Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Delaware does not sell a guardian ad litem license. Child cases use unpaid CASA volunteers under Title 31, Chapter 36, or attorneys appointed by Family Court or the Office of the Child Advocate. Private custody GAL bills come from the appointment order, not a state price list. Chancery handles adult and property GALs. Confirm bar fees and program steps with the Board of Bar Examiners and the court.
How much does guardian ad litem cost in Delaware?
There is no statewide sticker price. Delaware does not publish a private guardian ad litem fee schedule that binds every Family Court appointment, and anyone who recites one number for the whole state is filling a gap with a guess.
If you are a parent asking what you will pay, read the appointment order. The judge decides whether one party pays, both pay, or the cost sits for later allocation. I have not found a current official hourly rate for private custody GALs on a Delaware courts fee page. Confirm the rate and any cap in your order.
If you are trying to enter the work, cost splits into two real tracks. CASA volunteers are not paid. Title 31, Chapter 36 is the statute that built that volunteer program. [1] Training is a program requirement, not a product you buy from a random website. The other track is a Delaware law license. That is law school, the bar, a clerkship under Supreme Court Rule 52, and then appointment as counsel or GAL. [9]
In DSCYF dependency and termination cases, the child's lawyer is usually a state-funded attorney through the Office of the Child Advocate, not a bill you mail to a parent. [3] [11] Federal CAPTA money already assumes a trained GAL or attorney-advocate sits with the child when abuse or neglect goes to court. The statute says "in every case involving a victim of child abuse or neglect which results in a judicial proceeding, a guardian ad litem... shall be appointed to represent the child." [4]
Court of Chancery work is a third bill. Those GALs protect a person or a property interest in a guardianship or related civil matter. Fees come out of the estate or as the court orders, under Title 12, Chapter 39. [6]
My opinion is blunt. Do not budget from a post about California or Illinois. Those states do not set New Castle County invoices.
Do you need a license for guardian ad litem in Delaware?
No. Delaware does not issue a standalone guardian ad litem license.
What the court actually checks is who you are on paper. A CASA volunteer is appointed through the Family Court program created in Title 31, Chapter 36. [1] You complete that program's screening and training. You do not sit a GAL exam at a licensing board, because there is no such board.
An attorney GAL is a different animal. You need admission to the Delaware Bar before you hold yourself out as counsel in a Delaware court. Supreme Court Rule 52 is the admission rule, including the clerkship that still sets Delaware apart from most states. [9] Confirm the current application packet, fee, and clerkship length with the Board of Bar Examiners. Do not treat last year's blog post as the fee schedule. [13]
Family Court also appoints lawyers for children through the Office of the Child Advocate. That office exists under Title 29, Chapter 90A. [3] Staff deputies and contract attorneys are still lawyers. A social-work degree alone does not put you on that list.
Chancery guardianships follow Title 12, Chapter 39. [6] The GAL there is almost always a Delaware attorney. A non-lawyer who wants child advocacy without a bar card should call CASA, not print business cards.
I would ignore any vendor that sells a framed certificate and implies Wilmington will appoint you. Courts appoint from their own programs and from the bar roll. 13 Del. C. § 722 is what the judge applies to the child, not your marketing copy. The statute says, "The Court shall determine the legal custody and residential arrangements for a child in accordance with the best interests of the child." [2]
How long does guardian ad litem take in Delaware?
It depends which clock you mean. Getting qualified, getting appointed, and finishing a case are three different timers. Nobody has a clean public dataset for average private GAL hours in Delaware. The closest hard numbers are program rules and federal case clocks.
CASA pre-service training follows the National CASA/GAL floor of 30 hours, plus whatever local Family Court staff add for Delaware practice. [7] After that you wait for a case match. That wait is a staffing fact, not a statute. Ask the coordinator in New Castle, Kent, or Sussex. Do not plan a start date from a national brochure.
The attorney path is long because it is a law license. Law school is three years if you go full time. Then comes the Delaware bar and the Rule 52 clerkship. The clerkship length has long been 5 months. Confirm it on the current Board of Bar Examiners instructions before you quit a job. [9] [13] Only after the oath are you appointable as counsel.
A private custody GAL investigation runs on the Family Court's scheduling order. Some reports land in a couple of months. High-conflict cases drag. I would not promise a client a 60-day finish. The court owns the calendar.
