Have you considered a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate)?

A CASA is there FOR THE KID and is there to represent the KIDS best interest. Whereas, a GAL is there to represent the court and the courts best interest.

I do believe CASA's are free as they are volunteering their time. They do have training and are mentored by other CASA's who have been doing it for a long time.

In my experience CASAs are only used for child abuse/foster care situations. Not sure about the rules in your state.

A GAL is (usually) a lawyer for children appointed by the family courts. They are supposed to be impartial, but in my opinion they just muck things up further and line the pockets of the billion dollar family court industry. Most times, both parents are required to split the costs of the GAL which are not as expensive as a regular lawyer. Usually costs are between $1K-$1500 per parent.

I was a CASA volunteer for two years. I do not know what a GAL is. A CASA volunteer steps in when a child has been in the DYFS (Division of Youth and Family Services -NJ) system for more than 18 months. The contract for DYFS care is that a child will be placed in a permanent home by the time 18 months in the system, hopefully sooner. If a child is not placed into a permanent placement home by that time, the child qualifies for a CASA volunteer. That does not mean the child will get a CASA volunteer. There are so many kids and very few volunteers. For instance, if a child is older, in our local CASA office, that child would be less likely to get a volunteer than one who is younger. The reason: If a child is a teenager and has been moved from one foster home to another then the damage has been done and it is harder to make a difference. It is more likely to make a difference in a younger child's life. This was actually an issue I faced personally as a volunteer. My CASA case child was getting into trouble, so instead of spending my time visiting with her and talking about school or her getting therapy or going to some kind of summer camp, I was visiting her in the juvenile detention facility and she had no interest in school or anything else. She just wanted out, but then she would do something else to get herself into trouble. So, basically, I was not much of an influence in that case. The reason for a CASA volunteer is that a child in the DYFS system has so many "workers" coming in and out, their caseworker changes constantly, their legal team changes, they are moved from foster to foster... the CASA volunteer is the one constant through all of it. Unlike a DYFS worker who has 50+ cases, a CASA volunteer has just a couple. We are essentially a researcher for the Family Court Judge. We go through a two month training period, we are sworn in by the judge and act, for lack of a better word, as his researcher. We get their full DYFS case file, we have access to all medical records, school records etc. We interview potential foster parents and write reports on all, recommend a place for permanent placement, enroll them into summer camp or counseling and most importantly meet with them each and every week to provide consistency while they are waiting for permanent placement. We make a recommendation to court as to permanent placement.

My bad

If a gal costs almost 4 grand I would think you guys would have a lot of incentive to agree on something. Kids under 14 with Mom, boys over 14 with Dad, girls over 14 a toss up leaving it up to the kid.

It really is that simple.

GAL's do not represent the Court, they are a Court appointed attorney specifically for the children. The cost is usually based on each parent's income. I work within the legal system and deal with GAL's all the time. Generally if a child is old enough to speak they will meet with them directly and they will meet with both bio parents and sometimes their SO or spouse, depending on the situation. I have some GALs (all of them have special training) that even go the extra step and will visit the home of each parent, especially if there are allegations of deplorable conditions or abuse, they are not usually "required" to do this. The GALs are trained to look out for the best interest of the children and be neutral and give the Judge an honest assessment. Usually we only get one when the parties can't agree about custody/parenting.
There are no guarantees in the Court/legal system and it's not always "fair" but I wish you the best of luck

Dh's cost for 50% of GAL Fee has been almost $4,000...and the GALs report isnt even turned in yet.Ugh.

BM's portion of things take up majority of the billing items....having additional phone conferences and in office meetings with GAL, frequently emailing who knows what documents to the GAL. BUT...they are still both responsible for 50% of the total charges.

I am a GAL. I am NOT the "children's attorney" as some of have erroneously defined my role here; it is a common misconception and sometimes even judges state it that way. I am appointed to represent the best interests of children - which is not the same as an attorney employed by or for their wishes.

If you are in a simple domestic dispute, you would be better off mediating with your ex. It is much cheaper. If there are allegations of actual abuse or neglect, a GAL will be appointed and you won't have a choice.

I will answer limited and non fact specific questions for you if you want.

UGH, BM told SK the GAL is "his lawyer" and explained who knows what.