Citizen Portal
Sign In

Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!

Panel backs bill to require attorneys as guardians ad litem except by agreement or court discretion

2964523 · April 9, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

The subcommittee voted 5-0 to give House Bill 3,622 a favorable report after adopting an amendment that requires guardian ad litems in private custody or visitation cases to be licensed attorneys except where parties mutually agree otherwise or the court exercises discretion.

House Bill 3,622 would require guardian ad litems in private child custody or visitation cases to be licensed attorneys in good standing with the South Carolina Bar, with limited exceptions agreed to by the parties or granted by the court.

The Domestic Relations Business and Probate Law Subcommittee adopted an amendment that lets parties, regardless of whether they are represented, mutually agree in writing (with court approval) to the appointment of a lay guardian ad litem and gives the court discretion to appoint a lay or attorney guardian ad litem based on the facts and circumstances of each case. The amendment also includes a grandfathering clause so individuals already…

Already have an account? Log in

Subscribe to keep reading

Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.

  • Unlimited articles
  • AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
  • Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
  • Follow topics and more locations
  • 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
30-day money-back on paid plans