PARSIPPANY — Morris County Surrogate Heather J. Darling will be the guest speaker at the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany evening meeting on Thursday, October 1, at 6:30 p.m. at IHOP, 792 Route 46. The meeting is open to the public, and all are invited to attend.
Darling is the first woman to serve as Morris County Surrogate. Before taking office, she ran her own law practice for more than 15 years, focusing on family law, wills, trusts and estates in addition to business and criminal law. She is a former Morris County Freeholder and deputy director of the board.
Darling will discuss how the Surrogate’s Office serves Morris County residents and the steps families can take to plan ahead. Topics are expected to include:
- Wills, trusts and estates: why having a will matters and what happens when someone dies without one.
- The probate process: including the E-Probate platform she created, which allows residents to upload a will, pay electronically and receive documents from home. The platform has since been adopted by Surrogates around New Jersey.
- Guardianships and adoptions: how the office handles guardianship matters and its role in the adoption process.
- The Reduced Fee Program: which matches residents who cannot afford an attorney, and do not qualify for pro bono legal services, with attorneys to help them navigate the Surrogate’s Court.
- Resident education: resources such as her “60 Seconds with the Surrogate” video series, which explains how residents can best use the services of the Surrogate’s Court.
Darling also serves on the Employment Horizons Community Advisory Board and is an Ambassador for the Morris County 200 Club. A question-and-answer session will follow her remarks.
For more information contact Frank Cahill at (973) 559-6000.
