Hector Morera is a 46-year-old father of two from Glastonbury who is immersed in a four-year-long divorce proceeding and custody dispute. Like 85 percent of Connecticut parties in custody disputes, he is representing himself.
But even though he has no lawyer, he nonetheless had to dip into his retirement savings because the judge in his custody dispute appointed a guardian ad litem (GAL) to represent the interests of his minor children and make recommendations to the court about visitation, custody and other issues. A guardian ad litem may or may not be an attorney. Both lawyers and laymen must be trained and certified before acting as GALs.
