The New York booklet summarizes the statute of frauds as the body of state law providing that certain contracts must be in writing, or partly complied with, in order to be enforceable. The exact application depends on the kind of contract involved, but the core idea is that some agreements are too important or too susceptible to dispute to rest on bare oral proof alone.
This is one reason the term appears naturally alongside contract, consideration, and lease. It is not a notarial doctrine in itself, but it helps explain why written instruments matter so much in legal practice and why formal execution, acknowledgment, and proof become significant.
Practical note: The statute of frauds does not mean every agreement must be notarized. It means certain agreements must be evidenced in writing to be enforceable, a different question altogether.
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