Jurat vs Deposition The Role of Notary

By administering the oath to a client, you are establishing the fact that the client was sworn in while affirming the truthfulness of the document.If you have any questions on the truthfulness of the proposed signer, you are obligated not to proceed. Intentionally doing a jurat when you believe the document is false could make you a target for the pit bulls with law licenses (federal prosecutors). Administering the oath during a deposition does not create that liability. The witness can proceed to say the earth is flat, the moon is made of cheese and martians are living in his woodpile at his house. The notary is not Judge Judy, Raymond Burr, Dick Tracy, or John Wayne. The sole responsibility is the respective counsel to deal with witness conduct