BENTON AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES:

Upon motion of the parties or on the Court's own motion, the Court may appoint a Title 26 GAL from the Registry to conduct investigations in cases where there are allegations of abuse and neglect. GALs appointed from the Registry to investigate abuse and neglect cases are paid by the county at a rate of $125.00 per hour for a maximum of ten (10) hours.  Additional time can be authorized by order of the court. 

You can find forms for the appointment of a County Paid GAL and for the collection of information at the bottom of this page.

  1. Deadline and scope. When the Court appoints a County-paid GAL, the County-paid GAL shall submit a preliminary report to the parties and the court within 30 days of appointment, unless the order provides otherwise. The order appointing a County-paid GAL shall be limited in scope and shall be limited to gathering documents and outlining the facts relevant to the scope.  If Child Protective Services and/or law enforcement are conducting parallel investigations(s), the County-paid GAL shall note such in the report, but these parallel investigations do not guarantee a continuance of the deadline for the County-paid GAL report.
  2. Service and notice required. Pursuant to applicable procedures/rules, from the date of the appointment, the County-paid GAL shall receive copies of all documents that are to be served on parties, copies of all discovery, and notice of all hearings and presentations related to the residential schedule, decision making, or other child-related issues (other than support). Any party who requires the County-paid GAL at a trial related to child residential schedule, shall prepare and serve a subpoena on the County-paid GAL for mandatory appearance by the County-paid GAL
  3. Discharge. Unless otherwise set forth in Local Court Rules/procedures, the County-paid GAL shall be discharged only by order of the Court upon motion, completion of a declaration by the County-paid GAL, or upon completion of the parenting plan, which requires the County-paid GAL signature.
  4. Relevant Statutes. The statutory authority for the appointment of a guardian ad litem is RCW 26.12.175.  Information obtained by a GAL cannot be released without a court order, under RCW 26.12.180.

County-Paid GAL Forms

Title 26 GAL - How do I Get Paid?

[Updated April 8, 2025]