Rule 26 Appointments of guardians ad litem

When a domestic violence case needs a guardian ad litem, the court follows the same process laid out in Rule 21 of the West Virginia Trial Court Rules. A guardian ad litem is a person the court appoints to look out for the best interests of someone who can't fully speak for themselves in the case, often a child.

This means there's no separate or different process just for domestic violence cases. The court uses the standard rules that already apply to guardian ad litem appointments in any civil case. If you're involved in a domestic violence proceeding and a guardian ad litem gets appointed, you can look at Rule 21 to understand how that person is chosen and what their role will be.