How the MA-ALS Degree Underpins a Successful BC Notary Practice

How the MA-ALS Degree Underpins a Successful BC Notary Practice Jackie Tait

After spending 20 years in the Notary profession as legal support staff for one of the biggest Notary firms in BC, I joined education Cohort 3 of the MA-ALS at SFU in September 2011.

It had been 2 decades since I completed my Bachelor of Arts at UBC. It was exciting and terrifying to be re-entering the postsecondary setting—somewhat like studying to awaken a longforgotten language.

Fast-forward 10 years: I am 8 years into running my very busy Notary practice that grows with each passing year. Many of my clients ask me how to become a BC Notary. They are surprised to learn that the BC Notary Education Program is 2 years of rigorous training consisting of a Master of Arts degree in Applied Legal Studies at SFU that runs concurrently with the BC Notary Practical Training Course delivered and administered by the BC Notary Society.

Additionally, students must complete 105 hours of mandatory mentoring with an approved BC Notary and pass six very challenging statutory examinations.

To anyone who says BC Notaries are not as educated as lawyers, I remind them I have completed 6 years of postsecondary education, including courses similar to those given in law school, some delivered by lawyers such as Tony Wilson, Todd McKendrick, George Cadman, QC, and Peter Ramsay, QC—experts in their fields with decades of knowledge and experience to share.

BC Notaries are highly educated in their nonlitigious fields of practice and skillfully assist the public with a large majority of the province’s real estate conveyancing and estate planning needs.

Topics covered include Canadian Law and the Canadian Legal System, Legal Research and Writing, Legal Philosophy, Contracts, Real Property, Personal Planning, and Selected Topics in Applied Legal Studies and Legal Practice.

During my application process, I read the course curriculum descriptions with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. Always a keen student, I find the opportunity to learn new things appealing but some of the content was intimidating. Legal Research? Legal Philosophy?

…I have completed 6 years of postsecondary education…

Margot R. Rutherford*

Notary Public

A Member of The Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia

*Denotes Professional Notarial Corporation

981 Fitzgerald Avenue, Courtenay, BC V9N 2R6 Tel: 250 338-6251 Fax: 250 338-5337 email: rutherfordmargot@shaw.ca

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After 20 years as a conveyancer, I wondered what practical application the courses might have for me as a BC Notary; I worried I would struggle to grasp those topics. Together with my colleagues, many of whom have become close friends, I dove headlong into the Program.

I found that all the courses were integral pieces of the MA-ALS Program. • I consistently use the legal research and writing skills to research and apply case law and legislation to issues that arise in my practice. • I frequently use the legal reasoning skills as I apply morals and ethics to practice decisions. • The solid foundation of legal principles learned in contracts, real property, and personal planning is used daily as

I navigate the increasingly complex practice of a BC Notary.

The MA-ALS Program gave me the tools I needed, both legal and practical, to succeed in my profession. Often when I am wrestling with a difficult issue in a client’s file, I hear a “click” in my head when a piece of knowledge learned in the Program falls into place.

The MA-ALS Program is “not for the faint of heart.” It demands much time, energy, and self-discipline. The help of my team of “study buddies” became my lifeline. In the early days of practice, we often had multiple email chains going— sharing knowledge and supporting one another as we navigated practice as new Notaries.

To this day, 8 years into practice, we still rely on the “phonea-friend” tactic to help solve a knotty problem or share legal precedents. s Jackie Tait is a BC Notary who practises in Chilliwack, BC.