Freeholder Liaison: Christopher D. Rafano
Surrogate:: Kevin J. Hoagland

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The surrogate who sits in the court in your county is using authorities which trace back to the Archbishop of London and beyond into the Roman Empire and the Bible. As long as there have been Wills, and orphans, and incompetents, there have been judicial officers to probate the wills, to appoint guardians for minors and incompetents and to supervise the handling of their affairs. The word "Surrogate" means one who takes the place of another.

In New Jersey, the person who passes on the validity of a will, gives the executor proof of his authority to administer the estate and sees to it that the executor handles the estate properly, is called the Surrogate. Each county has a Surrogate's Court and the Surrogate is the Judge of that court. The Surrogate is elected for a term of five years, pursuant to the Constitution of New Jersey. The Surrogate administers a court which is almost certain to touch the lives of every person in the county at some time. Aside from the appointment of a guardian for a minor who comes into an estate, or the supervision and preparation of adoptions, or incompetency hearings, it is common, after death, to visit the Surrogate's Court for the appointment of someone to handle the estate of the deceased.

FUNCTIONS OF SURROGATE'S OFFICE

• Probate Wills
• Process adoptions
• Process contested probate matters
• Process alleged incapacitated matters
• Film and record all probate proceedings
• Invest minors' funds
• Appoint guardians of minors

Note:
The Probate Information Sheet is an adobe acrobat PDF file, which requires a PDF Viewer which is available FREE by clicking here: