The Money pit that is Guardian ad litem fees and invoices

Those who work in the Guardian ad litem industry, live in an extremely unusual, court-protected, economic world. Once they are appointed to a case by the court, they have a well-paid, court-protected cushy job. For the most part they charge between $100 to $200 per hour on average. They ask for a substantial cash advance of two or more thousand dollars before they start, which means that they are paid for services in advance. They are very hard to remove from a case, once started. Even if clients try to remove them, their continuance under client protest is virtually insured in court by the well-worn mantra, “in the child’s best interest”. While many do detailed monthly invoices; many do not. Nor are they under any obligation to itemize the activities for which they charge, if it is “not in the child’s best interest”. Billing clients by GALs  is strictly a matter of do your own thing. It is a consumer protection nightmare to say the least. There is no consumer protection.

Full story: and Justice for all