Dependency cases sit on a federal permanency clock. 42 U.S.C. § 675 requires a permanency hearing no later than 12 months after the date the child is considered to have entered care. [5] Termination practice is in Title 13, Chapter 11. [11] Your appointment can last as long as the child remains before the court.
Chancery guardianships can last years if the guardianship itself lasts years. Budget time for accountings and status filings, not a single hearing.
Who pays the GAL bill in a Delaware Family Court case?
Whoever the order names. That is the whole rule in private custody work.
Family Court has original civil jurisdiction over custody and related child filings under Title 10, Chapter 9. [10] When the judge wants an independent voice for the child, the appointment order should say who retains the lawyer, what the scope is, and who advances fees. If the order is silent, file a short request for clarification before you run up time. Silent orders create collection fights.
In DSCYF petitions, the child's attorney is typically paid with state funds through the Office of the Child Advocate. [3] Parents may have their own appointed counsel if they qualify. That is not the child's bill. Child Welfare Information Gateway's review of state representation systems is the national backdrop. Delaware chose a child-advocate office plus CASA, not a parent-pays model, for abuse and neglect dockets. [8]
CASA time is not invoiced to the parties. [1] If a lawyer in a private case tells you the CASA volunteer will send a fee affidavit, ask for the order that says so. I have not seen a public Delaware schedule that bills CASA hours to parents.
| Track | What you need on paper | Who usually pays | What I would budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| CASA volunteer | Program screening and training | Not billed to parties | Your unpaid time, mileage you choose to donate |
| OCA attorney for a child in state custody | Delaware bar, OCA hiring or contract process | State funds through OCA | Confirm current contract terms with OCA, do not guess |
| Private custody GAL | Delaware bar plus appointment order | One or both parties, as ordered | Whatever the order allows, then a fee affidavit |
| Chancery GAL | Delaware bar plus Chancery appointment | Estate or as the court directs | Petition for fees, do not bill off-book |
If you want a comparison for how messy private billing gets elsewhere, skim Florida and Georgia. Still confirm Delaware on Delaware paper.
What does the Delaware CASA volunteer path actually cost?
Your time. That is the honest price.
Title 31, Chapter 36 sets up CASA as volunteer advocacy inside judicial proceedings. [1] Family Court staff run the local program. [12] You apply, you interview, you sit through a background check, you finish training, you get sworn, you take a child. National CASA/GAL standards set a 30 hour pre-service training floor for volunteer advocates. [7] Delaware may add courtroom orientation. Confirm the current hour count with the coordinator. I will not invent a county-by-county syllabus.
You should not pay a private school for a "CASA license." There is not one. If a website wants several hundred dollars to "certify" you as a Delaware CASA, walk away. The court program is the gate.
Out-of-pocket costs that are real, and small, are the usual volunteer kind. Transportation to visits. A binder. Maybe a criminal-history reprint if they ask you to refresh it. Ask whether the program reimburses mileage. Some years they have a little money. Some years they do not. Get that answer in writing from staff, not from a fellow trainee.
Pay is not the point. If you need a first-year income, this is the wrong door. Go to the bar path or keep your day job. CASA is how non-lawyers get standing in the child's case without pretending to practice law.
What does the attorney GAL path cost before a first appointment?
It costs a law license. Everything else is a line item on that project.
Delaware admission runs through the Board of Bar Examiners under Supreme Court Rule 52. [9] The famous extra step is the clerkship with a Delaware preceptor. Plan for months of supervised work, not a weekend seminar. Confirm the present length and the affidavit forms on the Board's clerkship instructions. The long-standing figure is 5 months. [13]
I am not going to invent the current bar application fee, the late fee, or the character-and-fitness surcharge. Those numbers move. Pull them from the Board of Bar Examiners fee page the week you apply. [13] Same rule for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam score they will accept.
After admission you still have no GAL appointment. You either apply to the Office of the Child Advocate, write judges who handle custody, or take Chancery appointments if that is your practice. [3] [6] Malpractice coverage is not optional if you are in private practice. Premiums vary by carrier. Get a quote. Do not copy a number from another state.
