Legal Definitions - surrogate

A surrogate is a person who acts on behalf of someone else or takes their place. For example, a woman who carries a baby for another woman who cannot have a baby is called a surrogate mother.

In some states in the United States, a person who is responsible for granting legal documents like administrative letters in probates, estates, and adoption cases is called a surrogate officer.

For instance, if a woman cannot have a baby, she may ask her sister to be a surrogate mother. The sister will carry the baby for her sister and give birth to the baby. This is an example of a surrogate mother.

Another example is when a person dies, and their family needs to settle their estate. The surrogate officer will help them with the legal documents they need to do this. This is an example of a surrogate officer.