O.C.G.A. § 29-9-3 (2019)
Counsel as guardian ad litem prohibited; guardian ad litem as counsel prohibited
A person who is appointed as counsel for a ward, proposed ward, or alleged incapacitated person is not eligible to be appointed as guardian ad litem for the same individual, and a person who is appointed as guardian ad litem for a ward, proposed ward, or alleged incapacitated person is not eligible to be appointed as counsel for the same individual.
History
(Code 1981, § 29-9-3, enacted by Ga. L. 2004, p. 161, § 1.)
Annotations
JUDICIAL DECISIONS Error in permitting appointment as attorney and guardian ad litem. - In light of the clear statutory language in O.C.G.A. § 29-9-3 prohibiting an attorney from acting as both an advocate and a guardian ad litem (GAL), as well as the importance of the right to
cross-examination, the trial court erred by treating the attorney as both the attorney and the GAL, thereby prohibiting the ward’s grandmother from questioning the GAL. In re Estate of Thompson, 332 Ga. App. 774, 775 S.E.2d 158 (2015).