1. The work of GALs and AMCs reduces conflict and keeps the cost of cases down.
There are approximately 11,000 post judgment cases each year where litigants return to court because they are dissatisfied with the agreements in their cases. That is approximately 1/3 of the cases settled each year. These numbers do not represent a success rate. Further, the GAL is supposed to consider in their "analysis" information gleaned from third party sources such as school records, medical providers, and law enforcement, GALs often do no or little "research" into the real cause of the parental conflict - this failure seems to benefit the GAL financially, as they are able to keep the case going by covering up abusive behavior and pretending both parties are the reason for ongoing conflict.
