Sept. 15, 2010 – “This book delivers exactly what the title promises: a handbook for guardians ad litem,” so observes one Wisconsin attorney in a review of the third edition of The Guardian ad Litem Handbook.

PINNACLE™ has just issued the latest supplement to this one-of-a-kind reference devoted exclusively to the role of the guardian ad litem (GAL) in Wisconsin. This comprehensive handbook examines the role of the GAL, explains how to obtain appointments as a GAL, and provides step-by-step directions for the GAL in various types of proceedings, including family, juvenile, guardianship, protective services and protective placement, probate, and personal-injury cases. The book’s author-drafted forms and sample letters are ready to use in an included CD-ROM, which also provides Internet links to those mandatory court forms reprinted in the book.

The 2010 supplement updates topical discussions throughout the book to reflect recent legislative developments, including:

• the creation of major restrictions on the possession of firearms by individuals subject to orders for guardianship, protective placement, or mental commitment;
• Wisconsin’s codification of the Indian Child Welfare Act; and
• the creation of a new procedure for same-sex couples to formally register as domestic partners, entitling them to various rights similar to those of spouses.

The new supplement also analyzes recent Wisconsin appellate court decisions, which have addressed topics such as:

• the professional relationship between the GAL and the advocacy counsel in proceedings after the court has appointed a guardian for a ward;
• the appropriateness of appointing an attorney as GAL for a child in a paternity proceeding after that attorney has been appointed as GAL for that child in a divorce action involving the same parties; and
• considerations for terminating a protective placement of an individual placed in a facility with fewer than 16 beds, when the individual does not object to the placement.

The handbook also updates the listing of statewide disability organizations and related resources.

The Guardian ad Litem Handbook reflects the valuable contributions of both attorney and nonattorney authors, who share their extensive expertise involving children, elderly persons, and persons with disabilities, thus providing practical information not only for handling the legal issues that may arise for an attorney appointed as a GAL but also for understanding the human side of a case. Those authors – Joan N. Alschuler, Richard J. Auerbach, Rachel L.L. Caplan, Roy W. Froemming, Thomas R. Glowacki, Dianne Greenley, Mitchell Hagopian, James R. Jansen, Kristin Kerschensteiner, Marlene A. Porter, and Gretchen Viney – present insightful discussions about the typical characteristics of children, elderly persons, and disabled adults as well as helpful techniques for GALs to use in interviewing clients.

The Guardian ad Litem Handbook is available to State Bar members for $155. Purchasers who subscribe to the State Bar of Wisconsin’s automatic supplementation service will receive future updates for 10 percent off the regular update price. This title is also available to members in an electronic format as part of the State Bar’s online library, Books UnBound™, for $129 for a one-year subscription. (This online title is automatically available to Books UnBound™ subscribers who already have subscriptions to the full Books UnBound™ library.)

To order this handbook, or for more information, contact the State Bar at (800) 728-7788 or (608) 257-3838.