A guardian ad litem is one that is appointed to make certain that a child’s interests are represented–usually when the child is sued. The guardian ad litem does not take custody of the child and does not control the child’s finances or estate they may have inherited.
But if the child is sued–most often because they inherited something via a deceased parent–and they have no one to represent them in court, the guardian ad litem will serve that purpose.
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We have Guardians ad Litem today, often to be the voice of a child involved in the court system due to abuse or neglect. They are often volunteers…some states refer to the program as CASA. I’ve been a volunteer GAL for over 30 yrs. So it’s the same term, but often a different function now. In the case of your example, an actual attorney would be appointed…at least now.
That’s really good of you to volunteer to do that.
Back in the day, guardians ad litem were often attorneys in the situations mentioned were usually attorneys, or at the very least someone well versed in the law.