A “guardian ad litem” (GAL) is a person the court appoints to investigate what solutions would be in the “best interests of a child.” Here, we are talking about a GAL in a divorce or parental rights and responsibilities case. The GAL will look into the family situation and advise the court on things like:
where the children should live most of the time
whether the child is being harmed by a parent’s substance abuse
what contact the child should have with a parent