A notary public of the general law is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non contentious matters typically concerned with estates, deeds, powers of attorney, and foreign and international business. A notary’s main functions are to administer oaths and affirmations, take affidavits and statutory declarations, witness and authenticate the execution of certain classes of documents, take acknowledgments of deeds and other conveyances, protest notes and bills of exchange, provide notice of foreign drafts.