The below article pretty much contradicts several previous articles that have appeared in the CT Law Tribune and elsewhere stating the GALs were refusing to take on these cases because they are terrified of rabid family court reformers. Clearly, those reports were greatly exaggerated if not false, or there are so many highly qualified and greedy individuals ready to replace the ones who leave the field that it hardly matters. Be that as it may, see below:
MICHELLE TUCCITTO SULLO of The CT Law Tribune reports as follows:
"Any attorneys who would like to add guardian ad litem work to their practice need to undergo training first, but the state hasn't offered it in two years and no new trainings are scheduled.
Attorney Tracey Russo, who has an office in Orange, said she would like to be a GAL, and has been trying unsuccessfully to take the required training class for about three years. A GAL represents the interests of children in family court matters, including custody, care, support, education and visitation.
"I think parents are looking for there to be more guardians ad litem to choose from," Russo said. "I have been trying to do this for years. If you are going to require training, you should have training at reasonable intervals..."
Read more:
Attorney Tracey Russo, who has an office in Orange, said she would like to be a GAL, and has been trying unsuccessfully to take the required training class for about three years. A GAL represents the interests of children in family court matters, including custody, care, support, education and visitation.
"I think parents are looking for there to be more guardians ad litem to choose from," Russo said. "I have been trying to do this for years. If you are going to require training, you should have training at reasonable intervals..."
Read more:
http://www.ctlawtribune.com/id=1202743088535/Court-System-Puts-Guardian-Ad-Litem-Training-Sessions-on-Hold#ixzz3t0r7roKB
All this does is freeze the current GAL/AMC pool to include the worst of the worst who were close to the judges and helped create this mess in the first place. To summarize, this is what happened: The Family Court judges formed a trade group (the AFCC) with the worst parts of the divorce industry. The judges then appointed their favorite to something called the Family Commission (which should have been named the Divorce Industry Profit Maximization Coalition). The Family Commission decided to amend the Practice Book to require GALs and AMCs to undergo training that it thought would deter entry from lower-cost GALs and maximize profits. So they passed a rule mandating training which was provided (of course) by the AFCC and certain members of the Family Commission. Then the eliminated the training so that only the AFCC/FC cronies could get appointments. So if you're a great lawyer who wants to help families, you're never going to be even eligible for an appointment as GAL or AMC. The Family Court judges and AFCC have given themselves a monopoly, and the Judicial Branch has made it clear it is going to enforce it.
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