GA Notary Ethical Considerations and Responsibilities 3

Question 1

A signer asks the Georgia notary to explain whether the contract they are signing is legally enforceable. What must the notary do?

Accepted Answer

Refuse to give legal advice, as doing so constitutes unauthorized practice of law

Answer

Georgia notaries who are not licensed attorneys are prohibited from providing legal advice, including opinions on document enforceability.

Question 2

Which scenario represents an acceptable reason for a Georgia notary to refuse a notarial act?

Accepted Answer

The notary reasonably believes the document will be used for fraud

Answer

A notary has both the right and duty to refuse any act they reasonably believe will facilitate fraud or illegal activity.

Question 3

A notary's employer instructs the notary to notarize documents without verifying signers' identities to speed up processing. What should the notary do?

Accepted Answer

Refuse, because identity verification is a non-delegable legal duty of the notary

Answer

The duty to verify signer identity rests solely with the notary and cannot be waived or delegated at an employer's direction.

Question 4

What is the ethical obligation of a Georgia notary when a signer presents an expired government-issued ID?

Accepted Answer

Reject it and require a current, valid form of identification

Answer

Acceptable identification must be current and unexpired; an expired ID does not meet Georgia's notarial identification standards.

Question 5

A notary is asked to notarize a blank or incomplete document. What is the correct ethical response?

Accepted Answer

Refuse until the document is complete

Answer

Notarizing incomplete documents creates risk of fraud since blank spaces could be filled in after the notarial act.

(GA Notary) Georgia Notary Exam Practice Test

(GA Notary) Georgia Notary Exam Practice Test

GA Notary Ethical Considerations and Responsibilities 3