Pictured above: Diana Syziu

Diana Syziu, a Corporate Law Solicitor at Nottingham-based Fraser Brown Solicitors, has become the only female Notary Public practising in Nottingham city centre.

As the oldest legal profession in England and Wales, a Notary Public is primarily involved in preparing, attesting, authenticating, witnessing and certifying deeds and other documentation, for use in the commonwealth and civil law jurisdictions. 

Diana's appointment makes her one of only four Notaries Public practising in Nottingham city centre and just 900 in England and Wales overall. Her achievement is the result of an incredibly tough selection and assessment process by the University of Cambridge. Only 60 people are selected to study the postgraduate notarial diploma each year from 1,500 applicants and Diana is privileged to be among only 150 dual-skilled Solicitors and Notaries in the profession. 

She said, "I am extremely pleased to have reached this milestone in my career. Very few people get the chance to become a Notary in addition to being a qualified solicitor so I am particularly proud of the achievement and what it means. 

"Being a Notary Public will allow me to build on my existing knowledge as a lawyer and provide an extra level of service to clients. Any transactions with a foreign element, for example buying property abroad  require the services of a Notary Public and as there are only a few of us within the city centre, I expect to be kept busy!" 

Originally from Albania, Diana speaks a number of languages including Albanian, Italian and Spanish as well as English and studied Albanian Law before moving to Britain. She therefore already had a strong understanding of civil law jurisdiction. She spent two years working towards her Postgraduate diploma in Notary Practice, which required her to study a broad spectrum of the law, from 3,000 year-old Roman law to Private International Law and Notarial Practice. 

Managing Partner at Fraser Brown, Peter Thornley, added "We are very proud of Diana and what she has achieved. Being a Notary Public is a position of great responsibility and while the demands of the training put many solicitors off taking the exams, Diana was determined and her hard work and dedication have seen her succeed.  

"Having a Notary Public within the firm strengthens our offering to new and existing clients and proves the high calibre of the teams here at Fraser Brown."