Buckinghamshire: Notary public signs 1,000th client

James Couzens, Aylesbury-based notary public, has signed his 1,000th client since starting his practice in 2009.

A notary public is a specially-trained legal expert who helps businesses trading overseas. The notary’s independent verification of documents, facts and transactions is universally accepted by authorities in most countries around the world.

Couzens said: "I have dealt with many international jurisdictions over the past few years and my 1,000th client is a company looking to increase export markets in an interesting region, part of the former USSR."

"As part of the company’s growth plans, they needed to appoint an agent to register their products for sale in Kazakhstan."

Kazakhstan is the founder and largest member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a relatively new alliance officially launched in January 2015. It is designed to achieve closer cooperation with increased economic links between member countries Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, all previously part of the USSR, and Russia itself.

Although the EEU faces many political and economic difficulties before it can achieve its goal of a single financial market by 2025, Couzens thinks that targeting this market is shrewd, as it gives access not only to the EEU market with a population of 170 million, but also to cross-border trade with 12 Russian regions bordering Kazakhstan.

Couzens has experience of dealing with legal, tax and governmental authorities in many countries. His experience and knowledge of the different approaches and processes which characterise different jurisdictions can be very helpful, sometimes crucial, in ensuring transactions complete successfully first time.

As he says: "I’m pleased to say that the process involved in appointing this company’s agent in Kazakhstan went smoothly and my client’s export sales will hopefully experience an uplift in that region over the next few years."