Bookbinder Law is a Marlton elder law and estate planning practice serving Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, and Mercer counties, founded in 1996 by Dana E. Bookbinder, a Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation. The firm assists executors and families with probate and estate administration, special needs planning, and guardianships across South Jersey.
Probate in Mercer County
Probate Court Record
Mercer County Surrogate's Court
Mercer County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Office
Mercer County Civil Court House, 175 South Broad Street, 4th Floor, Room 420, Trenton, NJ 08608
Website
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Mercer County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Mercer County? →Settling an estate in Mercer County →
Probate Firms Serving Mercer County
Levine, Furman & Rubin serves Monmouth and Middlesex counties from its Morganville office, with a second office in Ocean County. The firm handles estate and trust administration, probate, guardianships, special needs planning, and Medicaid and elder law matters, in addition to wills and living trusts.
Giuditta Law Firm provides estate planning and probate services to families in Union County and throughout New Jersey. Founding attorney Nicholas A. Giuditta III brings 30 years of experience and co-chairs the Union County Bar Association Elder Law Committee.
Norris McLaughlin specializes in Estate Planning and Administration & Wealth Preservation with a 15-attorney practice group, serving clients throughout North and Central Jersey.
Rose & Zucker serves Hudson County from Bayonne, filing through the Hudson County Surrogate at 595 Newark Avenue in Jersey City, with a second office in Summit for Union and Essex County clients. The firm walks executors and successor trustees through probate and estate administration and pairs it with Medicaid applications, asset protection, and special needs planning.
Founded in 1926, Cole Schotz is a Hackensack-based firm serving Bergen County and the Mid-Atlantic. Its Tax, Trusts & Estates attorneys handle estate planning, estate and trust administration, and wealth transfer for high-net-worth individuals, executors, and trustees.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in New Jersey
Free New Jersey forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for New Jersey.
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Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Last Will and Testament
In New Jersey, a will is signed before 2N.J.S.A. 3B:3-2Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyN.J.S.A. 3B:3-2Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in New Jersey
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in New Jersey: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for New Jersey.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in New Jersey costs an estimated $35,885R. 4:42-9(a)(3) (counsel fee out of the estate); R. 4:42-9(b) (affidavit of services; RPC 1.5(a) factors; no statutory percentage); N.J.S.A. 3B:18-6 (attorney serving as fiduciary)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.4%Modeled estimate under R. 4:42-9(a)(3) (counsel fee out of the estate); R. 4:42-9(b) (affidavit of services; RPC 1.5(a) factors; no statutory percentage); N.J.S.A. 3B:18-6 (attorney serving as fiduciary): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.9%Modeled estimate under R. 4:42-9(a)(3) (counsel fee out of the estate); R. 4:42-9(b) (affidavit of services; RPC 1.5(a) factors; no statutory percentage); N.J.S.A. 3B:18-6 (attorney serving as fiduciary): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in New Jersey: creditors have 9 monthsN.J.S.A. 3B:22-2, 3B:22-4, 3B:22-8, 3B:22-10, 3B:22-33Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
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How Much Can an Executor Charge?
New Jersey sets executor compensation by statute — about $20,500 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 4.1%N.J.S.A. 3B:18-14Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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Do I Need Probate?
In New Jersey, estates valued at $20,000N.J.S.A. 3B:10-3Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less use the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse or Next of KinN.J.S.A. 3B:10-3Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, a court filing short of full probate.
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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In New Jersey, the 9 monthsN.J.S.A. 3B:22-4Verified Sep 8, 2026View source period after the date of death protects a representative who distributes after it; late claims can still reach undistributed assets.
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Can I Self-File Probate?
New Jersey has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not availableN.J.S.A. 3B:3-17, 3B:3-19; 2B:14-1 (Surrogate is the Judge and Clerk of the Surrogate's Court — no non-judicial/registrar track)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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