(A) The appointment, training, responsibilities and issuing of reports of Guardians Ad Litem and the responsibilities of the Court pertaining to Guardians Ad Litem shall be governed by Rule 48 of the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio.
(B) Pursuant to Rule 48(F) of the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio, inspection of the report of the guardian ad litem shall constitute a party’s attorney or an unrepresented party being permitted to read the report and make handwritten notations on separate paper, however, the report shall not be copied whatsoever, except by Court personnel, or be removed from the Courthouse. Any copies of the report provided by the Court for the purpose of inspection shall be collected and destroyed at the conclusion of the inspection process.
(C) Rates of compensation for Guardians Ad Litem shall be as determined from time to time by the Brown County Board of County Commissioners. In addition thereto, necessary and reasonable expenses may be allowed for such items as expert witness fees, polygraph exams, long distance telephone calls, photocopying, and certain travel expenses, so long as prior approval of the Judge is obtained. The Court may not allow for any fixed office overhead expenses, Court transcripts or depositions, except as provided by law.
- Expenses shall be submitted within 10 days of the final disposition in the case and shall be submitted on the approved forms so that the Court and County can file a claim for state reimbursement. Failure to file the expense report within 30 days will result in no payment.
(D) Requests for extraordinary fees must be made by written motion and should be submitted with supporting information, including all regular billing documents, to the Court Administrator. An award for extraordinary fees will be made only with the approval of the Judge.
(E) The Court may appoint a Guardian Ad Litem to represent the best interest of minor children in any action over which this Court has jurisdiction, on the Court’s own motion or on the motion of any party. The appointment shall be made by Court order and duly docketed in the case. The Guardian Ad Litem shall represent the best interest of the child until discharged by the Court. At the conclusion of the action, the Guardian Ad Litem shall be discharged by order of the Court.
(F) All filing fees and court costs are waived as to Guardians Ad Litem.
(G) Attorneys accepting appointments to serve as Guardian Ad Litem shall personally represent the child for which he/she was appointed and shall not, absent an emergency, allow substitute counsel to represent the child. Repeated failure to personally represent the child shall result in removal from the lists set forth above.
