Did You Know... Get Your Notary, No Test Required!

By C. Allen Nichols, CEO/Executive Director | Ohio Notary Services, LLC | callen@becomeanohionotary.com

Ohio Notary Services is a partnership of the Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Ohio State and Toledo bar associations, founded in 2019. This unique partnership harnesses 120+ years of notary public education and testing experience. Ohio Notary Services is the ONLY company in Ohio certified to provide education and testing for “traditional” and “remote online” notaries.

Did you know the Dayton Bar Association is in the business of educating and training notaries public in Ohio? Through its co-ownership of Ohio Notary Services, LLC (ONS), the DBA is actively involved in Ohio’s notary business providing non-dues revenue to support the association’s mission.

Ohio Notary Services was created in 2019 in response to Ohio’s Notary Modernization Act which:

• Centralized the notary commissioning processing through the Ohio Secretary of State (streamlining the application process, setting the fees required and creating a discipline process for notaries);

• Standardized the education and testing requirements (establishing authority for approving the educational content); and

• Created the ability for remote online notarizations.

So what does this mean for ONS? Anyone wishing to become a notary in Ohio can visit ONS at http://www.becomeanohionotary. com. New “traditional” notary applicants can register and take the required three hour educational course followed by a 30-question exam. Attorneys are not required to take the exam and earn free CLE credit from ONS for the class – plus they earn a commission that runs parallel with their license to practice law. Non-attorneys who need to renew their commissions may register and take the required one-hour refresher course (no test required) from ONS as well.

No longer does a notary public have to physically sit in front of a client seeking a notarization. Through the use of specialized software and identify proofing, Ohio notarizations can be performed remotely. The timing to permit this in Ohio couldn’t have been any more perfect prior to the start of the pandemic which clearly helped people understand the need. Please know, a notary is not permitted to notarize documents remotely using a simple signature attachment to a pdf document for example. There are special requirements clearly defined in the Ohio Revised Code to manage this process. ONS is the only business in Ohio that offers the required two-hour educational course and the exam (attorneys have to take this one!) that allow a “traditional” notary to receive the “authorization” to be a remote online notary (RON). These authorizations expire every five years – even for attorneys – so ONS offers the renewal course too.

ONS continues to grow its services beyond the education and testing of notaries. Visit ONS for notary FAQs and blog posts that help keep a notary current. In fact, ONS will even provide answers to questions when notaries get stumped…send an email to info@ becomeanohionotary.com for help. In addition, all of the services below are accessible via the ONS website along with more detailed information.

The Ohio Notary Store is available through a partnership with an Akron-based supply company which provides all types of supplies a notary public might need to perform their role – including the digital notary stamp needed as a remote online notary. ONS provides free shipping for customers who order a notary supply bundle.

Another partnership is with SIGNiX a provider of RON software. As the ONS preferred remote online platform provider SIGNiX provides secure software that equips notaries with the tools they need to facilitate notarizations from anywhere at any time. ONS customers receive discount opportunities through SIGNiX.

E & O Insurance is another service available via ONS through a partnership with CNA Surety. Notaries are human too, so CNA Surety provides a level of comfort that when an unintentional mistake is made, notaries are protected.

The Ohio Land Title Association offers a detailed course that provides Ohio-specific

Notary Closer Certification. This certification is critical for notaries who wish to become notary signing agents and work with title companies and mortgage brokers managing the closing process for homebuyers. ONS customers receive a discount on the certification process by going through the ONS website.

ONS is the one-stop shop for all things notary in Ohio. Please support the CMBA by visiting the ONS website for details and to take advantage of the services it provides.

Coolidge Wall Co., L.P.A is pleased to announce two new hires to the firm. Beth Shellaberger and Crystal Taylor, both seasoned paralegals, have joined Coolidge in its growing Estate Planning and Probate Department. Their duties including drafting and filing probate documents and assisting with the transfer and distribution of assets. Shellaberger obtained her Associate of Applied Science degree from Sinclair Community College in 2016 and earned a BA in Journalism from Miami University of Ohio in 2006. Beth has also been a mediation volunteer and paralegal intern at The Dayton Mediation Center and has also worked in accounting, marketing, and administrative positions. Taylor obtained an A.A.B. in Paralegal Studies from University of Cincinnati in 2013 graduating magna cum laude. Prior to joining Coolidge Wall, her prior paralegal work specialized in the areas of Workers’ Compensation, Civil Litigation, and Estates & Probate. She has also worked as an Insurance and Claims Paralegal at Premier Health and as a Deputy Clerk at Montgomery County Probate Court.

Cincinnati-based Dinsmore & Shohl LLP announced effective January 1st, they will merger with San Diego firm Mulvaney Barry Beatty Linn & Mayers LLP Dinsmore is Dayton's fourth-largest law firm with 46 attorneys. The merger adds 10 attorneys and a team of eight business professionals to Dinsmore’s southern California offices. Mulvaney’s 50-year history of performance and stability made the merger “a logical business decision,” according to a news release. Dinsmore continues to expand, with a focus on adding talent in cities where clients demand it. The firm now has more than 750 lawyers across the country. The merger with Mulvaney shows Dinsmore’s commitment to meeting West Coast demands.

Two large regional law firms with offices in the Dayton region are merging to create a new law firm that augments the specialties of both. Graydon, headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, announced that it is merging with the Columbus' Bricker & Eckler. Effective April 3, the new combined law firm will be known as Bricker Graydon and will be led by Jim Flynn, managing partner. Graydon currently has 80 attorneys; and 8 local attorneys at its location in Liberty Township, Butler County. Bricker & Eckler had 7 local attorneys at an office in downtown Dayton. The merged firm of Bricker Graydon will have a total of 208 attorneys and overall headcount of 378, with 12 offices in downtown Cincinnati; Over-the-Rhine; Fort Mitchell; Liberty Township; Lebanon; Lawrenceburg; Columbus; Cleveland; Dayton; Marietta; and Barnesville, Ohio.

Green & Green, Lawyers, LLC, is pleased to announce that Thomas M. Green, Jane M. Lynch, Erin B. Moore and Jared A. Wagner were recognized as Ohio Super Lawyers® for 2023.

Thomas M. Green has been recognized as an Ohio Super Lawyers® since 2009 and practices in the areas of commercial litigation, medical malpractice and complex injury litigation. Mr. Green is also an AV Preeminent rated attorney by Martindale Hubble®and has been repeatedly recognized by Best Lawyers in America©.

Jane M. Lynch has been recognized as an Ohio Super Lawyers® since 2006, and was selected as a ‘Top 25 Women Cincinnati” in 2023, is an AV Preeminent rated attorney by Martindale Hubble®, and recognized once again by Best Lawyers in America©2023 in the areas of Civil Rights Law and Litigation Insurance.

Erin B. Moore is also an AV Preeminent attorney by Martindale Hubble®, and has been recognized as an Ohio Super Lawyers® since 2017 and practices as a litigator in the areas of construction law, governmental liability law, and general insurance defense and coverage matters.

Jared A. Wagner is also an AV Preeminent attorney by Martindale Hubble® and has been recognized as an Ohio Super Lawyers® since 2017 and also practices in construction law, governmental liability law, gun rights law, and general insurance defense matters.

Green and Green, Lawyers, LLC, is a Best Lawyers of America© “Best Law Firm” for 2023.

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