Posted by Leon_CO on 11/6/07 7:59am
Msg #219863

I am engaging in unauthorized practice of law.

I am not doing it willingly.

I discovered this morning that a listing that I am on translates the word 'notary public' into Spanish as 'Notario'. This is against Colorado notary law. (And probably notary law for every other state):

"A notary public who is not an attorney licensed to practice law in Colorado is prohibited from:
(V) Using the phrase "Notario" or "Notario Publico" to advertise the services of a notary public, whether by sign, pamphlet, stationery, or other written communication or by radio, television, or other nonwritten communication."

C.R.S. 12-55-110.3

That is exactly what superpages.com is doing when they translate their pages into Spanish for their Spanish-speaking clients. (And it's worth checking to see if any other sites do this.)

I will call the people there and tell them that they will have to translate 'notary public' into Spanish as 'notary' (not 'notario').

In the meantime I updated my profile to include:

"I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Colorado and I may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice."

If you are listed there, it would be a good idea to add a similar disclaimer.

Good luck.

Reply by PAW on 11/6/07 9:07am
Msg #219871

Thanks for the heads up info

Florida statutes, subsections 117.05(10) & (11), must be your guide if you are not an attorney and are advertising your notary services in a foreign language. Your advertisement must contain the following notice in English and in the language used for the advertisement: “I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, and I may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice.” You are also prohibited from translating the term “Notary Public” into a language other than English. These requirements apply to advertisements via radio, television, signs, pamphlets, newspaper, or other written communication, with the exception of a single desk plaque.
(Source: Florida Governor's Reference Manual for Notaries, ed. 2001, pg. 50)

Reply by Kit/CA on 11/6/07 4:31pm
Msg #219942

Re: Thanks for the heads up info

Checked Spanish SuperPages listing and immediately called SuperPages.com (idearc 888-444-8433). Per Idearc Rep, the Spanish version has just be put up and at the moment only covers the free listings. Per the Rep, until marketing can correct (possibly 2 or more days) the problem, only resolution at this time is to temporarily terminate the free listing.