Guardian ad Litem: Advocating for the Best Interests of the Child
Hi, my name is Palmer Johnson. I’m a family lawyer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and today I’m going to answer the question, what’s a guardian ad litem, or a lot of people might refer to it just as a G-A-L in a case, and when might that be useful?
So a guardian ad litem is a neutral third party that’s going to advocate for the objective best interest of, in most cases in a family law matter, the child, and so it’s typically another attorney that is trained to be able to interview the parties in a very specific way, an unbiased way, to try to gather information about what’s going on.
When Might a Guardian Ad Litem Be Useful?
A GAL is a really useful tool in high conflict cases or cases where maybe the kids are a little older and they’re expressing a preference, or one parent believes that they’re going to express a preference to live with one parent over another.
On the flip side, maybe if the kids are very young and we think one parent is perhaps trying to engage in activities that tend to alienate one parent from the children, a GAL can provide valuable information as an officer of the court, increasing credibility.
Interested in Learning More About Guardian Ad Litems?
If you want to learn more about GALs and other family law topics, you can check out the website, moms.law, or call 918-770-7117 to schedule a low-cost consultation with a child custody lawyer for moms in Tulsa, OK. Tulsa Moms.Law is here to help you navigate through your family law matters.