The Passaic County surrogate is an elected constitutional officer, who is acknowledged as a judge in Surrogate's Court. In New Jersey, the "surrogate" is the person who passes on the validity of a will, gives the executor proof of his/her authority to administer the estate, and sees to it that the executor handles the estate properly. He or she is elected for a term of five years by the people of Passaic County.
The County Surrogate is an elected judicial officer that serves as Judge of the Surrogate's Court and Special Deputy clerk to the Superior Court. As a Judicial Officer, the Surrogate is a County Judge of limited jurisdiction, presiding over uncontested probate/estate matters, guardianship of minors and incapacitated adults, and adoptions. The Surrogate also serves as monitor of appointed adult guardians and manages the minor's intermingled trust. In the role of guardianship monitor, the Surrogate ensures that the appointed guardians of incapacitated adults (Wards) are meeting their court ordered duties and are providing their wards with the proper care. As Special Deputy Clerk to the Superior Court, the Surrogate maintains all adoptions records and accepts adoption, probate, and guardianship filings. The Surrogate serves as trustee of the minors intermingle trust. The minor's intermingle trust is a trust holding funds left to minors from estates or legal settlements. In sum, the County Surrogate is a judge of limited jurisdiction whose duties also include accepting Superior Court filings and maintaining oversight over adult guardians and as trustee of minor's intermingle trust account.
I am an attorney licensed in New Jersey, New York, and the Supreme Court of the United States with experience in estates & trusts, labor & employment, medical malpractice, immigration, and criminal law. As the incumbent, I am uniquely qualified to serve due to my proven record as Surrogate of Passaic County. I have a proven record of promises made, promises kept. Immediately after taking office in 2022, I launched the “Make-a-Will” initiative, providing FREE Wills to qualifying seniors, veterans, and first responders. I also initiated free bilingual probate & guardianship information sessions and launched self-represented clinics guiding special needs parents on the guardianship application process. I made the probate process more accessible by offering night court hours in various towns and implemented an on-line and voice language support program providing probate information in 72 languages. My outreach also extends to children through “Willy the Will” and an interactive children’s booklet designed to educate young people about the role and importance of the Surrogate’s Court. In 2023, I was appointed to serve on the Judiciary Liaison Committee, a committee of Judges working to resolve the biggest issues of the court. In 2025, I was elected Chair of all the Surrogates statewide. In sum, I have the legal training, and proven record of service as Surrogate and am a recognized leader among my peers and the judiciary. My records also shows that I keep my campaign promises.
As a member of the Judicial Liaison committee, since 2023 to present, I've been working on solutions to the biggest issues of the office. One of the biggest issues is assisting the public with the guardianship application process. Our state has a growing population of special needs individuals that may need a guardian upon reaching adulthood. This can be a costly legal process for many families resulting in families never applying until a medical need arises or worse the individual is left without support. Another issue is the need for a public guardian for people under 60 to step in when a special needs person does not have family to support them. A closely related issue is noncompliant/bad guardians. Most guardians are required to annually report to the Surrogate on the finances & well-being of their ward. There are guardians that fail to report violating their legal duties, which is a critical problem. The final big issue is a lack of uniformity throughout the state when individuals or attorneys have matters before the Surrogate's Court.
As the incumbent I am already working on the solutions to the biggest issues facing the Surrogate's Court. I'm working on these solutions through my own initiatives and as a member of the Judicial liaison committee, working on various documents to assist special needs parents/caregivers complete the guardianship application without an attorney. I have personally gone a step further by offering multilingual self-represented clinics and information sessions, as well as linking families with pro bono attorneys to ensure that caregivers have the resources and information to complete the guardianship application. To address the "bad guardians", I have also sought legal action or sanctions against noncompliant lawyers serving as guardians and sought to remove them in extreme cases. The goal is to protect the most vulnerable and ensure that only those truly needing a guardian are deemed legally incapacitated and that those entrusted to care for them are truly providing that care. As Chair of the Surrogates, I have worked with the State to create a uniform process so that individuals and attorneys regardless of the county will have the same legal process and services, making this important office accessible to all. I have done my part by providing information in multiple languages and working with the other Surrogates to create a uniform process, as well as offering night court options for greater accessibility.
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