Rule 9.400 Appointment of Court Visitor

When a court needs to appoint a "visitor" in a guardianship or conservatorship case, it has to follow specific steps. A court visitor is someone who looks into a person's situation and reports back to the court, usually when there are questions about whether someone needs a guardian or conservator to help manage their life or finances.

The court picks the visitor based on rules set by the local Presiding Judge. Most courts use a standard statewide form to make this appointment, unless the local district has created its own version. Once the judge signs the order appointing the visitor, the court must give that visitor a copy of the order. If the appointment came from a specific type of request under ORS 125.150, the visitor also gets a copy of the original petition that started the case.

Each court that handles these guardianship and conservatorship cases also has to set its own local standards. This means deciding what qualifications a visitor needs to have, and how visitors get paid or reimbursed for their work. These standards can be set through a local rule or through an order from the Presiding Judge.