KNB inventories collaboration needs of small offices

The Royal Dutch Notary Association (KNB) is engaging in discussions with small firms about how they intend to collaborate in the future. For example, covering short-term or long-term absences. Issues such as sharing a back or front office and collaborating within a partnership will be addressed. The firm's options for retiring notaries will also be explored.

In a 2022 survey, the participating offices indicated their desire for collaboration. During these confidential discussions, the ambitions and wishes of civil-law notaries are inventoried. One civil-law notary commented on this KNB initiative: "It's great that the KNB is following up on the survey and reaching out to me to discuss this. I feel truly heard." Meanwhile, the round of discussions in the provinces of North Brabant and Limburg has been completed. Offices in Overijssel and Zeeland will be visited later this year.

Follow-up
After each meeting, KNB staff internally evaluates their findings. They identify similarities and opportunities for collaboration between firms or between firms and candidate civil-law notaries. This allows them to inform firms about potential collaboration opportunities and possible next steps, such as engaging an external agency to provide advice and practical steps for collaboration.

Employee retention
The research into the collaboration needs of small firms is part of the Royal Netherlands Notary Association's Futurepro(o)f program. This program aims to attract more people to the profession of (candidate) notary and retain professionals within the profession. By offering support with collaboration and succession issues, the KNB aims to contribute to increasing job satisfaction and employee retention within the profession.