In New York City, the attorneys representing children are called Attorneys for the Child (AFC), whereas in other jurisdictions, this role is played by Guardian Ad Litem (GAL). The appointment of an AFC or GAL may add an interesting dynamic to one’s case, however, since Parenting Equity does not provide legal advice, we want to focus on the impact of an AFC or GAL. Parenting Equity understands that many AFCs and GALs are there to represent the child’s interest; however, within a system that has inherent inequity, we must question the impact of AFC or GAL in family law cases.

In a system that is underfunded and under-resourced, it cannot be expected for an AFC or GAL with low salaries and ever-increasing caseloads to operate sans bias or without an assembly line approach to their work. Parenting Equity strives to conduct additional research on the role of AFCs and GALs, the extent of their training with the purpose of understanding their true impact on family law cases.