Counsel and their support staff are reminded to take notice of and comply with the deadlines set forth in court orders. Deadlines are imposed to provide our Superior Court Judges and their staff with adequate time to review the entire file prior to a court proceeding.

Currently, Probate Part and Family Part matters that are filed in the Surrogate’s Court cannot be submitted by either eCourts or JEDS, and for that reason all filings must be completed on paper.  Although courtesy copies of
filings may be emailed to Surrogate’s Court staff, it is counsel’s responsibility to ensure that hard copies of all documentation, including but not limited to proof of effectuated service and proposed judgments, are received by the Surrogate’s Court on or before the deadline set forth by the court.

Hard copies of filings must be received by the Surrogate’s Court on or before the filing deadline to be considered timely.

All matters that are incomplete by filing deadlines are subject to adjournment.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Michael R. Dressler
Bergen County Surrogate

Notice to the Bar (4)

Many years ago when I decided to make public service my life’s work, I promised myself that I would base my service on several tenets that were of extreme importance to me. I promised that I would treat all my constituents with professionalism, empathy, and impartiality no matter what the situation. I also promised myself that at all times I would be transparent so that the people I serve would trust me. I recognize that the time that it takes to probate a will in Bergen County has been lengthier than usual over the past two months. The reason for the change has been a result of several instances whereby my staff has been unexpectedly reduced.

This reduction in staffing has been a result of several serious medical conditions, some of which have been life-threatening. We have also had as many as six people out at the same time due to COVID. There have been instances related to the issues outlined above that have left as few as two probate clerks working in the office on a given day. As all these employees have been on medical leave, I have been unable to replace them on a temporary basis to address the workload due to governmental budgetary constraints.

It is my belief that I have the best staff of any Surrogate’s Court in the State of New Jersey; however, when my staff is depleted as stated above we can only do so much. I have taken steps to replenish the office by hiring more staff and therefore hope to quickly shorten the wait time to probate a will. During my tenure as Surrogate, I believe I have always had a good relationship with the Bar Association in Bergen County. In the meantime, I appreciate your patience and understanding. We are getting back to normal and will continue to provide the type of great service you are used to from the Bergen County Surrogate’s Court.

/s/ Michael R. Dressler
Bergen County Surrogate

 A request has been made by the Honorable Michael R. Dressler, Bergen County Surrogate to establish a list of those attorneys who would be willing to serve as the administrator of an Estate where the decedent died without next of kin. Where the Estate has little or no assets, the administration would be pro bono and would fulfill the pro bono requirement for attorneys in the State of New Jersey. Where the Estate has substantial assets, the administrator would be able to collect statutory commissions and legal fees as permitted by N.J.S.A. 3B:18-6. The Surrogate requests that any attorney interested in serving should communicate by either letter or email to be accompanied by their resume. The email address is [email protected]. 

We thank you for your service to the Bar Association and to the Bergen County Surrogate’s Court. 

May 15, 2022 marks the one year anniversary of the amendments to R. 4:86 requiring background screening for certain proposed guardians. Since the inception of the background screening requirement, Bergen County has filed in excess of 275 adult guardianship applications, with almost 50% requiring background screening for at least one proposed guardian.

The Bergen County Superior Court and the Bergen County Surrogate’s Court are experiencing difficulty with fingerprinting various proposed guardians, wherein the proposed guardian(s) fail to contact the Sheriff’s Department to schedule fingerprinting and/or fail to appear for their fingerprinting appointment(s) which were scheduled by the proposed guardian. This results in multiple adjournments to the detriment of the alleged incapacitated individual.

Follow up telephone calls or emails from the Court to proposed guardians with regard to same are met with a plethora of reasons as to why fingerprinting has not occurred. By way of example, and by no means an exhaustive list:

  • Proposed guardian was previously fingerprinted for another reason (ie. employment) and should not need to be fingerprinted
  • Proposed guardian works full time and cannot appear for fingerprinting during business hours
  • Proposed guardian is out of the country on business for several months
  • Proposed guardian refuses to provide Social Security Number required for background screening
  • Counsel failed to notify proposed guardian of requirement to be fingerprinted

At present, the Bergen Vicinage and the Bergen County Surrogate are both operating with a reduced staff and the continuous and repeated attempts to follow up with proposed guardians has been challenging, particularly when they are represented by counsel and should have been thoroughly advised as to the Court’s background screening policy.

We urge counsel to explain to proposed guardians that the requirement for background screening is mandated by the Administrative Office of the Courts, and failure to comply with the requirement in a timely manner will result in automatic disqualification of the proposed guardian.

Applications for adult guardianship that are not accompanied by Name/Address/Phone Number/Social Security Number/Date of Birth/and Email Address of proposed guardians will not be docketed until this information is provided.

