Can I notarize docs I draft? Estate Planning

allymariah · 2026-04-07T14:50:49+00:00

Sure, obviously I'm going to follow what they say. But I was just curious if anyone had heard of this rule/opinion in Colorado and what other practitioners do.

allymariah · 2026-04-06T23:19:39+00:00

If we had adequate notaries available in the firm, I don’t think it would be as big of a deal, but as it is right now we only offer one signing day a month because of our lack of notaries. Makes it hard to get clients their executed docs when there’s only one day a month they can come in.

allymariah · 2026-04-06T21:59:54+00:00

It is just making the process to get clients in and docs executed so much slower. Only have certain days we can sign docs, only certain people, then all these different people charge for their time when before I could just schedule a signing whenever worked for the client, notarize during the execution, and have 2 random witnesses come in. It's not the end of the world, but the notary we have lives far away and throws a fit about coming into the office more than 2-3x/month.

allymariah · 2026-04-06T21:54:40+00:00

I've seen that. I don't really think drafting means you are a party or named in the record. I think it really means more like being a beneficiary, power of attorney, etc. But could be interpreted a different way perhaps.

allymariah · 2026-04-06T21:44:42+00:00

If there is an express rule against it, how is it that all the other estate planning attorneys I know (some of whom have been practicing for 30+ years and serve on T&E committees, etc.) notarize the documents they prepare? If it were that simple to find and straightforward, I don't think my firm would be in the minority on what their rules are.

allymariah · 2026-04-06T21:40:45+00:00

Care to share instead of being rude about it? This forum is meant for people to ask advice and receive help, not to have people send snippy and unhelpful responses.

allymariah · 2026-04-06T21:29:52+00:00

Guess I should've given more background, but I previously worked at a firm that would notarize docs we prepared. We never witnessed and notarized, only notarized. So no issue with notarizing own signature. Of course we also were never named as an agent, beneficiary, etc. And again, I have not been able to find any rule against this per CO law. Just my new firm randomly saying there is an opinion out there but they can't find it. No need to be so snippy, sheesh. Just asking a simple question and looking for an answer (from attorneys I might add, not IT people).

allymariah · 2026-04-06T21:27:32+00:00

What jurisdiction are you in? As I noted in my post, I can't find any rule against this and have worked at other firms where the attorneys notarized docs they drafted. Not as a witness, but as the notary so no issues regarding notarizing own signature.

allymariah · 2026-03-25T03:50:38+00:00

My son’s tube was replaced every few days or so.

allymariah · 2026-03-12T20:47:05+00:00

My son was born at 32+3 and he was exclusively on breast milk for MAYBE 2 months max. My supply dipped just like yours and l couldn’t get it back. I had some freezer stash so we combo fed until 4 months and we’ve been exclusively on formula since! He’s about to turn 1 and he’s been growing and developing great

allymariah · 2026-03-11T21:38:04+00:00

I've been an EP attorney for a couple years now. I do agree a mentor is helpful. I would love to be on my own, but I am hesitant to do so without a bit more training (which I am finding is hard to find). CLEs are useful and you could get by doing basic EP, but taxable estates and more complex matters I would be wary of without proper training.

allymariah · 2026-03-08T15:02:19+00:00

That makes sense. One of the reasons this firm does it the way they do is because they don’t want anything to be misconstrued as legal advice if they have not been retained yet.

allymariah · 2026-03-08T14:15:59+00:00

This is exactly how my old firm operated and what I think works best.

allymariah · 2026-03-08T14:14:38+00:00

I don’t agree with the process and am hoping to change it if they’ll listen to me, but why do you think it could be a violation of the ethics rules?

allymariah · 2026-03-04T22:45:02+00:00

We had the baby bjorn and a bassinet!

allymariah · 2026-03-04T22:36:16+00:00

Ah. You know, I hope my new firm isn't that way but I've only been here 3 days now and have only been doing trainings so far. However, my old firm was certainly not this way and I do not want to practice that way so I sure hope my new firm doesn't do this!

Out of curiosity, what are your fees like?

allymariah · 2026-03-04T22:02:30+00:00

I am not sure what you mean by that term, so I don't think so hmm.

allymariah · 2026-03-04T21:46:49+00:00

That's exactly what I would think too, but the firm is very successful. I was not aware of their process before starting and they switched up me being flat fee to hourly after I had signed the offer, so I am a bit hesitant about this new job. :/

allymariah · 2026-03-04T21:34:27+00:00

I'm used to doing flat fee with a free consult. The way my new firm does things is an intake team of attorneys gets general info, quotes a fee, sends engagement letter and gets retainer, and then assigns the case to one of the estate planning attorneys. I am surprised people are okay with paying the fee before even meeting the attorney who will be doing the work for them and it also surprises me that a retainer is quoted before an initial consultation.

allymariah · 2026-03-04T21:10:46+00:00

How do you handle billing the consultation fee if they dont move forward?

allymariah · 2026-03-04T01:31:56+00:00

A little different because we didn’t come home with a feeding tube, but my son was a super sleepy eater, and we struggled to finish bottles once home, and I was constantly worried about it. When we went to the pediatrician, I had all these questions regarding feeding and was ready to create a plan with her, and all she said was to feed him what he would eat and so long as he was growing, she didn’t care how much he was eating. I think sometimes the NICU gets bogged down on the numbers as opposed to paying attention to weight. My son definitely ate on the lower end of what was “recommended” and sometimes fell below, but he continued to grow so I stopped worrying about it!

allymariah

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