About the Course
Introduction
This CLE webinar will examine best practices for attorneys serving as guardians ad litem (GAL) in family law and child welfare matters. GAL appointments require legal advocacy combined with careful investigation, child-sensitive communication, independent judgment, and a clear understanding of the court's scope of appointment. Terminology, authority, and procedure vary by jurisdiction. This program will examine broadly applicable practice skills, duties, and requirements.
Description
The panel will discuss defining the GAL role from the beginning, conducting investigations, interviewing children and collateral participants, navigating conflicting allegations, and identifying the child's best interests. The panel will explore practical approaches to working with parents, caregivers, attorneys, therapists, schools, caseworkers, and other professionals while maintaining professional boundaries.
The authoritative panel will cover developing reports and recommendations, participating in hearings, including child testimony and judicial interviews, managing conflicts and confidentiality, and other issues that can spring up while serving in this unusual role.
Listen as our panel gives practical guidance for conducting effective GAL investigations and providing credible, child-focused advocacy.
Presented By
Named an Illinois Rising Star in 2015 and each subsequent year by Illinois Super Lawyers, Mr. Kessler brings deep sensitivity and commitment to his representation of family law clients. In every case, whether it involves complex business valuations and forensic accounting or sophisticated medical and mental health concerns, he focuses on the fundamental human aspects of law, excelling as both a counselor and an advocate. Mr. Kessler's talent for identifying critical issues, articulating the law’s application to particular facts, and arguing for desired outcomes, notwithstanding ambiguities and divisions within the law, have helped secure the best possible results for his clients, whether by settlement or trial. Prior to pursuing his career in family law, he worked over the course of ten years with troubled teens and their families, gaining extensive direct service experience in the areas of assessment, case management, and treatment.
Ms. Ouellette began her legal career in the litigation department of a large Boston law firm. After four years, she left the practice to become an Assistant District Attorney, gaining courtroom experience to enhance and hone her skills as a trial attorney. Since 1989, Ms. Ouellette has devoted her practice to matters in the Probate & Family Courts throughout Massachusetts. Her years of experience, both in and out of the courtroom, have benefited the clients she has been serving for nearly four decades.
Ms. Weiss-Kunz has concentrated her practice solely in family law since 2005, including: traditional litigation, adoptions, and collaborative law. She also has a wealth of experience in drafting, negotiating, and prosecuting Premarital Agreements (and Postnuptial Agreements). Ms. Weiss-Kunz is also certified to practice collaborative law in Illinois. She has been recognized many times in the legal community for her achievements, including her selection as a Super Lawyer for years 2017-2025 and in 2019 as one of 40 Under 40 Attorneys to Watch by the American Society of Legal Advocates. In 2023, Ms. Weiss-Kunz became a Fellow of the prestigious AAML (American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers), both in Illinois and nationally. Previously, she sat on the board of the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois and is a certified mediator through the Center for Conflict Resolution and the Cook County courts. Ms. Weiss-Kunz is also currently on the board of the AFCC (Association of Family and Conciliation Courts), a professional group dedicated to education, research, and identifying best practices in family law systems. In addition to representing parties, she is also certified for appointment to represent children in her capacity as a Child Representative or Guardian ad Litem, in Cook County.
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This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.
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Date + Time
- event
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
- schedule
1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT
I. Defining the attorney GAL's role
A. Appointment, authority, and standards; confidentiality, independence, boundaries
B. Best interests vs. expressed wishes
II. Conducting a reliable GAL investigation: records, interviews, sources of information
III. Interviewing children and assessing best interests
IV. Managing high-conflict and complex cases
V. Reports, recommendations, and courtroom advocacy
VI. Ethical and practice pitfalls
A. Confidentiality, conflicts involving siblings, communications with represented parties, and ex parte issues
B. Avoiding the lawyer-as-witness problem
C. When to obtain clarification, request separate counsel, limit involvement, or withdraw
The panel will review these and other key issues:
- Determining what duties, authority, and ethical obligations accompany a GAL appointment
- Investigative and interview practices for reliable information
- Evaluating conflicting allegations and distinguishing facts, observations, opinions, and assumptions
- Presenting credible recommendations and advocating effectively
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