contracts The Restatement (Second) of Contracts, section 205, adopted by the American Law Institute in 1979 and published in 1981, states that “every contract imposes upon each party a duty of good faith and fair dealing in its performance and its enforcement.” The first Restatement of Contracts, dated 1932, included some provisions for purchasers and assignees, but it did not include a universal obligation of good faith in contract performance or enforcement. It was added in 1979 based on the common law of many court cases and in the interest of fairness, gap fi ..read more

Maya Civilization Writing, Scribes Maya civilization developed in Central America in today’s countries of Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.  It flourished for 1500 years. Maya scribes used a writing system based on hieroglyphics to express words with pictures and symbols. They developed the only known writing system in Mesoamerica, long before Spanish explorers arrived, following Columbus. History of the Maya Civilization The first Maya settlements formed around 2000 BC in small farming villages in the highlands and Pacific coast of Guatemala. Pottery developed around ..read more

Minoan Civilization Writing, Seals The Minoan Civilization, the center of Europe’s first advanced civilization, the Minoans, from 2700 to 1420 BC, was located on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. Crete has been a part of Greece since 1913. It is about 100 miles southeast of the Greek mainland, at the southern edge of the Aegean Sea. Crete is 160 miles long, with 8,000-foot snow-capped mountains, covering an area of 3,219 square miles. It is the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Archaeological Discovery of Minoan Civilization ..read more

Timbuktu, Mali Manuscripts, Libraries 1300 AD Timbuktu (French: Tombouctou), Mali, was founded as a seasonal camp by Tuareg desert nomads in the 9th century during the dominance of the Ghana Empire. Timbuktu means the well of Buktu, an old Tuareg woman. It held a strategic location along trans-Saharan caravan routes and as a river port on a northern bend in the Niger River. It grew and became a mixture of Arab and African merchants, scholars, workers, religions, and cultures. The market town saw goods from Morocco and North Africa and salt from Taghaza and Taoudenni in the north traded for gol ..read more

Green Business Policy, Mobile Notary ABC Legal Docs, LLC is committed to reducing its business impact on the environment.  As a micro-business, with a self-employed owner and no other current employees, we have a minimal environmental impact, but choose to operate as a responsible eco-friendly green business. Disclaimer: Our Green Business Policy follows recommended environmental practices but has not been approved or certified by any government agency or environmental organization. Green Business Mission Statement We will work to manage and reduce our environmental impact on the lan ..read more