The Serious Crime Act 2015 (SCA 2015) comes into force on 3 May 2015 and creates a new offence of participating in the activities of an organised crime group. This creates implications for Legal Professionals including a Notary Public. To assist our London Notary Public clients and UK Notary Publics we set out below a brief guide to this new legislation.

Do the provisions raise any practical implications for Notary Publics in London and Notary Public the UK?

London Notaries and Commercial Notary Publics need to know what risks their clients are running based on the various activities they are conducting, as well as the potential remedies available to clients subjected to such attacks. Our Notaries Public Offices used to believe that when these things left the UK’s jurisdiction, it was difficult to see how prosecutions could be brought. The new provisions completely change this, so Notary Publics need to be aware of their client’s activities in the UK as well as in other countries, potentially.  The analogy to draw here is the Bribery Act 2010 (BA 2010), which completely changed the way Notary Publics see how companies do business, and the liabilities that companies, law firms and Notaries practices have for their business activities across the globe. Just as with BA 2010, companies, including Notaries Public may be liable for criminal sanctions before the UK courts for activities they conducted in other countries.

Should a Notary Public be taking any action now?

These legislative changes are effectively part of the ongoing scrutiny of a London Notary Public and other legal professionals and the extent to which they might be complicit in organised crime and criminal activity. In this respect, a Notary Public ought to think about any adjustments that might need to be made to their procedures to satisfy themselves they are legally compliant with the law in this area.

For further information about this legislation or to book a Notary Public appointment in London please contact us on matthew@mdpryke-notary.com.