Illinois
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Notary publics are clerks who have been certified and licensed by a state to witness, sign and certify the legality of certain legal documents and proceedings. The main purpose for notary publics in states such as Illinois is to prevent forgery and fraud, according to CyberdriveIllinois.com, a website put up by Illinois' Secretary of State.
Foreign Adoptions

The Secretary of State of Illinois is committed to helping prospective parents who wish to adopt children from foreign countries. For this reason, the "Great Seal" of Illinois, which notary publics use to legalize documents, is allowed to be affixed onto foreign adoption documents. Without the "Great Seal," Illinois residents would not be able to legally adopt children from other countries.
Power of Attorney

Power of Attorney (POA) is a legal document which authorizes one person to act on behalf of another person. This kind of legal documentation is used so that people who are unable to represent themselves for medical or personal reasons, such as being out of the country or physically impaired, can allow someone else to represent them. For example, a person who loses his voice due to illness can give POA to a spouse, child, relative a person of his choice who will then be able to make legal decisions on his behalf. In the state of Illinois, POA documents must be notarized by a certified notary public in order to certify their validity.
Wills

A will is a legal document which transfers assets from one person to another in the event that the person transferring the assets has passed away. In order to be legal in the state of Illinois, these documents must be notarized by a certified public notary. In this case, a notary public is certifying that the person transferring the assets is willingly, and of her own accord, transferring the assets to the other person. If a notary public is not present to sign or give approval to these documents, it is impossible for the state to determine the legality of the transaction.

Tags:  publics clerks legality documents proceedings forgery adoptions power of attorney