English version
Legal Security – Integrity – Honesty – Service – Amiability
Seldom can we see a person who fits so perfectly in her job as Dra. Gina Margot Calva Tapia. To a person like me who has used her services on several occasions and who has watched her attend the many people entering her office every day it is obvious that she was born for what she does, understands it, thrives at it and as a matter of course provides the best possible service to her clients.
We are talking business excellence here !
What is Business Excellence?
Please do take the time to read our introduction to this important topic HERE (article in Spanish with Google translation).
Also, please do give your vote (1 to 5) using the stars at the top of the article and do leave a comment at the bottom to share your experience.
What is a notary and what do they do?
In very simple words accessible to all, let’s try to demystify this subject.
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A notary public is an attorney to whom the state has invested public faith (licensed by the government). In other words, it is a lawyer whose intervention in various legal acts has a guarantee of legal security for all parties involved. The notary is the lawyer responsible for administering the “notaries”, places where legal procedures of diverse nature are carried out, as we will see below. The tasks performed by public notaries are diverse, and are included in several areas. Among these activities are its participation in legal acts such as sales and all types of real estate investments, wills, powers, certification of copies, incorporation of companies, among others. In addition to the enormous professional preparation that a professional must have to become a notary public, it is necessary to be a person with a great heart, optimistic and above all with a great patience to listen to their clients and to be able to explain in a clear way the legal issues of what they ask for, but above all the above must be a professional with a high sense of ethics and honesty, placing these values always in front of any problem that a client presents, and so as to safeguard the legal security of all. |
It should be clearly understood that the function of a notary public is not the same as that of your preferred lawyer. While your lawyer can advise you as he pleases, including subjectively, down to unethically or even in the margin of the law, the notary public gives you a guarantee of legal security. It is obvious that a lawyer always tries to “stretch” things a bit on the side that is beneficial to his client (that’s why the client pays him or her). The notary absolutely can not do this and must maintain absolute neutrality.
Hence comes patience. The notary public has to listen and listen again and explain and explain again when and how and why things are not as the customer always wants them to be. In case of disagreement between the parties, he should not hesitate to send them all back home until they solve their differences. Because the principle number one is that if there is disagreement it will not be solved at the notary but in court. Mutual agreement is indispensable.
That’s where the great heart part also comes into play. Because the notary public deals with human beings in the face of sometimes serious and complex problems. A notary at heart will always try to help his clients find the path of peace.
Why choose one notary rather than another?
Aren’t notary publics just paper pushing bureaucrats with an addiction to putting stamps and stickers on everything? Do they not merely stamp documents that lawyers have written and collect your hard earned money by the hundreds of dollars at a time?
There may be such notary publics but Gina is for sure not one of them.
I asked her what in her opinion makes a good notary public and what is most important in the service she provides as a notary public in Loja Ecuador.
“Lo mas importante es la seguridad juridica que debe tener el usuario y la confianza … sobre todo la legalidad que es la caracteristica principal de un profesional de la legalidad“.
“The most important is the legal security our clients receive from our services and the trust they can place in us… above all the legality that is the main characteristic of law professionals“.
“Tenemos muchos clientes que regresan porque les hacemos bien las cosas y les explicamos bien que exactamente contiene una escritura, que efectos pueden tener dar un poder o hacer este documento … Entonces para mi realmente lo mas importante es la legalidad y la confianza que nosotros brindamos a nuestros clientes“.
“Many of our clients come back because we do things well and explain them what exactly contains this deed that they are about to sign or what effects could have this Power of Attorney that they will give to someone … Consequently to me really the most important is the legal security and the trust that we give our clients” .
The importance of getting it right
The documents that we sign at the notary are legally binding and some irreversible. An example of the latter is the escritura publica de compraventa (purchase and sales agreement) : once a property is sold and the escritura is duly signed, notarized and registered there is no way back. On the other hand, a Power of Attorney (POA) for example can always be revoked by the grantor but still serious damage can be done if granted to a dishonest person.
