ABU DHABI - Thirteen new private notaries were sworn in before Counsellor Yousef Saeed Alabri, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD).

They assumed their duties under Law No. 11 of 2017 on Notaries in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and Decision No. 38 of 2017 of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court and Chairman of ADJD, approving the regulations governing the private notary and the regime of government agency employees authorised to practice as notary public.

Alabri explained that the licensing of the fifth batch of private notaries to work in law firms authorised to perform the functions of notary public, is driven by the objective of supporting the ease of doing business in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to consolidate its competitive position globally. This will also boost the efforts to support the Emiratisation in the private sector and provide new employment opportunities for young Emiratis.

He explained that allowing the practice of the private notary profession through law firms provides various options for customers to complete legal transactions. This enhances the competitiveness within the business environment among service providers, especially with technological infrastructure. It will ensure easy access to the services of the Judicial Department, which in turn reflects on the quality of performance and keeps pace with the rapid developments in the economic sectors in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Alabri noted.

The Judicial Department attaches great importance to the training and qualification of UAE nationals by providing them with the necessary career guidance programmes, direct technical support as well as training and development through specialised qualification programmes at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Academy (ADJA), the official said.

This brings the total number of professionals licensed to practice as private notaries upon completion of the training programme to 80, he said. These notaries are working across several branches of law firms in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the Counsellor added.

The Undersecretary of the ADJD pointed out that the training programmes for notary candidates focuses on providing them with the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to perform their duties with a high degree of accuracy. This is in accordance with the prescribed rules and standards, as well as the relevant jurisprudential and legal aspects. They acquire document editing skills, allowing them to correctly apply the law to notarise documents.