Continuing legal education is a post-admission cost. Confirm hours with the Delaware Commission on Continuing Legal Education. I would not buy a national "child law certificate" before you have the Delaware card. Judges here read the bar roll.
If you want organized checklists while you read the statutes, GALPath sells a $149 one-time GAL Certification Kit at /start. It is study material from an independent publisher, not a Delaware credential, and Family Court will not treat it as one.
How do Office of the Child Advocate appointments work?
OCA is the statutory office that coordinates legal representation for children. Title 29, Chapter 90A is the chapter. [3] It is not a private GAL agency and it is not CASA.
In DSCYF custody cases, the child gets a lawyer because federal CAPTA policy and Delaware's own office statute point that way. [4] [8] Some lawyers are deputy child advocates on staff. Some are contract counsel. I will not invent a current contract rate or a quota of cases. Ask OCA for the present panel packet if you are already a Delaware attorney.
You do not apply to OCA as a non-lawyer and expect a representation order. That is a recurring myth. Non-lawyers who want the dependency docket volunteer with CASA. [1] [12]
Paper you should expect, once you are actually in the office or on a contract, looks like any serious child-welfare file. Appointment order. Petition. Affidavit of a DSCYF worker. Hearing notices. Your own contact log. Permanency reports tied to the 12-month federal review clock. [5] Termination filings if the case turns that corner under Title 13, Chapter 11. [11]
My advice if you are a new Delaware lawyer: read Chapter 90A and then call OCA. Do not send a glossy brochure. They already know how appointments work.
What does a Court of Chancery guardian ad litem cost?
Whatever Chancery allows when you petition for fees. There is no walk-up menu.
Adult guardianships and many minor-property matters live in the Court of Chancery under Title 12, Chapter 39. [6] The GAL is there because the person or the interest cannot protect itself in the filing. That is a different job from a Family Court custody investigation, even if civilians use the same three words.
Fees usually come from the estate, a trust, or another source the court names. You keep contemporaneous time records. You file a petition. You wait for an order. Billing a ward's relative on the side because the estate looks thin is how you get into trouble.
I have not found a single published Chancery hourly rate that applies to every GAL. Do not invent one for a client consult. Quote the process. Then confirm current filing mechanics on the Chancery guardianship pages and in the Chancery rules.
If you are not a Delaware attorney, this track is closed. Paying for a national guardianship webinar will not open it.
What first-year GAL paper looks like in Delaware
The appointment order is the first page in the folder. If you cannot find it, you do not know your scope.
CASA volunteers work from the program's contact logs, visit notes, and court reports. Staff will tell you the current template. [12] I would not redesign their form in month one. Use theirs. Date every visit. Name every person in the room. Keep the child's location facts boring and accurate.
Attorney GALs add the lawyer layer. Engagement letter if the order makes a parent the payer. Fee affidavit format the judge expects. Privilege notes that stay off the shared drive. Discovery you actually need, not a warehouse dump. 13 Del. C. § 722's 8 numbered best-interest factors are the outline for a custody report, not a vibe. [2]
Dependency counsel live in a thicker pile. Petitions, stipulated facts, expert reports, and the permanency timeline under 42 U.S.C. § 675. [5] TPR practice adds Chapter 11 filings. [11] Miss a notice and you will earn a lecture you deserve.
Software opinion: year one does not need a custom case platform. A dated notes file, a PDF folder for orders, and a running time log beat a subscription you will abandon. Spend the money on malpractice coverage and gas to the child's school, not on dashboards.
How Delaware GAL costs compare with other states
Delaware is small, and it split the work in a way bigger states often mash together. CASA is volunteer. OCA lawyers cover children in state custody. Private custody GALs are appointed one order at a time. Chancery is its own shop. [1] [3] [6]
That is why a fee story from Colorado or Arizona will mislead you. Some states publish GAL hourly caps. Delaware, for private work, mostly does not. Some states run a huge statewide GAL office that invoices counties. Delaware put child representation in OCA and volunteer advocacy in CASA.
Neighbor-ish systems still will not price your case. Connecticut is a different statute book. So is Alabama. Read those if you are moving. Do not average them.
The federal floor is the same everywhere CAPTA applies. A trained GAL or attorney-advocate belongs in the abuse and neglect case. [4] [8] How the state pays that person is local. In Delaware, parents should not assume they will get an invoice for the child's OCA lawyer. They should assume they will get an invoice if Family Court appoints a private GAL in their custody fight.
