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| Thread ID: 85809 | 2007-12-22 21:59:00 | Cost of certifying documents? | Mercury (1316) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 623667 | 2007-12-22 21:59:00 | My lawyer certifies documents for free if I take him a photocopy and the original. Is this normal or do others charge for it? And if so, how much? Reason for asking is I have an issue with a charge Dad's lawyer made. |
Mercury (1316) | ||
| 623668 | 2007-12-22 22:24:00 | Depends what you want to certify. If its not a birth / death certificate it maybe free. I got something certified, cant remember what now. Just took it in, a registrar certified it. |
Speedy Gonzales (78) | ||
| 623669 | 2007-12-23 00:15:00 | Pretty sure it's free to get done by a court registrar or a registered Notaries Public. Look up notaries public in the Yellow Pages and give one a call to ask. | Greg (193) | ||
| 623670 | 2007-12-23 00:31:00 | Or a J.P. I guess a lawyer can charge pretty much what s/he likes for whatever they do or don't do. Most are quite reasonable, but there are a few spectacularly avaricious demons in the bunch. |
R2x1 (4628) | ||
| 623671 | 2007-12-23 01:45:00 | I never charge for certifying documents but this can bite me. I've had people turn up expecting me to copy all of their documents - 6 times in one case - fill in all the details and certify. Since I usually attend to everyone immediately this can be a frustrating interruption to other work. However anything for a quiet life. Some people appreciate it. A District Court Registrar or a JP can also certify although some JPs aren't familiar with what to do. If you need a Notary Public then it will typically cost you $100. There is no rule against a lawyer charging - it will depend on the time, importance, and the client. |
Winston001 (3612) | ||
| 623672 | 2007-12-23 02:03:00 | [quote=Speedy Gonzales;627225]Depends what you want to certify.[quote] One copy of death certificate and one copy of probate when it came through for life insurance. Then put them in the supplied envelope with the rest of the completed claim and send it to the insurance company. |
Mercury (1316) | ||
| 623673 | 2007-12-23 03:16:00 | Fees are here (www.dia.govt.nz) $26 to get a death cert, and $26 for a birth cert. BUT the above is a certified document and is stamped |
Speedy Gonzales (78) | ||
| 623674 | 2007-12-23 03:31:00 | Ta. It would have been a LOT cheaper to have applied for a fresh copy than ask Dad's lawyer for a certified copy! | Mercury (1316) | ||
| 623675 | 2007-12-23 06:26:00 | Certifying copies of the Grant of Probate and Death Certificate is normal work in estate administration. I cannot ever recall charging specifically for this but on the other hand time spent on the file includes certications so it is covered in the total bill. I can understand a fee if this all needs to be done in the context of finding the file, seeing the people involved, finding the docs, copying them, and certifying. It sounds like a simple job but believe it can take more time than you think. |
Winston001 (3612) | ||
| 623676 | 2007-12-23 07:53:00 | Winston, I KNOW how much time is involved in sorting out a life insurance claim - because I did it. There were only two things missing - a copy of the death certificate (my brother had sent the original to the lawyer without copying it) and a copy of probate (at that stage still at Court). I dropped it into his office with the request that when the documents became available he photocopy them, certify them, put them in the provided stamped addressed envelope with the rest of the documents and post it. I saw a copy of his bill on Friday. As well as the normal costs of probate and mum's apartment he also charged $180 for "Our fee in connection with surrender of insurance policies". This translates to $30 per page. Plus GST. He also made one other unauthorized change to the contents of the envelope. He removed Mum's deposit slip and replaced it with one to his trust account. He paid out the proceeds of the policies less his fee and also hung onto to $5,000 "in case it is needed for tax". As it will take at least 3 months to finalize the tax (time of year etc) Mum is being deprived of interest on this money. Sparks will fly tomorrow. |
Mercury (1316) | ||
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