It is of uttermost importance to know exactly what it is that you are signing. If you are a mature individual, knowledgeable and experienced in your field it might not be an issue for you but think for example of the elderly or the young or the simple people coming to the city from their remote farms or the indigenous people who have different cultures and traditions often purely verbal. To them the concept of trust is vital.
Moral decadence
Gina has 32 years of experience and has seen it all. Elderly people are often manipulated by their children, asking them to sign a Power of Attorney in exchange for their care.
“Algunos son totalmente lucidos como esta señora de 95 años que queria hacer un testamento. En este caso no le puedo negar. Pero la mayoría no. Hay que tener cuidado. Realmente son los poderes, poderes para el bono, para vender … Es una situacion terrible, una decadencia de la moral.”
“Some are totally lucid like this 95 year old lady who wanted to write a testament. In this case, I cannot deny her. But in most cases with the elderly I have to be very careful. Really the main issue are the POAs (Power of Attorney), POA to collect pensions, POA to sell property … This is a terrible situation, a moral decadence in our society.”
The lawyers
Obviously lawyers and notary publics work together very closely. I remember my first years in Ecuador when I could not yet speak Spanish fluently. I would have never thought of entering a notary’s office for any serious matter without being accompanied by my lawyer. Maybe the notaries have changed or I have changed, but I don’t find them as intimidating anymore. The main problem is that the place can be so packed at times that it is hard to even enter let alone have a nice conversation with the doctor. A little patience usually goes a long way.
Dra. Betty Santín Castillo was born in Loja but she confides that her heart is in Quilanga, land of great coffee and cheese. In the course of her profession as a lawyer she deals with different notary publics depending on the location. Through the years she has developed a trust relationship with Gina who she refers to as “Ginita”.
“Gina is a straightforward person, dead honest and not complicated, no wishy- washy stuff. She tells me what she needs of me, if I have some questions, she advises me thanks to her substantial experience. All her life she has been working in the field of notary“.
Notaria Primera
As its name says, this was the first notary in Loja.
A long time has passed and several notable people have left their mark on the “Notaria Primera”.
Since 2012 it is Dr. Gina Calva Tapia’s turn who with her essence and her inimitable charisma. In turn she reveals a great humility and simplicity. In short she is a woman educated in values and manifests it through her daily work.
Gina has worked for 28 years in the Notaria Cuarta for Dr. Camilo Borrero and tapping into his huge knowledge and experience in the field.
The notary has records dated as far back as 1708. I went to the department of archives and was allowed to see one of their antique boxes. Gloves should be worn before opening the books and touching the sheets. Impressive !
This is a field where experience matters a lot, not so much for simple things like certifying a copy of a document or witnessing a signature but certainly when it comes to more complex documents such as escrituras.
The team
Dra. Gina Calva has surrounded her with a great team of approximately 10 people. In fact about half the team are family members.
All seem to work in good harmony and smiles come easy.
Alfredo takes care of scanning absolutely all documents that pass through the notary so there is a digital copy of everything.
With a smile 🙂
There are two entrances at Notaria Primera, the main door where one goes through the usual human “filters” (reception, information…) and that is what most people do.
But people who know the other entrance where the photocopy machine is can go directly to Gina’s office.
I asked Gina if it bothered her and she answered with a smile that it does not because if people want to talk about a specific topic with her she will attend them with pleasure.
Conclusion
At Notaria Primera you will find first class service from a very experienced notary public and her dedicated team. Gina is an approachable lady and once you get to know her she is extremely friendly and has a good sense of humor. She is honest and straightforward, tells things like they are and gets the job done fast and without errors.
Contacts
Address: Sucre 06-50 between Jose Antonio Eguiguren and Colon
Tel: +593 (0)7257-3104
Email: ginacalvatapia@hotmail.com
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Notaria Primera – A model of excellence in Loja
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I remember my first years in Ecuador when I could not yet speak Spanish fluently. I would have never thought of entering a notary’s office for any serious matter without being accompanied by my lawyer. Maybe the notaries have changed or I have changed, but I don’t find them as intimidating anymore. The main problem is that the place can be so packed at times that it is hard to even enter let alone have a nice conversation with the doctor. A little patience usually goes a long way.