Wyoming Office of Guardian ad Litem

Empowering Youth and Families Through Legal Advocacy

Wyoming Office of Guardian ad Litem is an independent state and county funded agency that provides attorney guardian ad litem (GALs) for children in juvenile court proceedings. Attorney GALs appointment is statutorily mandated in all abuse/neglect juvenile court cases and discretionary in child in need of supervision (CHINS) and delinquency juvenile court cases. The agency also provides representation to children in termination of parental rights and appeal cases that arise out of the three type of cases listed above. The agency does not provide attorney GALs in domestic relations or private custodial cases.

During abuse/neglect cases, our attorney GALs represent children in the hybrid model of representation where the attorney GALs representation is dictated by the child’s direct wishes and what is in the child’s best interests. In CHINS and delinquency proceedings where the child has a direct attorney, the attorney GAL represents only the child’s best interests.


Director   

Joseph Belcher