Guardian Ad Litem/CASA

A Guardian ad Litem (GAL) or Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is ordered by a Judge to a particular case through the Court system to provide input as to a child's (or in some cases, adult's) best interests. Indiana law requires the appointment of a GAL/CASA in every abuse and neglect case that is filed with the Courts, and in every involuntary termination of parental rights case.  In addition to these types of cases, Indiana law also allows for a GAL/CASA to be appointed in dissolution and paternity cases; guardianship matters; contested adoptions; as well as a other types of cases when protection is deemed necessary by the Judge.

I have been involved with GAL/CASA services for over 24+ years. At first, I was a volunteer for the Program in Hamilton County and provided GAL services in dissolution and paternity cases.  However, in January of 2001, I became the Director of our Hamilton County GAL/CASA Program.  I quickly realized I had a lot to learn about what a GAL/CASA's role truly was.  In May of 2017, I then also became the Director of the Tipton County CASA Program.  These Programs have evolved over the years into what I hope is a trusted source of information by our Court system, attorneys and Judges.  While we make absolutely no decisions in any of the cases we serve on, we do provide valuable input and recommendations to the parties' attorneys as they prepare for and/or settle a case; and to the Judges as they hear and decide a case. 

I personally have provided countless hours of training various individuals to assist in providing GAL/CASA services through our Court system.  In both Hamilton and Tipton County, our Programs train community volunteers to be the voice of the child in abuse/neglect and involuntary termination of parental rights cases; while in Hamilton County, we also train attorneys to be the voice of a child or adult in all the other types of cases in which we serve.  Over the years, we have served hundreds of children and/or adults and provided information that the Judge might not otherwise have known or heard.

My role in various cases ranges from simply being the Director of the Program and assigning a GAL/CASA to a case; to being an attorney for the actual GAL/CASA that is assigned to a case; to being the actual GAL/CASA who performs the work and makes recommendations to the Judge on a case.  While I rarely work a case as the actual GAL/CASA  anymore, I can't say that I "never" do.  I have been involved in cases that have been truly life and career changing.  I take assignment as the GAL/CASA on a case-by-case basis, but if you are interested in my services as such, you or your attorney can contact me to discuss your case.

If you want to learn more about becoming a volunteer for our Programs, please visit our Hamilton or Tipton County Facebook pages or our Hamilton County GAL/CASA Program website.  You can also watch our YouTube vidoes where we educate our community as to what we do and how they can help.