The duties of a notary public are clearly outlined in state law, but these laws often vary from state to state. As a notary, it is your responsibility to learn the laws of your state and to perform only the notarial acts that you are legally permitted to perform.

Your role as a notary public is to verify the identity of the signer of a document. Your main job is to authenticate signatures, which helps prevent forgery and ID theft. And unless you're a licensed attorney, the most important mistake to avoid is giving legal advice to a signer.

Read on to learn some important do's and don'ts that every notary should remember and follow.

Do:

• Explain what documents you can notarize when asked
• Verify the identity of the document's signer(s)
• Affix your notary seal to the document you notarize
• Learn what you can and can't do as a notary
• Memorize the proper wording your state requires for jurats and certificates of acknowledgment
• Familiarize yourself with your state's notary laws

Don't:

• Provide legal advice or attempt to explain what a law means
• Proceed with a notarization if the signer cannot be positively identified through personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence of identification, such as a driver's license or passport
• Offer an opinion about the legality or effect of a document
• Draft a document for signers or assist them in creating one
• Recommend the type of notarization required
• Backdate or forward date a notarization
• Fill in information on a document on the signer's behalf
• Sign and seal a blank notarial certificate

Once again, it is critical that you never offer legal advice or prepare legal documents unless you are a licensed attorney. Doing so could make you criminally liable for practicing law without a license. Remember that you are subject to the laws of your state and that you must always adhere to them.