Further, proposed guardians will be afforded sixty (60) days from the date of filing to complete background screening. Failure to do so will result in automatic disqualification of the proposed guardian(s) absent exigent circumstances. Notices will be sent to counsel and pro se litigants with signed Orders Fixing Hearing Date.

We ask that you recognize the seriousness of timely compliance in protecting the rights of Bergen County’s most vulnerable citizens and thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation.

/s/ Bonnie J. Mizdol, A.J.S.C. and Surrogate Michael R. Dressler Bergen County

May 5, 2022

As of August 2, 2021, the Bergen County Surrogate’s Court will reopen to the public. Appointments for probating and other court work as well as record researching are mandatory. Individuals without appointments will be required to leave the premises.

In order to arrange an appointment, please call 201-336-6700 and ask for an employee in the appropriate division. Read More

In an effort to expedite matters before the court during this public health emergency, we have decided to provide an alternative track for attorneys seeking to probate here in Bergen County. Attorneys may either pursue the established protocol of notarization via Webex or they may contact our office to have the requisite documents sent to their attention via e-mail so they may then take signatures from clients if they have the ability to proceed in that manner. This alternative track should work to our mutual advantage in mitigating turnaround time for everyone who is currently awaiting service.

BCSC-AlternativeTrackAttorneys.pdf

NOTICE TO THE BAR 

During these unprecedented times, we recognize the difficulty that practitioners face addressing client’s needs. In an effort to alleviate some of those difficulties for attorneys as well as pro se individuals, please be advised the Bergen County Surrogate Court’s website has been updated to include the forms for the Will Fact Sheet and Administration Fact Sheet. The produce for probate/administration, along with the newly uploaded forms, can be found at https://www.bergencountysurrogate.com . In the event you should have any questions, you are welcome contact our office for guidance.

We appreciate your patience as we work tirelessly to assist the public probate the estates of their loved ones.

Be well,

/s/ Michael R. Dressler,  Surrogate

Deputy Clerk, Superior Court

Chancery Division, Probate Part

Update from the Bergen County Surrogate’s Court.pdf

NOTICE TO THE BAR

May 13, 2020

The Bergen County Surrogate’s Court has extended electronic services to complete applications for appointment as Guardian of Minor’s Property resulting from a Friendly Hearing held in Superior Court. Electronic Services to complete the appointment shall take place on a limited basis on the first and third Friday afternoons of the month from 1:00 – 3:00pm.

To make application for appointment as guradian of a minor’s property, the guardians must provide a copy of the child’s birht certificate and social security card, both parents’ photo identification, name and address of any siblings, a valid email address and telephone number, proff of residence, a copy of any consents (if applicable), a copy of the court order entered at the time of the friendly hearing, and the processing fee. Upon receipt of same, an appointment will be made to take electronic signatures via Webex.

Be well,

/s/Michael R. Dressler, Surrogate

Deputy Clerk, Superior Court

Chancery Division, Probate Part

5/13/2020 Notice to the Bar.pdf

Due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the Office of the Bergen County Clerk will continue to remain closed to the public. However, we have been able to “keep the wheels turning” and carry out many of our functions due to the efforts, innovation and adaptability of my diligent staff.

Here is a current update concerning what the office has been able to accomplish under these challenging conditions:

  • REGISTRY DIVISION: The office continues to receive land record transactions by mail or electronically (E-Recording). Working with the Office of the County Executive, we have been able to distribute laptops to employees so that they can carry out these functions from home. Eleven employees are working to verify these processed documents in order to make them available to the public.
  • LAND RECORDS MANAGEMENT DIVISION: This division has continued to remain functional and open to title searchers on a very limited, rotational and secure basis. Following the approval of our request by the County Administrator on March 18, 2020, we initially permitted title searchers access from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. To further diminish any potential exposure, we are now strictly limiting the title searchers to alternating every other day during the same hours. Everyone is required to wear a face covering or mask. The searching area has been completely disinfected and title searchers’ stations are more than 10 feet apart.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

John Hogan (Bergen County Clerk) 201-336-7006, [email protected]

Steve Shong (Deputy Clerk) 201-336-7030, [email protected]

Carlos Soto (Supervisor of Land Records Management) [email protected]

Kathy Ciolko (Supervisor of E-Recording) [email protected]

Antoinette Kqira (Supervisor of Paper Processing) [email protected] 

CLERK’S OFFICE NOTIFICATION.pdf

Follow the link below and read the updated policy from the Supreme Court of New Jersey in regards to the required usage of facemasks when inside courthouses and court facilities. This notice effectively supersedes memos and supplements established on April 3rd and April 17th.

Memo – COVID-19 – Revised Policy on Masks and Face Coverings – As Signed – 05-08-20.pdf