Can a notary draft legal documents or give legal advice?

Notaries are NOT attorneys and cannot practice law. The unauthorized practice of law (UPL) is criminal in most states and a serious threat to consumers. Specific prohibitions: (1) Drafting legal documents (deeds, contracts, wills, powers of attorney) — must be done by the signer or an attorney; (2) Giving legal advice — including on what type of notarial act to perform (acknowledgment vs jurat) when the signer is unclear (refer to attorney); (3) Recommending specific document language; (4) Advising on legal consequences of signing; (5) Filling in document content beyond the notarial certificate; (6) Charging legal-advice fees. The notary can complete the notarial certificate (the standard wording the state provides), explain the notarial process, identify the type of notarial act if the document specifies it clearly, and answer questions about the notary's own role. Beyond that, the notary must refer questions to an attorney. The risk of UPL: criminal charges, commission revocation, civil liability, harm to the signer who relied on bad advice. Particularly important: notaries who serve immigrant communities must be especially careful — in some Latin American countries, 'notario público' has expanded legal authority that does NOT exist for US notaries. Misrepresenting authority is a serious crime.