International Union of Notaries

The common law tradition is the foundation of the legal systems of Great Britain (except Scotland), the United States (except Louisiana and Puerto Rico), Canada, Australia, Cyprus, India, Pakistan and Anglophone Africa.

In the commonlaw tradition, law is developed through the decisions of judges made in resolving actual cases.

Ancient Rome's Codex Justinianus played big part in shaping the laws of civil law countries which originated in Continental Europe and extended to their colonies overseas, including but not limited to Latin America and several Spanish and Portuguese colonies-states which is later known as Latin countries.

Directed by a steering committee formed by 28 councillors, the decision-making body is the General Meeting of member notariats where each country has one vote regardless of its importance.

It also includes a General Council formed by 172 members and continental and intercontinental commissions working from the scientific (vocational training and research), strategic (development), economic (networks and activities) and sociological (human rights and social protection) standpoints.

The current president of the union is Lionel Galliez, French notary, elected at the 30th Congress General Assembly in November 2021.

Quebec and the City of London are members instead of Canada and United Kingdom because of the presence of notariats in these regions, something uncommon in common law states.