[lindreth]

Hello,
I am gathering paperwork to send to the NZ Law Society to have my law qualification assessed. The process requires submitted documents to be "originals or certified duplicates." I e-mailed NZLS to ask what they consider a "certified duplicate" (i.e., certified by whom?) and received this response:

You can provide certified copies by asking a lawyer to examine your original document and placing a certification on a photocopy of the original. The certification can have words to the effect that the lawyer certifies the photocopy to be a true copy of the original. The certifying lawyer must place his stamp on the document and sign and date the certification. If no stamp is available the lawyer must clearly write his/her full name and title, sign and date it. The certification must be on the document page itself.

Here's my question: (and this may seem kind of dumb...) do they really mean "lawyer" or do they mean "notary"? It seems strange that I can simply go ask any of my lawyer friends to write their name on my documents and that makes them "certified." Are lawyers in NZ also notaries?

I'm probably being paranoid :uhoh and should simply do as this person has instructed, but I thought it can't hurt to check to see if anyone has any insight...

thank you -

[dbonnett]

We just used a notary for certified copies - in fact, we had different documents notarized by different people, often at our bank.

[macuser]

For my degree certificate, ( Bachelor of Dentistry), I took them to a local solicitor who signed, dated and stamped the photocopy I provided after comparing it to the original and that was fine for the Dental Council.

Helen