In England and Wales notaries are largely concerned with the drafting of documents and the verification of documents and information that will be used in other countries in the world for clients who have business or property overseas or who are involved in litigation in foreign courts.
Notaries form an independent branch of the legal profession. Their practice as notaries is quite separate from their practice of any other profession or business and is not controlled by the rules affecting solicitors.
The Professional Body of Notaries is the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury since notaries are officers of the Court of Faculties which is one of the few remaining Ecclesiastical Courts.
The Society of Notaries, which Notaries may or may not belong to (although I do belong to the organisation), is the professional body for notaries.
Whilst notaries have the powers of a Commissioner for Oaths (those lawyers that swear documents in this country), the work that notaries do is almost entirely concerned with foreign matters and notarial procedures are entirely different from those of Commissioners for Oaths and solicitors.
Notice informing the public of the work that I carry out (which you will find on the outside of my premises at Wantage) is as follows: “Preparation of and dealings with Public and Private (including commercial and company) documents for use internationally including authentications, legalisations, certificates and translations”.