Which documents should you pull before you spend anything?
Start with the statutes, not a vendor cart.
Pull Title 31, Chapter 36 if you want CASA. [1] Pull Title 29, Chapter 90A if you want OCA. [3] Pull Title 13, § 722 and Chapter 11 if you will write child reports or work TPR. [2] [11] Pull Title 10, Chapter 9 so you know why Family Court has the case. [10] Pull Title 12, Chapter 39 if the file is Chancery. [6]
Then pull the court's own pages. Family Court CASA staff post program contacts. [12] The Board of Bar Examiners posts admission and clerkship instructions. [13] [9] OCA will tell attorneys how panel or hiring works this year. Those are board-confirmable facts. A podcast is not.
Federal text is short and useful. CAPTA's appointment clause is in 42 U.S.C. § 5106a. [4] The 12-month permanency hearing sits in 42 U.S.C. § 675. [5] Child Welfare Information Gateway's representation paper is the readable national survey if you need context. [8]
If a seller will not show you which Delaware chapter their course maps to, do not pay them. I would rather you print the code and write in the margins.
What is worth paying for (and what is a waste)?
Pay for the Delaware bar if you want to be counsel. Pay for malpractice insurance the day you take a private appointment. Pay for gas and a decent notes habit. That is the real first-year budget.
Waste: any online GAL diploma that claims it replaces CASA training or Rule 52. Waste: buying another state's form book and filing it here. Waste: a networking breakfast that sells "inside appointments." Appointments come from orders.
CASA should cost you almost no cash. [1] [7] If a trainer wants a large tuition check to make you a Delaware volunteer, you are in the wrong room. Ask Family Court. [12]
GALPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. If you still want those checklists after you finish the statutes, the $149 kit is at /start. Then call CASA or the Board of Bar Examiners. The court will not waive a single requirement because you bought a binder.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for guardian ad litem in Delaware?
No standalone GAL license exists. CASA volunteers are appointed through the Family Court program in Title 31, Chapter 36 after that program's screening and training. Attorney GALs need Delaware Bar admission under Supreme Court Rule 52. Confirm current bar steps with the Board of Bar Examiners. An online certificate is not a substitute.
How much does guardian ad litem cost in Delaware?
There is no statewide private price list. CASA volunteers are not paid and parties are not billed for that time. OCA lawyers for children in DSCYF cases are state-funded. Private custody GAL fees are whatever Family Court orders, then supports with a fee affidavit. Confirm any number in the appointment order, not on social media.
How long does guardian ad litem take in Delaware?
CASA training starts from a 30-hour national pre-service floor, then a case match that staff control. The attorney path takes law school, the bar, and a Rule 52 clerkship (long standing length is 5 months, confirm with the Board). A dependency case can run at least to the 12-month permanency hearing required by 42 U.S.C. § 675.
Can a non-attorney be a GAL in Delaware?
Yes, as a CASA volunteer in the Family Court program created by Title 31, Chapter 36. That person is not the child's lawyer. Office of the Child Advocate representation and almost all Chancery GAL work require a Delaware-licensed attorney. If you want to argue law in the courtroom, sit the bar. If you want volunteer advocacy, call CASA.
Are CASA volunteers paid in Delaware?
Treat CASA as unpaid volunteer advocacy. Title 31, Chapter 36 built a volunteer program, not a private fee practice. Ask your county coordinator whether mileage or incidentals are reimbursed this year. Do not enter CASA expecting a Family Court fee affidavit against the parents. That is a different track for appointed lawyers.
Does Family Court publish a GAL hourly rate?
Not a single rate that I can point to as binding on every private appointment. The appointment order and later fee rulings control. If someone quotes a statewide hourly figure, ask them for the current courts document. If they cannot produce it, ignore the figure. Confirm with the judge's clerk or the order in your case.
Who pays for a child's attorney when DSCYF files a petition?
Usually the State, through the Office of the Child Advocate under Title 29, Chapter 90A. That is separate from a parent's own lawyer. CAPTA expects a trained GAL or attorney-advocate in abuse and neglect cases that go to court. Parents should still read every order, because a later private custody case can appoint a different GAL they must fund.
