Guardian Ad Litem

A Guardian ad Litem is a person appointed by the court to protect and represent the interests of one incapable of acting on his or her own behalf, such as a child or incompetent person. The laws of Washington require that each court establish a registry of preapproved guardians ad litem for each case type. The following is a summary of Kittitas County procedures for the appointment of guardians ad litem.

• RCW 11.88.090(3)(a), alleged incapacity, guardian ad litems will be appointed from the registry of those individuals preapproved to serve in such cases.
• RCW 13.34.100, juvenile dependency cases. Guardian ad litems appointed are volunteer CASAs from the Kittitas County CASA/GAL Program.
• RCW 26.12.175, domestic relations. Guardian ad litems are appointed from the registry of those individuals preapproved to serve in such cases. The parties should contact the Superior Court Administrator to obtain a guardian ad litem.
• Settlement GALs - civil matters. This list is NOT a rotational registry, but rather a list of Kittitas County attorneys who have indicated an interest in serving as guardian ad litem in civil matters requiring a settlement GAL.
• RCW 11.88 Guardian ad litem Registry: contact the Court Administrator.