Attorney Anne V. Alper, Esquire, has been designated as a Guardian ad Litem by the Courts in South Florida in thousands of cases. Thousands.
Having worked as an attorney for the Broward County Office of Guardian ad Litem in 1996, then, working in her private practice, Ms. Alper has been able to utilize her skills in the areas of psychology and the law and meet with children who need her assistance.
A Guardian ad Litem in family has different duties than one assigned in the area of Dependency Law (Foster Care, for instance), and still different from a Guardian ad Litem in the area of Criminal Law.
As a private Court appointed Guardian ad Litem for a child in family law, Ms. Alper is paid by the children’s parent or parents in order to investigate the family situation and then report back to the parents and their attorneys and, if required, present a report to the Court.
In today’s world, where Court related pleadings are available to the public, it is important for the person who is the Guardian ad Litem in your case to ensure that the child’s needs are met both inside and outside of the courtroom.
When Ms. Alper is assessing a family and making recommendations to promote the best interests of the minor child involved, she will look at many factors including:
- Which parent is more likely to encourage the parent child relationship between the parent that is not present with the child at that time? For example, when the child is with his mother, does SHE make sure that the child calls his father? Does SHE make sure that the child has a photo of his Dad up in his bedroom? When that same child is with his father, does that father make sure that the child calls his mother? Does HE make sure that there is a photo of Mom up in the child’s room?
- How far do the parents live away from one another and how effective is their communication with each other about the children?
- How long has that child lived in the parent’s home as the primary residence and will it make the child feel more comfortable to remain in that home during the transition phase?
- How old is that child? Is she a toddler? A teen? Someone just about ready to leave for college? What is her opinion of where she would feel more secure and comfortable? Does this opinion change over time or does it remain the same? Does this opinion change based on where she is staying at the time?
- What special needs does that child have and who can better meet those needs? Who primarily met those needs before and who is doing it now?
- Is one parent more emotionally needy than the other, and, if so, is that parent getting the assistance that they need to effectively parent?
This is an example of the many issues that go into making a decision about a child’s needs. Anne V. Alper, Esquire, is available through agreement of the parties to assist in the Parenting Plan for their children, for acting as the Guardian ad Litem of the children or to simply meet with the family (with the Court’s Order), to ensure that the children’s needs are met.
For this particular service, please have your attorney contact Anne V. Alper, Attorney at Law.
Anne V. Alper, Esquire…Experience, Guidance and Results