Do I need the Delaware bar for Chancery GAL work?
In practice, yes. Court of Chancery guardianships sit under Title 12, Chapter 39, and the GAL is almost always a Delaware attorney who then petitions for fees from the estate or another source the court names. A non-lawyer certificate will not get you that appointment. Confirm any rare exception with Chancery staff, do not assume one.
Will an online GAL certificate get me appointed?
No. Family Court appoints CASA volunteers from its own program and appoints lawyers from the bar roll or OCA. Chancery appoints lawyers. A paid certificate from a private publisher, including any study kit, is not a Delaware credential. Spend your money on the real statute chapters and, if you want a law practice, on Rule 52 admission.
How do I apply to the Office of the Child Advocate panel?
First become a Delaware-licensed attorney. Then ask OCA for the current hiring or contract packet under Title 29, Chapter 90A. I will not invent an opening date, a case quota, or a contract rate. Those are board-confirmable facts that change. Non-lawyers should apply to CASA instead of emailing OCA a resume for legal representation work.
What training does Delaware CASA require?
Local Family Court CASA staff set the packet. National CASA/GAL standards set a 30-hour pre-service floor, and Delaware adds its own courtroom and policy pieces. You should also expect screening and a background check. Confirm the present hour count and calendar with the coordinator in the county where you will volunteer. Do not pay a third party to impersonate that training.
Can the court make one parent pay all private GAL fees?
Yes, if the appointment order or a later fee order says so. Family Court can split fees, shift them, or hold them. Ability to pay and conduct in the case often show up in argument, but the written order is what you collect on. Get the allocation in the order before you do a pile of work for a party who never agreed to pay you.
How is Delaware different from states with a published GAL roster fee?
Delaware never built a single public price list that I can cite for every private GAL hour. It split child work among unpaid CASA, state-funded OCA counsel, and case-by-case private appointments. States that post roster rates are not controlling here. Use other-state articles for contrast only, then read the Delaware order in your file.
What first-year expenses actually matter for a new Delaware attorney GAL?
Bar admission costs (confirm on the Board of Bar Examiners site), the unpaid or low-paid clerkship months, malpractice insurance, CLE, and transportation to visits. Fancy software is optional. A national child-law certificate is optional. Missing the appointment order or the § 722 factors is not optional. Keep time records from day one if a parent may be ordered to pay.
Sources
- Delaware Code, Title 31, Chapter 36 (Court Appointed Special Advocate Program): Delaware statute establishes the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program as volunteer advocacy in judicial proceedings.
- Delaware Code, Title 13, § 722 (best interests of the child): 13 Del. C. § 722 requires Family Court to decide custody and residential arrangements in the best interests of the child and lists 8 numbered factors.
- Delaware Code, Title 29, Chapter 90A (Office of the Child Advocate): Delaware statute creates the Office of the Child Advocate to coordinate legal representation of children.
- 42 U.S.C. § 5106a (CAPTA state grant eligibility, GAL appointment): CAPTA requires appointment of a trained guardian ad litem (who may be an attorney or CASA) for the child in judicial abuse or neglect proceedings.
- 42 U.S.C. § 675 (case review and permanency hearing timing): Federal law requires a permanency hearing no later than 12 months after the date the child is considered to have entered care.
- Delaware Code, Title 12, Chapter 39 (Guardianship): Court of Chancery guardianship practice, including protection of persons and property, is governed by Title 12, Chapter 39.
- Delaware Supreme Court Rules (Rule 52 bar admission, including clerkship): Delaware Supreme Court Rule 52 governs admission to the Delaware Bar, including the clerkship requirement.
- Delaware Code, Title 10, Chapter 9 (Family Court jurisdiction): Family Court has statutory civil jurisdiction over custody and related child proceedings.
- Delaware Code, Title 13, Chapter 11 (Termination and Transfer of Parental Rights): Termination of parental rights procedure in Delaware is set out in Title 13, Chapter 11.
- Delaware Family Court, Court Appointed Special Advocate program page: Family Court administers the Delaware CASA volunteer program and is the contact point for local training and appointment.
- Delaware Board of Bar Examiners, bar examination information: Current Delaware bar application steps, exam information, and related admission requirements are posted by the Board of Bar Examiners and must be confirmed there.