A Trusted Guardian Ad Litem In The Atlanta Metro Area
The role of a guardian ad litem is an important one, particularly in child custody matters. Put simply, a guardian ad litem (GAL) is a lawyer whose job is to protect the interests of a minor in court proceedings. In a contested custody case, it is the GAL’s job to provide a fair and thorough assessment to help the court make custody decisions in the best interests of children.
Our firm’s founding attorney, Lani Skipper, is a guardian ad litem known throughout the Atlanta metro area for her impartiality, her good relationship with judges, her fairness and her thorough preparation in making recommendations.
How Are Guardians Ad Litem Assignments Made?
There are three ways a GAL can become involved in a case:
- Appointment by a judge
- Suggested by one party and approved by both parties
- Requested by one party and approved by a judge
The process is generally easiest if both parents can agree on a guardian ad litem without court intervention.
Why Choose Lani Skipper?
Attorney Lani Skipper has a long record as a legal advocate for young people. Throughout her career, Ms. Skipper has looked after the legal interests of children, including as a Guardian Ad Litem in superior court actions. She also serves part time as an associate juvenile court judge for the Paulding Judicial Circuit and has acted as a judge pro tem for the same circuit. In these roles, she has presided over hearings concerning delinquent matters, dependency matters, contempt and related cases concerning children’s rights and interests.
If you are considering working with Ms. Skipper, you can rest assured that her custody evaluations are fair and thorough, with no bias shown toward either mothers or fathers. Her sole interest is the well-being of your children.
How Does The Process Work?
As a guardian ad litem, the court is asking you to investigate the case more thoroughly than the court could on its own. Ms. Skipper starts by talking face-to-face with both parents and having them fill out a questionnaire that can be found here:
Guardian ad litem questionnaire
Next, she schedules home visits with the kids, she talks to the children and contacts references provided by parents. She even talks to teachers, family doctors and other professionals who would be able to provide important perspective on the children’s health and well-being.
Finally, Ms. Skipper writes a thorough recommendation to the court based on her extensive research. While judges can choose to disregard the recommendations of a guardian ad litem, this has never happened in the more than 20 years that Ms. Skipper has been in practice. She has cultivated a reputation for honest, thorough and impartial reporting in the best interests of children.
Contact The Firm To Learn More
Based in Dallas, Georgia, Skipper Law, LLC, serves clients throughout the Atlanta metro area. If you want to hire Lani Skipper as a guardian ad litem or want to discuss any other family law issue, call us at 770-693-0644, or send us an email.