Statutes, codes, and regulations
Wyoming Administrative Code
Agency 008 - Public Defenders, StateSubagency 0001 - Guardian Ad Litem Program
Chapter 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 1-8 - Program administration

008-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-8

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Current through April 27, 2019
Section 1-8 - Program administration

(a) The Office shall provide necessary administrative support and oversight for the Program. The Program Deputy Director, any supervisory attorney guardians ad litem, and the Permanency Attorney are authorized and may attend all proceedings in an action, including closed proceedings, to assess performance, oversee, or assist an attorney guardian ad litem, unless a conflict of interest exists.

(b) The Office shall require any attorney who seeks to contract with or be employed by the Office for legal representation of children as a guardian ad litem to meet the standards for guardians ad litem established by the Office, the Program and the Program Deputy Director.

(c) The Office shall, in its discretion, set standard fee schedules for guardian ad litem services.

(d) The Program and the Program Deputy Director shall ensure that the attorney guardians' ad litem advice remains independent of private providers and the judicial system and, pursuant to Wyoming Statutes, that their recommendations consider cost impacts and savings to the state of Wyoming.

(e) Utilizing Program staff and supervising attorneys in each Program District, the Program will find a guardian ad litem available to take a new case and appear at the shelter care/detention hearing, upon notice from the Judge or County/District Attorney.

  • (i) If the court appoints the Program as the representative guardian ad litem, the Program, and therefore the Program Deputy Director, is the "attorney of record" and the Program shall assign the case to a guardian ad litem.
  • (ii) Any attorney appointed by the court, outside of the Program Deputy Director and not on the Program's Panel, will not be reimbursed or compensated by the Office.
  • (iii) Nothing herein precludes the Program from appointing the University of Wyoming College of Law Clinics to a case. The clinic students serve as GALs under the direct supervision of a faculty supervisor and do not charge legal fees for their services.

(f) The Office and the Program shall establish joint protocols/policies to determine and resolve conflicts of interest. These protocols shall ensure that the Program will be, and will remain, separate and distinct from the Public Defender's Criminal Defense and Juvenile Delinquency division(s), whose functions are outlined in the Public Defender Act (WYO. STAT. ANN. § § 7-6-101 et. seq).

(g) The Office may negotiate and enter into contracts or memoranda of understanding with any individual or entity as necessary or convenient to facilitate the Office's duties under this Program and to adequately and sufficiently maintain, operate, and administer the Program.

(h) Each GAL on the GAL Panel will be evaluated yearly by the Program Deputy Director, the District Court Judges before whom they regularly appear, and any other stakeholders the Program may identify. Said evaluations will be considered when renewing contracts each year.

(i) The State Legislature has appropriated general fund monies to the Office each biennium for administration and operation of the Program. This appropriation shall only be expended for the purpose of administering the Program and providing GAL legal services to clients. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert at the end of each biennium as provided by law. A request for this appropriation shall be included in the Office's standard biennial budget requests.

008-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-8