Somerset County Deputy Surrogate to Speak

Is your will in order? Are you familiar with what should be included in an estate plan? To answer these questions, Somerset County Deputy Surrogate Stanley Layton will speak at Bernardsville Public Library on Thursday, September 22 at 10:30 am. He will give an overview of issues that are important to know, particularly what to expect when probating a will in Somerset County, and he will also touch on the preservation of important papers as related to estate administration. Finally, he will highlight recent changes in the law and bank practices.

This program is part of the Library’s Community Assistance Resource and Educational Services (CARES) program, a locally administered umbrella program that delivers informational sessions pertaining to local, county, state and federal programs from subject matter experts.

Mr. Layton has been Somerset County Deputy Surrogate since 1995. A graduate of the University of Utah, he attended New York Law School and then worked as an associate with the law firm of Woolson Guterl Sutphen and Anderson in Somerville. He was a solo practitioner in Somerville from 1990 to 1995 before moving to the Surrogate’s office.

The duties of the Surrogate Office include the probate of wills; appointment of estate administrators; appointment of guardians of minors; acting as Deputy Clerk to the Superior Court of New Jersey in contested probate actions; and the processing of adoptions. In addition, the Surrogate is responsible for recording and preserving records of the proceedings in the Surrogate’s Court and making those records available to the public.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.