Acknowledgment in United States

Acknowledgment Definition

The act of one who has executed a deed, in going before some competent officer or court, and declaring it to be his act or deed. The acknowledgment is certified by the officer or court; and the term acknowledgment is sometimes used to designate the certificate. Sometimes loosely used for admission (q.v.)

Acknowledgment in Foreign Legal Encyclopedias

Link	Description
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the World Legal Encyclopedia.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the European Legal Encyclopedia.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Asian Legal Encyclopedia.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the UK Legal Encyclopedia.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Australian Legal Encyclopedia.

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Browse the American Encyclopedia of Law for Acknowledgment

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Link	Description
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Family Law Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the IP Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Commercial Law Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Criminal Law Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Antritrust Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Bankruptcy Law Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Constitutional Law Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Tax Law Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the and Finance and Banking Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Employment and Labor Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Personal Injury and Tort Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.
Acknowledgment	Acknowledgment in the Environmental Law Portal of the American Encyclopedia of Law.

Explore other Reference Works

Resource	Description
Acknowledgment in the Dictionaries	Acknowledgment in our legal dictionaries
http://lawi.us/acknowledgment	The URI of Acknowledgment (more about URIs)
Acknowledgment related entries	Find related entries of Acknowledgment

Legal Issue for Attorneys

The act of one who has executed a deed, in going before some competent officer or court, and declaring it to be his act or deed. The acknowledgment is certified by the officer or court; and the term acknowledgment is sometimes used to designate the certificate. Sometimes loosely used for admission (q.v.)

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Notice

This definition of Acknowledgment Is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This definition needs to be proofread..

Practical Information

Note: Some of this information was last updated in 1982

In law, the act by which a person who signs a legal instrument goes before an authorized officer, such as a notary public (in U.S. law), and declares that he or she executed the instrument. The notary public signs what is called the certificate of acknowledgment. The function of the certificate of acknowledgment is twofold: It entitles the instrument to be recorded or filed and it authorizes the instrument to be given in evidence without further proof of its execution.

Laws governing acknowledgments

Traditionally, most states, under the Uniform Acknowledgment Act, required the acknowledgment of an instrument before it can be recorded or filed. In those states that have adopted the Uniform Acknowledgment Act the laws governing the use of acknowledgments and their form are similar. Otherwise the law varies with the state, and each state’s statutes must be adhered to strictly. A basic principle of law governing acknowledgments is that the law of the state where the instrument is recorded or used governs not the law of the state where the instrument is executed. For example, an instrument prepared in a New York office to be recorded in Florida will use the form and wording that follow the Florida statutes, although the certificate will show that the acknowledgment was made in New York. An instrument sent to Florida to be signed and returned for recording in New York will follow the New York laws governing the certificate of acknowledgment, although it will show that the acknowledgment was made in Florida.

Essentials of an acknowledgment

Although acknowledgments vary with the state, they all have certain basic essentials. These are:

Venue

An acknowledgment always begins with a recital of the venue, that is, the name of the state and county in which the acknowledgment is made.

Date of acknowledgment

An acknowledgment always recites the date on which the acknowledgment is made. When you type the certificate of acknowledgment, leave blank spaces for the day of the month and also for the name of the month if you are preparing the instrument near the end of the month. Although a client is supposed to sign and acknowledge an instrument on the 30th of April, he or she might not get into the office until the 1st day of May. The date of the acknowledgment does not necessarily coincide with the date of the instrument, but the date of an acknowledgment must never precede the date the instrument was signed.

Designation of person making acknowledgment

The name of the person making the acknowledgment always appears in the certificate.

Date of expiration of commission

Many states require that an acknowledgment taken by a notary public show the date of the expiration of his or her commission.

Acquittal

Contracts

A release, absolution, or discharge from an obligation, liability, or engagement.

Crimes

The legal and formal certification of the innocence of a person who has been charged with crime; a deliverance or setting free of a person from a charge of guilt.

(Revised by Ann De Vries)

What is Acknowledgment?

For a meaning of it, read Acknowledgment in the Legal Dictionary here. Browse and search more U.S. and international free legal definitions and legal terms related to Acknowledgment.

Acknowledgment