GA - Augusta courts respond to complaints against guardians ad litem

FOX6 WBRC

AUGUSTA, GA (WFXG) -

There's a new set of rules designed to help clear up problems in the Augusta Judicial Circuit's guardian ad litem system.

Tom Allgood, an attorney and one of the authors of the new rules and application process, said the changes started several months ago and took several re-drafts. The new rules are designed to keep a closer eye on the guardian ad litem system.

"It just got to be too cumbersome," Allgood said.

Judges making their own rules, guardians charging clients what they felt was fair, and some guardians taking on way more cases than others.

These were just some of the reasons for a 13-page comprehensive overhaul changing the guidelines and application process to become a guardian ad litem for the Augusta Judicial Circuit.

"All the judges had their own rules, and they had ways, or methods, but they each approved guardians for use or assignment in their cases individually," Allgood said. "It was just decided that we could better use this resource if we drafted some rules and guidelines that applied to every guardian assigning cases by any judge."

WFXG was the first to investigate allegations against Janet Weinberger and complaints about her billing practices.

Now, nearly six months after our story aired, new rules and bylaws are being drafted.

Full Story: FOX6 WBRC

GA - Augusta guardian ad litem program overhauled

While this is a step in the right direction the problem with this overhaul is that there appears no concerned citizens or parents who have faced the Family Court system were asked for their opinion. So we have lawyers developing new policies to control and provide "oversight" of Guardians ad litem. Concerned citizens and parents are left out of the process - because they are left out - a broken process remains broken. Just overhauled.

The Augusta Chronicle

The Augusta Judicial Circuit overhauled its guardian ad litem program last month, adopting new policies to contain growing outrage from families who say inexperienced child-custody evaluators are over billing them in court.

The new guidelines – written by the executive committee of the Augusta Bar Association’s Family Law Section – significantly revise billing, training and professional-conduct policies to provide general oversight and accountability for guardians, said Superior Court Judge Michael Annis.

According to updated rules, guardians cannot exceed $500 in fees on any case unless authorized by a judge, and must provide invoices that include a brief description of all charges, payments and credits to date to both parties and their attorneys each month.

Full story: The Augusta Chronicle