Solicitor Alex Cartledge adds her Notary role to award winning Roche Legal team

Alex Cartledge, who is studying to hold the role of a Notary in the United Kingdom, has joined the award winning Roche Legal team, based in York.

Alex, who has been a solicitor for 10 years, is currently in the middle of a two year Diploma in Notarial Practice run by the University College London (UCL) and there are just 775 notaries in the country.

Notaries represent the oldest and smallest branch of the legal profession in England and Wales and until 1533 they were appointed on papal authority by the Archbishop of Canterbury. One of the key roles for a notary is to attest or authenticate powers of attorney for use abroad and many foreign legal systems require these to be executed before a notary.

When Alex, who previously worked in Bridlington and Hull, completes her course she will have to apply to the Archbishop’s office to be allowed to practise her new skills at Roche Legal which has become a leader in cross border work.

Owner Rachel Roche has been the driving force behind Roche Legal’s UK/USA probate service which has attracted funding from the Department of Trade and Industry with the same service being offered to clients living in France, Spain and worldwide.

Alex, a senior solicitor at Roche Legal, has extensive experience in Wills, Probate, Missing Persons and Lasting Powers of Attorney and becoming a Notary broadens an already extensive skill set. She said: “I am studying part time course at UCL to become a notary and this fits in very well with Roche Legal’s international work. After my course I have to apply to the faculty office of the Archbishop of Canterbury to be admitted onto the rolls of notaries and there are only around 775 in the UK.

“At Roche Legal, the cross border work and missing persons issues deliver a wider scope of work than I have previously experienced and I am incredibly excited to be part of the team.    

“Roche Legal is at the forefront of cutting edge technology and we have the expertise to help clients avoid some of the shortcoming that can be faced when they opt to use a Will and Lasting Power of Attorney unregulated writing service. It really is a false economy because and there are number of problems that can arise that will not be addressed and that is why the legal expertise of a solicitor is so important.“

Rachel Roche, owner of Roche Legal, said” We are absolutely delighted Alex has joined our expert team and she has shown throughout her career a drive to deliver outstanding client care and this perfectly aligns with the DNA of Roche Legal.”