Camden County Guardianship Lawyer

Dedicated Camden County Guardianship Attorney

When Someone You Love in Camden County Can No Longer Decide Alone

Your child’s 18th birthday means something different when they have a developmental disability.

Everyone else sees a milestone. You see the day the law stops letting you speak for them, even though what they need has not changed at all.

Or it could be your spouse, or another adult you love, recovering from an illness or injury that came out of nowhere, and suddenly you are locked out of decisions the two of you always made together.

This is where a Camden County guardianship lawyer can help you figure out what comes next, one step at a time.

Richard Klauber has spent decades on New Jersey family matters as a trained, court-approved civil mediator. That background is especially useful when relatives disagree about who should be named guardian, and it also helps when the judge wants to see a workable plan in place.

Weisberg & Klauber, LLC represents families in guardianship cases throughout New Jersey, including in Camden County courts, with offices in Ocean Township and New Brunswick.

Contact us and tell us who you are trying to protect.

We guide you from the first filing at the Camden County Surrogate’s Court through the hearing that puts your legal authority in writing.

Guardianship Matters We Handle for Camden County Families

We represent Camden County families through every type of adult guardianship New Jersey courts recognize, including:

• General guardianship of the person and estate: full authority over medical, residential, and financial decisions for an adult who cannot manage those decisions on their own.
• Limited guardianship: built for a young adult with a developmental disability who can still make some decisions, so the court only removes the rights they truly cannot exercise safely.
• Guardianship for aging parents: cases involving dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or a stroke that has left a parent unable to manage money or medical care.
• Temporary and emergency guardianship: urgent situations where a family member needs decision-making authority before a full hearing can be scheduled.
• Guardianship transitions at age 18: planning that starts before your child ages out of school-based services and into adult decision-making.

Not sure which of these fits your family’s situation? Contact us, and we can talk through the details together.

What Happens in New Jersey Without a Court-Appointed Guardian

Turning 18 does not just end pediatric care. It ends your legal right to see a hospital chart, sign a lease, or stop someone from taking out a loan in your child’s name, even if you have raised that child every day of their life.

For an aging parent, the same rule applies. Privacy and banking rules meant to safeguard your mother can just as easily lock you out of the information you need to help her.

New Jersey lets a court restore the specific authority a family needs, through what the law calls a limited guardianship, so a judge can name specific decisions you may make instead of taking every right away (N.J.S.A. 3B:12-24.1).

If no one steps in, a bank, a hospital, or a school ends up making decisions no family member ever agreed to.

Filing Your Guardianship Case: From the Camden County Surrogate to the Courthouse on 5th Street

A Camden County guardianship case starts with paperwork, not a courtroom.

Your attorney files the initial guardianship complaint through the Camden County Surrogate’s Court at 509 Lakeland Road in Blackwood, along with certifications from two physicians, or one physician and one psychologist, each of whom must have examined your family member within the past 30 days.

From there, the case moves to the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Probate Part, which sits at the Camden County Hall of Justice at 101 South 5th Street in Camden.

The judge appoints an attorney to represent your family member’s own wishes, under the process set out in Court Rule 4:86, and in most cases your family member has the right to appear at the hearing unless a doctor certifies they cannot.

FAQs About Camden County Guardianship Laws

What happens at my first court date for a Camden County guardianship case?

Your family member’s court-appointed attorney reports back to the judge on their wishes, and if no one contests the case, the judge can sign the guardianship order at that first hearing.

We help you understand what a judge is likely to ask before you ever step into the courtroom.

Do I file at the Camden County Surrogate’s Court or the Superior Court?

Both. The case starts at the Camden County Surrogate’s Court on Lakeland Road, and once the paperwork is complete it moves to the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Probate Part at the Hall of Justice on 5th Street. We can manage that handoff so you are not the one tracking down which office needs which form.

What is a limited guardianship, and is it right for my adult child with special needs?

A limited guardianship lets the judge name only the specific decisions your child cannot safely make alone, such as major medical choices, while your child keeps every right they can still exercise. Most families of an adult with a developmental disability start here rather than a full guardianship.

How long does a New Jersey guardianship case take?

An uncontested case can be resolved in a matter of months once both physician certifications are complete. A contested case, where a family member disagrees about who should be named guardian, takes longer because the court needs a full hearing to sort it out.

What happens if my family disagrees about who should be guardian?

The case becomes contested, and the court schedules a full hearing to resolve it. Richard Klauber is a trained, court-approved civil mediator, so negotiating an agreement between family members before the hearing is often possible.

What does a Camden County guardianship case cost?

Cost depends on whether the case is contested and how quickly physician certifications and other documents come together. We give you a clear number after reviewing your family’s situation.

If you still have questions after reading this, that is what a consultation is for.

Talk to a Camden County Guardianship Lawyer About Your Family’s Next Step

You do not have to figure out Camden County’s guardianship process by reading statutes at midnight. Contact Weisberg & Klauber, LLC to schedule a confidential consultation. We will explain what New Jersey law requires and what the court may expect, so you know what it takes to seek the legal authority to protect your family member.