MORRIS COUNTY — In an effort to be proactive in managing concerns about Coronavirus, the Morris County Surrogate’s Office is moving to technology based service effective immediately. In order to protect members of the public and county employees from exposure to the virus, Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling is requesting that those needing to use our online forms and services do so electronically, not in person.
Thus, if you seek to probate a Will, seeking administration or seeking guardianship contact the Surrogate’s Office at (973) 285-6500 with regard to the use of the forms by clicking here.
“I made a campaign promise to employ technology in order to avoid trips to the Surrogate’s Court for those who may have difficulty accessing the office in person. Although this is not exactly what I had envisioned, it is a way to promote safety now while moving my office toward significant online operations in the future,” said Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling.
Many Surrogates employ ‘satellite offices’, such as libraries or municipal buildings, around their counties on a scheduled basis. This does not solve the problems of individuals that have great physical difficulty getting out of their homes, no matter how close the facility may be to their place of residence.
With the functionality built into smartphones, laptops and tablets, many attorneys now eschew formal office space in favor of meeting clients in the client’s residence, coffee shops, or office shares they use on only an as-needed basis. This also creates a more client-centered practice as schedules and value shopping no longer favor visits to law firms past with grandiose conference rooms with rich tomes at the end of granite hallways.
Darling said “The time has come for my office to catch up to the way business is done today and this public safety issue is as much a signal as a catalyst.”
