AI for notaries: ChatGPT and Copilot in practice

The notarial profession is seeing a fundamental shift in how traditional work gets done, driven by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and in particular generative AI (GenAI) tools. In the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, the civil-law notary is an impartial public officer who drafts and authenticates deeds for property, family and company matters. Tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot are changing how notaries prepare deeds, advise clients and analyse complex (legal) questions. This calls for a look at both the possibilities and the limits of these technologies in notarial practice, with the core values of the profession, including due care, impartiality and legal certainty, kept first.

That is what our experience with notarial firms consistently shows.

AI, ChatGPT and Copilot for notaries

Deed preparation and the precedent library

Using GenAI to prepare and draft notarial deeds offers many possibilities, and at a basic level it is fairly easy to adopt. These tools are strong at generating first drafts, analysing existing precedents and flagging inconsistencies in documents. In managing and improving the precedent library, slightly more advanced AI proves particularly valuable, thanks to its ability to analyse and compare large volumes of documents systematically. It can identify outdated clauses and suggest updates, and also generate variants for specific situations that arise in practice.

One of AI’s strengths is applying legislative changes systematically to standard clauses and comparing different precedent versions for consistency and currency. That leads to a considerable gain in efficiency: notaries report that they can carry out certain tasks up to 40% faster than colleagues who do not use AI. What remains important is that the notary stays fully responsible for the accuracy of the deed and for guaranteeing its authenticity.

Legal research and due diligence

Applying AI to legal research and due diligence has the potential to change notarial practice profoundly, but not all AI tools are equally suited to it. While ChatGPT and Copilot can offer valuable support with general tasks, they lack crucial access to current Land Registry (Kadaster) data and specialist notarial databases. Thorough research therefore needs specific legal AI tools.

More research-oriented AI tools such as Perplexity, Lexboost and GenIA-L, which participants work with during our training, are better suited to this. In client communication, AI helps fairly easily. The technology lets notaries develop personalised information leaflets and write clear emails that match the (language) level of the individual client.

The essence of the notarial profession, however, lies in the personal relationship between notary and client, with trust and the duty to inform and explain (the Belehrungspflicht) at its centre. It is the notary who must judge whether the client fully understands the consequences of a legal act, a crucial responsibility that cannot be delegated to AI. AI can help prepare these conversations faster and document the information given more thoroughly.

Time savings and efficiency

Introducing AI tools in notarial practice takes a strategic investment that pays off in several ways. The biggest gains come from faster standard document preparation and automating repetitive research tasks. Routine questions can also be handled more efficiently, while quality control improves through systematic document analysis.

Practice shows that notarial firms that follow our practical GenAI training save time on exactly these tasks.

The future of the notarial profession

The notarial profession is on the eve of a significant transformation, in which general GenAI tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, as well as (legal) AI tools such as Lexboost and GenIA-L, will play an ever more prominent role. This promises not only more efficient document analysis and sharper risk assessment, but also a fundamental improvement in service. Where notaries now spend valuable time on routine tasks, they will increasingly be supported by intelligent systems that understand complex ownership structures, flag inconsistencies in deeds and address compliance questions proactively. This lets notaries focus their expertise where it adds the most value: interpreting complex legal questions and advising clients personally.

The essence of the notary’s office, safeguarding legal certainty and giving impartial advice, stays the same. Successful firms will stand out through their ability to use AI tools strategically to strengthen, not replace, the traditional core values of the profession. That calls for an integrated vision in which technology and craftsmanship come together: notaries who make full use of what AI can do without losing sight of the foundations of their office. Firms that find this balance create not only a more efficient practice, but also strengthen their role as a trusted adviser in an increasingly complex field.