Need to know: recipients of free legal aid will be able not to pay for a notarized power of attorney

CrimeaPRESS reports:

The State Duma adopted a federal law that exempts citizens from paying state fees for notarization of powers of attorney to represent their interests in courts, state and municipal authorities and other organizations — if the document is needed as part of obtaining free legal assistance. The initiative was approved by the State Duma in the third reading on June 28.

The adopted changes will increase the availability of state free legal aid for socially unprotected categories of citizens. The poor, Heroes of Socialist Labor and Labor of the Russian Federation, disabled children and orphans, elderly people and disabled people living in social service organizations, adolescents serving sentences in places of deprivation of liberty, etc. have the right to such assistance. Representation of their interests by lawyers or employees of state law firms are one of the established forms of support. In most cases, this requires a notarized power of attorney.

According to the adopted amendments, these categories of citizens will be able to issue a power of attorney for the court free of charge. To do this, you will need to present to the notary an agreement that a person has concluded with a lawyer or law office.

For many years, notaries have been providing a significant range of benefits exclusively at their own expense, without attracting budget funding. Most of them were developed by the notary on their own initiative. Every year, notaries perform more than 4.8 million preferential notarial acts.

Thus, 16 categories of citizens are completely exempted from paying notary fees. Many citizens have benefits for paying for services of a legal and technical nature, which are established by decisions of the Federal Notary Chamber and notary chambers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. It can be noted, for example, additional benefits for socially significant notarial acts for refugees, participants in the SVO and members of their families. Last year alone, notaries performed almost 400,000 preferential notarial acts for refugees and mobilized people.

A new measure developed by the Government will complement this complex. At the same time, for the first time in the recent history of the activities of the modern notaries of Russia, it is possible to compensate for these costs at the expense of regional budgets.

The notary is an active participant in the system of free legal aid. As part of their professional activities, notaries advise citizens and entrepreneurs on issues of civil, family, land and corporate law. Recall that all consultations on notarial acts are free of charge. Even if a visit to the office does not end with a notarial act, there is no need to pay for consultations.

Source: Federal Notary Chamber

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