Galfand Berger attorney, Gabriela Raful, recently joined the Berks County Bar Association’s Public Notary Task Force.
The task force educates the community about the benefits of going to a lawyer for legal help and not to a public notary. Notably, there is a large Hispanic immigrant population in Berks County. In many of the immigrants’ native countries, public notaries – or notario publicos — are lawyers. So, when immigrants come to the United States, they often think notaries in the United States are lawyers. These individuals trust the notary with work that should, more often than not, be left to a lawyer.
The task force gives talks to churches, community groups, schools and the like discussing why individuals should consult with an attorney as opposed to notaries. If the task force discovers that a notary is engaged in the unlawful practice of law, they will refer that case to the Berks County District Attorney for investigation.
Gabby practices in the areas of employment and labor law, Workers’ Compensation, Social Security Disability, products liability, and personal injury. As a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Gabriela is fluent in Spanish. By working with the Hispanic population in their native language, our clients do not have to worry about the language and cultural barrier, and can be confident they are getting the legal service they need.
To learn more about Gabriela, read her full bio here.