Understanding Guardians Ad Litem
Hi, I’m Clint Hastings. I’m an attorney here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I focus on father’s rights. Today, I want to talk to you about what’s called a guardian ad litem. Sometimes they are called GALs or gals, even I’ve heard them called. They are attorneys that you can get involved in your case to represent your children and advocate for what they find to be in the best interest of your children.
So the question of whether that would be good for your case depends on whether they’re on your side or not. Again, they represent the children. They’re taking an objective view of what is best for your children in the case, and they make recommendations to the judge as to what that is. They will make recommendations to the attorneys for the parties as to what that is.
Factors to Consider
And of course, it would help if they’re on your side, right? But if they’re not, if they’re on your wife’s side, then it won’t help. It will hurt. Sometimes they’re somewhat biased, sometimes not even on purpose, but they just seem to be biased one direction or the other. In that instance, of course, it is not helpful, and you’ll regret that you got them involved. But a lot of the times, they are the key to your case.
You can get them involved. They see it your way. They make recommendations to the court, and it helps you get the desired outcome. Cost can be a factor. Sometimes guardians ad litem can be a little expensive, depending on how complex the case. They go out and do field trips to the party’s residences, and will interview the parties and the children and look at the homes and the health and safety of them.
Consultation Available
I hope this helps. This is an issue you definitely want to discuss with your attorney. With the specifics of your case in mind, there is not a general blanket answer to this. You need to look at all the circumstances in your case to see if it’s a good idea or not. Let us know if you have other questions. Visit us at our website, Dads.Law. Maybe we’ll make a video about it.
