GUARDIAN AD LITEM · §§61.401-405, FLA. STAT.
A voice for your child in court.
When the court appoints a Guardian ad Litem, the judge wants an independent voice for your child's best interest — separate from either parent's attorney, separate from either parent.
What a Guardian ad Litem is.
If the court has appointed a Guardian ad Litem in your case, it means the judge has determined the children would benefit from an independent advocate — someone whose only job is to look out for their best interest while the parents work through their dispute.
The GAL is not a lawyer for either parent, and not a lawyer for the child. The role is created by Florida Statutes §§61.401-405. Once appointed, the GAL becomes a party to the case with continuing duty until the court issues a final order.
A Guardian ad Litem isn't there to choose sides. The role exists so the child has someone whose only loyalty is to them.
WHAT I DO
What I do as your child's GAL.
Get to know your child — at home, sometimes at school, always at a pace that's age-appropriate.
Visit each parent's home and observe the routines and environment your child moves between.
Talk with the people who know your child well — teachers, pediatricians, therapists, coaches.
Read the records the court has gathered — pleadings, school records, medical and behavioral health files.
File a written report and recommendations to the court, framed around the §61.13(3) best-interest factors.
Attend hearings, mediations, and depositions when the case calls for it.
What this is — and isn't.
This role IS
Advocacy for your child's best interest, independent of either parent.
An investigation — interviews, observations, records, collateral conversations.
A continuing presence until the case is resolved.
Statute-anchored, with confidentiality protections under §61.404.
This role IS NOT
A lawyer for either parent — or for the child.
Therapy, counseling, or family treatment.
A neutral mediator — recommendations are made, when the evidence supports them.
A vehicle for one parent to gather information against the other.
WHAT I BRING
What I bring to your child's case.
Many GALs come from legal backgrounds. The inclusion of a Licensed Mental Health Counselor offers something distinct.
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What a four-year-old needs is different from what a fourteen-year-old needs. The work meets each child where they are.
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A clinical eye for anxiety, attachment, trauma response, and patterns of regulation — in children and in parents.
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The dynamics that show up in court are usually patterns the family has been running for years. Naming them helps.
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More than a decade of in-home and school-based work with families in crisis — long before any courthouse.
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Translating what is observed into a recommendation about the child's well-being — not which parent is "winning."
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CAMS-certified in suicide assessment and stabilization. When a case takes a sharp turn, the work doesn't stop.
How you can help the process.
Be honest, even about the hard things. If something happened, it'll surface eventually. Better to surface it on your terms.
Bring documents to the first meeting. School reports, medical records, evaluations, prior orders, anything you think tells the story.
Don't coach your kids. Children read their parents like the weather; they'll feel the pressure even if you don't say a word.
Keep the case out of conversations they don't need to be in. The most powerful thing you can do for your child during this is protect them from the litigation, not fold them into it.
What to expect on timing.
Most GAL engagements run 8 to 14 weeks from the time we begin to the time the report is filed. Complex cases — high conflict, multiple children, relocation, substantial document volume — can run longer. After the first reading of the file, I'll give you a specific estimate.
Let’s get started
Change begins with one simple conversation. Whether you're navigating a court order, preparing your firm for the next case, or somewhere in between — I'm here to help.