‘I Affirm. I Swear.’ The Pandemic Has Transformed NY’s Notarization Requirements—Or Has It?

Harriet Newman Cohen, founding partner of Cohen Stine Kapoor. Courtesy photo

Although the pandemic is, relatively speaking, in our rearview mirror, its influence over the law remains ever-present. With that backdrop, Harriet Newman Cohen took a look at changes in the New York notarial laws and their reach in the field of family law.

июля 26, 2024 at 10:00 AM

By Harriet Newman Cohen | июля 26, 2024 at 10:00 AM

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I began writing my memoir in 2018, which is now with my agent. The practice was so different when I started to write, it seems almost unrecognizable. Paper drafts were piled high on the windowsills. Adversaries berated each other loudly on the telephone. The stress these interactions induced was palpable. And then came the pandemic.

Zoom arrived. The windowsill piles disappeared. The offices became virtually paperless. Fax machines became obsolete. Phones stopped ringing—replaced by zoom meetings—and documents began to speak for themselves: Redline v. Redline. No more yelling. Virtual meetings and virtual court appearances. Midnight NYSCEF filings. The possibility of automatic service, except to commence a matrimonial action. Lawyers could breathe again. More productivity. An amazing new world.

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