Notary Public
A civil-law notary — with a law license behind the seal.La. R.S. 35:1 et seq. · Louisiana Notary No. 57346
Louisiana notary services from an attorney-notary commissioned for life — authentic acts, testaments, mandates, acts of sale and donation, succession affidavits, and everyday notarizations, by appointment at the firm’s Covington office.
In Louisiana, a notary is not just a stamp.
In most states, a notary’s job begins and ends with witnessing a signature. Louisiana is different. As a civil-law jurisdiction, Louisiana gives its notaries real authority over the instruments themselves — the power to prepare and execute acts of sale, donations, mandates, matrimonial agreements, inventories, and “generally, all contracts and instruments of writing.”La. R.S. 35:2 Many of the documents that matter most in Louisiana life — a donation of immovable property, a notarial testament, a matrimonial agreement — are not valid, or not fully effective, unless they are executed in the proper notarial form.
That authority is exactly why who holds the commission matters. A notary who is not a lawyer can execute an act, but cannot advise you on what the act should say, whether it accomplishes what you intend, or what it does to your rights. An attorney-notary can do both — counsel you on the instrument, draft it correctly, and execute it in authentic form, all in one appointment.
Stephen “Curt” Aertker, Jr. is a Louisiana notary public, commissioned for life (Notary No. 57346), and a Louisiana- and Mississippi-licensed attorney with over two decades of practice. And because Louisiana law provides that a commissioned notary who is licensed to practice law here “may exercise the functions of a notary public in every parish in this state,” the firm’s notarial work is not confined to a single parish.La. R.S. 35:191(P)(1)(a)
Notarizations are handled by appointment at the Covington office — whether the firm drafted the document or you bring your own.
From a single signature to the authentic act.
Aertker Legal provides Louisiana notarial services for clients and the public alike — from quick acknowledgments and affidavits to fully drafted authentic acts — at 229 N. Vermont Street in downtown Covington.
Authentic Acts
The gold standard of Louisiana instruments.La. Civ. Code arts. 1833, 1835
An authentic act is a writing executed before a notary public in the presence of two witnesses, signed by each party, each witness, and the notary. It is the most formal — and most powerful — instrument Louisiana law recognizes: as between the parties, an authentic act constitutes full proof of the agreement it contains. Certain acts require this form outright; for many others, it is simply the strongest way to paper a transaction that matters.
- Execution before the notary with the two witnesses the form requires
- Drafting of the act itself when the firm prepares the instrument — not just execution of someone else’s form
- Review of documents you bring, so a defective form is caught before it is signed, not after it is challenged
Testaments, Mandates & Advance Directives
The documents where notarial form is not optional.La. Civ. Code arts. 1577, 2989
Louisiana’s notarial testament must be executed before a notary and two witnesses, with formalities the law applies exactingly — and which Louisiana’s 2025 reforms refined. A power of attorney (in civilian terms, a mandate or procuration) executed in authentic form is what banks, title companies, and clerks of court expect to see. The firm drafts and executes:
- Notarial testaments, prepared as part of the firm’s estate planning practice
- General and special powers of attorney — financial mandates and healthcare authority
- Advance directives and living-will declarations
- The College Legal Package — the POA, healthcare, FERPA, and HIPAA set for college-bound young adults, executed properly
Acts of Sale, Donations & Matrimonial Agreements
Some transfers are void without the right form.La. Civ. Code arts. 1541, 2331
Form is substance in Louisiana property law. A donation inter vivos of immovable property must be made by authentic act — under penalty of absolute nullity. A matrimonial agreement must be made by authentic act or by an act under private signature duly acknowledged. Get the form wrong and the transaction you thought you completed never happened. The firm handles:
- Acts of donation — immovable property, vehicles, and other assets
- Acts of sale and transfers between family members and private parties
- Matrimonial agreements — separation-of-property and other regimes, in the form the Civil Code demands
- Vehicle title transfers, affidavits of correction, and the notarial paperwork the OMV requires
Property questions behind the paperwork — boundaries, servitudes, co-ownership — are covered by the firm’s property practice.
Succession Affidavits & Probate Support
The affidavits that settle estates — and clear title.La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 3421 et seq.
Louisiana’s small-succession affidavit lets qualifying estates — those under the statutory value threshold, or where the death occurred many years ago — pass to heirs by sworn affidavit instead of a full court proceeding. It is faster and far less expensive, but it is still a legal instrument with real consequences, and it must be done precisely. A 2025 reform even authorizes notaries to obtain the certified death certificates these matters require. The firm prepares and executes:
- Small-succession affidavits and the supporting documentation that clears title
- Affidavits of death, domicile, and heirship
- The notarial work running through every succession — handled in-house as part of the firm’s successions practice, under one roof
Affidavits & Everyday Notarizations
The quick ones — done right the first time.By appointment · Covington office
Not every notarization is an authentic act. Much of a notary’s day-to-day work is simpler — and the firm handles it by appointment, usually in minutes:
- Affidavits, sworn statements, and verifications
- Acknowledgments of previously signed instruments
- School, insurance, DMV/OMV, and business forms requiring notarization
- Certified true copies of acts and instruments executed or acknowledged before this notary — the lawful replacement when an original from the firm’s notarial file goes missing
Bring a current, unexpired government-issued photo ID, and do not sign the document beforehand — most notarizations require signing in the notary’s presence. If your document needs witnesses, mention it when scheduling so arrangements are made before you arrive.
Simple work, simple pricing. Quoted before it starts.
Routine notarizations are quick, appointment-based, and modestly priced. Drafted instruments — testaments, mandates, acts of sale and donation, matrimonial agreements — are legal work, and the fee is quoted before the work begins. Either way, you will know the cost up front.
What people ask first.
Do I need an appointment? Yes — notarial services are by appointment at the Covington office. Call 985·612·7220 or book online. Most routine notarizations take only a few minutes once you are here.
What should I bring? A current, unexpired government-issued photo ID and the unsigned document. If the document requires witnesses — authentic acts require two — tell us when you schedule so they are lined up in advance.
Will you notarize a document the firm didn’t prepare? Yes. And because the notary is also a lawyer, obvious problems — a Louisiana form that does not meet Louisiana’s requirements, a blank that should not be blank — get flagged before you sign, not discovered after.
What makes a Louisiana notary different? Louisiana’s civil-law tradition gives notaries authority most states’ notaries do not have — including the power to prepare and execute contracts and instruments generally.La. R.S. 35:2 That is also why so many Louisiana documents — donations, testaments, matrimonial agreements — rise or fall on notarial form.
Can a notary tell me what my document should say? Only if the notary is also a lawyer. A non-attorney notary cannot give legal advice. Here, the same person who executes the act can counsel you on it — which is the point of bringing it to an attorney-notary in the first place.
Can you certify a copy of my diploma, passport, or other record? Louisiana draws this line narrowly: a notary may certify true copies of instruments passed or acknowledged before that notary — not of documents generally.La. R.S. 35:2(C) For other records, the issuing agency’s own certified copy is usually the right answer; in some cases a sworn affidavit about the copy, executed before the notary, will satisfy the receiving party. Ask, and we will point you to the route that works.
Is the commission valid outside St. Tammany Parish? Yes. A Louisiana notary who is licensed to practice law in this state may exercise notarial functions “in every parish in this state.”La. R.S. 35:191(P)(1)(a)
Need something notarized — or drafted and notarized?
By appointment · Covington office · Louisiana Notary No. 57346
Schedule an Appointment → Call 985·612·7220 →