Ai February 2015

Page 93

Notaries - Making Business Expansion Possible

Recent growth in investment in the UK means the need for skilled notaries’ services are greater than ever, says Diana Syziu, Associate and Notary Public at Hill Dickinson LLP. Diana Syziu Associate and Notary Public Phone +44 (0)20 7280 9298 Email diana.syziu@hilldickinson.com Web: www.hilldickinson.com

In the last two years, the UK’s business environment has seen significant growth in areas of investment such as private foreign investors, investment funds and joint ventures “marriages”. Following the recession, there has been a rise in opportunities for these investors to advance overseas where they have identified areas of significant growth and diversity in areas of investment. Although this increased activity has been beneficial to the corporate industry as a whole, in these transactions lie a number of issues that need to be skilfully addressed. Challenges facing overseas transactions Fraud (in many forms, as fraudulent activities, money laundering or identity theft) is a major issue in business expansion, especially in international transactions where it becomes more intricate to identify all the parties involved. This is a challenge faced by all city firms, particularly those providing professional services to international companies. If the right measures aren’t in place to identify fraud, it can lead to disastrous consequences on both a corporate and personal level for the parties involved. Helping businesses overseas Notaries are trusted advisors to any third party reliance involved in international transactions. They bridge the gap between the foreign jurisdictions and the parties to a successful deal closing. A notary’s role is to ensure that the parties feel comfortable with the deal documentation, the correct measures and requisite checks have been thoroughly made and all documents for notarisation and the formalities required to enforce these in a foreign jurisdiction. All notarised documents are accepted as evidence in any court of law. It is for that reason that a notary’s business is an overseas/international practice in its nature.

How we can help Hill Dickinson is well equipped to work with businesses looking to expand overseas. We provide full notarial support through our established expertise in international transactions and multi-national client base. We extend our support by working closely with international counterparts and providing legal advice through our four international offices. As a firm we have adapted our services to fit the individual needs of our clients. Within remit, we always make ourselves available to clients that operate within different time zones. The future I believe the next twelve months hold a variety of new opportunities for international businesses. As the corporate economy continues to grow, more UK companies will begin to branch out overseas and vice versa. It is important that any business looking to take part in international matters acquires the services of a notary to oversee and assist throughout the transaction and to ensure that any legal issues are perpetually avoided. Diana Syziu is an Associate and Notary Public at Hill Dickinson LLP. She advises clients on a variety of shipping, corporate and commercial matters. Diana’s specialisms include notarial services, commercial agreements, company formation, company reorganisation as well as contracts and joint ventures.

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