Utah Office of Guardian Ad Litem
Utah Administrative Office of the Courts
450 S. State St. N31
P.O. Box 140241
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-0241
Telephone: (801) 238-7861
Fax: (801) 578-3843
Website: www.utcourts.gov/specproj/galcasa.htm
100% Children's Law
Does Use Volunteer Attorneys
The Utah Office of Guardian ad Litem was established in 1994 as an arm of the Utah Administrative Office of the Courts, under the authority of the Utah Judicial Council. An Oversight Committee was established by the Judicial Council in 2006 to better ensure the independence and effectiveness of the Office in representing the best interests of the children within the court's jurisdiction. The Office of Guardian ad Litem is appointed by the State District and Juvenile Courts to represent children who are the subject of allegations of abuse, neglect, or dependency in all districts and venues state-wide. Over 40 attorneys are employed by the Office, including the Director, an appeals specialist, and training specialist. The Office also employs one investigator and one clinical psychologist, and assigns volunteer CASAs to assist with cases. Twelve separate offices currently exist within the seven judicial districts.
The office also trains, certifies and assigns private attorneys who may be ordered by the District Courts to represent children in high-conflict divorce cases, involving issues of custody or parent-time. The attorneys involved in this Private Attorney Guardian ad Litem program are either paid directly by the parties to a case (often pursuant to a Court order) or may accept assignment to a case pro bono.