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THE GAL Boondoggle

GALs are essentially a scam to get more money from divorcing parents while spreading liability to others. Judges appoint their friends and buddies and the get paid the rates of lawyers when there is no certification or requirement of any kind (in Massachusetts and little elsewhere).

They often issue reports with what the judge wants to see, or no opinion at all. Which is appropriate since they generally have no professional qualifications at all to offer and "expert opinion" - which should be the only opinions offered to a judge by outsiders in any real court of law. A non expert opinion is just speculation and should be inadmissible.

Always object to the appointment of a GAL, as the concept that this unqualified outsider can know what is best for your child, over the parents who have raised her or her is absurd.

THERE ARE MANY STORIES LIKE THIS:

I also used the services of a GAL, and also channeled a good chunk of cash ensuring that this person could make a nice living. 

 

Here is the main lesson I learned, which in retrospect is obvious:

 

Persons that do GAL work as a profession have a personal interest in complying with what is "expected" from them. This personal interest is at odd with the search of truth, and the integrity that the job would require.

 

For instance the very first question that my GAL asked me was "do you know what the judge wants from me?" - which I found at the time was a most amazing question, asked with the most amazing bluntness. She assumed then that I was privy of the intention of the judge because I had been the entity asking for a GAL.

 

She quickly understood what the situation was and turned out to be biased against me. (Just after her nomination by the court I had done a search on google on her name, and had found a man that had been working with her - and who had warned me of her bias. But by that time there was not much I could do.)

 

The big lesson is thus: if one is to seek the services of a GAL, ensure as much as possible that the GAL be selected from a list of independent candidates offered by you. (e.g., a list of independent psychologists, that are otherwise earning a good living.) Getting a GAL appointed by the court rarely leads to a fair result.

 

-Isaac

Another Story:
The judge in Greenfield ordered two GALs in my case in the past five years, and never read either of them.

-- So tell me this is not just a scam to appoint high paying jobs to judges cronies.

The memo #!$14 has been scanned by BJ for all to see.  Barb,   I love it!

For you who can't figure out what to do with it,  ATTACH IT TO YOUR MOTIONS
when any GAL FEE MOTIONS are discussed as EXHIBIT #1. 
And be sure to send any overcharging GAL a copy as well.  Then take the GAL
to small claims court and try to recover your overcharges.
Justice John J. Irwin, Jr.'s 
Infamous Memo re 
Guardian Ad Litem Fees* 
Dated 28 February 1997, still in effect, orders Probate & Family Court judges 
to assess parties for GAL fees 

Section 4(a) below is the operative section.  All the G.A.L.s provide services on behalf of the court, thereby making the parties  pay the G.A.L. fees is in violation of the statute and therefore unlawful.  The memo should be made ineffective, and restitution should be made to all parties forced to pay the G.A.L. fees. 

falseallegations.com suspects that the state coffers were low and the judiciary wanted a larger budget. (The judiciary wants more $$$ every year.)   In 1995, Governor Weld was making his bid for the 1996 election and the use of GALs increased by 35 percent during that year.  He had to make it look like there was more money in the Massachusetts till in the Treasury Department than there was.   He probably struck a deal with Irwin, who had just become Chief Justice for Administration and Management: Save us $$$millions in GAL fees and we'll give you a larger budget.  I've asked a Boston Globe reporter to check what the budget for the judiciary was in each of the years since 1995.   It's the Woodward & Bernstein approach: FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!!

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