Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Delaware does not issue a guardian ad litem license. You enter as an Office of the Child Advocate CASA volunteer or staff attorney, or you take Family Court or Chancery appointments after Delaware bar admission. No GAL board exists. Confirm current fees and forms with the court or Board of Bar Examiners.
What does a guardian ad litem actually do in Delaware?
A guardian ad litem in Delaware is a person a judge names in a live case. You speak to the child's best interests, or in Chancery you speak to the interests of someone who may need a guardian. You do not open a shop and wait for clients. The appointment order is the job.
People mash three different jobs into the phrase guardian ad litem Delaware work. One is a CASA volunteer or a Deputy Child Advocate in a child-welfare case. That work sits inside the Office of the Child Advocate, created in Title 29, Chapter 90A of the Delaware Code.[2] Another is a lawyer Family Court names in a private custody or visitation fight. The third is a lawyer the Court of Chancery names when someone asks for a guardian of a minor or of an adult with a disability under Title 12, Chapter 39.[3]
The custody test is not what a parent wants. 13 Del. C. § 722(a) says: "The Court shall determine the legal custody and residential arrangements for a child in accordance with the best interests of the child."[1] That is the sentence that justifies the appointment.
Federal law sits behind the abuse and neglect docket. CAPTA ties certain state grant conditions to appointment, in those judicial proceedings, of a trained guardian ad litem or court-appointed special advocate, who may be an attorney, a CASA, or both.[6] Delaware covers that duty through OCA lawyers and CASAs. It does not cover it through a private license.
If you want courtroom work in New Castle, Kent, or Sussex County, you are really asking how you become eligible for an appointment order. Family Court has statewide original civil jurisdiction over these child cases under Title 10, Chapter 9.[4] The paper that matters is the order. Everything before that is only how you got eligible.
Do you need a license for guardian ad litem in Delaware?
No. Delaware does not issue a guardian ad litem license.
The Division of Professional Regulation lists the state's professional boards. No GAL board sits on that list.[7] You will not file a GAL application in Dover, sit a GAL exam, or hang a GAL wall certificate. There is no such credential to buy.
What you may need is a different credential, and it depends on the docket. CASA volunteers complete OCA screening and training, then Family Court appoints them. Deputy Child Advocates are lawyers on the OCA staff. Private GALs in Family Court, and almost all Chancery GALs, are members of the Delaware bar.
If someone sells you a Delaware GAL license, skip it. I'd treat that product as money burned. The judge will never ask for it.
Lawyers still have real paper. Delaware Supreme Court Rule 52 requires a clerkship of at least 5 months in Delaware under a member of the Delaware bar, plus the Delaware bar examination and character review.[5] That clerkship is the piece out-of-state lawyers miss.
You may also need a state business license if you practice law. Confirm the current category and tax with the Division of Revenue before you pay anyone who is not the State.
What are the real paths into Delaware GAL work?
There are four honest doors. Only one is volunteer. The others assume a Delaware law license.
CASA is the non-attorney door. You apply to the Office of the Child Advocate, pass a background check, finish the program's training, and wait for Family Court to appoint you in a child-welfare case.[2] You do not pick your cases off a website. The court does.
Deputy Child Advocate is a state lawyer job. You already have to be admitted in Delaware, then OCA hires you. Those lawyers represent children's best interests in DSCYF cases. The Division of Family Services is the agency that brings many of those petitions.[10]
Private Family Court GAL work is appointment work for members of the Delaware bar. A judge names you in a custody, visitation, or related civil case. You file an entry of appearance after the order, you investigate, you write, you appear. Parties sometimes pay your fee if the court says so. Nobody has a clean public average for that fee. Confirm it in the order.
Chancery GAL work is also lawyer work. When a petition for guardian of the person or property is filed, the Court of Chancery can appoint an attorney as guardian ad litem for the person who may need protection.[3][8]
| Path | Who can do it | Entry paper | Who appoints |
|---|---|---|---|
| CASA volunteer | Screened volunteer | OCA application and training file | Family Court |
| Deputy Child Advocate | Delaware attorney hired by OCA | State hiring packet plus bar status | OCA on child-welfare dockets |
| Private Family Court GAL | Delaware attorney | Appointment order, then entry of appearance | Family Court |
| Chancery GAL | Delaware attorney | Chancery appointment | Court of Chancery |
I'd start as a CASA if I were not already a Delaware lawyer. Paying for three years of law school just to do volunteer-style child interviews is a long way around.
How do you become a CASA volunteer through the Office of the Child Advocate?
You apply to OCA, not to a private franchise. Title 29, Chapter 90A is the statute that creates the office and puts child-advocacy work there.[2] Family Court still issues the actual appointment. OCA screens you.
Expect a background check, references, and training before any child file hits your kitchen table. I will not invent Delaware's current training hour count. National write-ups often describe pre-service CASA training in the 30-hour neighborhood, but that is not a Delaware statute. Ask OCA for the present schedule and do not treat a national brochure as local law.[9]
CASA is unpaid advocacy. That is the point. You reimburse your parking and you keep your day job. If your plan is to bill $200 an hour next spring, this is the wrong door.
OCA also employs Deputy Child Advocates. Those are lawyer positions. Mixing up the volunteer track and the staff-attorney track is how people waste a year. Read the posting. If it asks for a Delaware bar number, it is not CASA.
After training, you still wait. Cases open when the Division of Family Services or another party files, and when a judge wants a CASA on that child.[10] Nobody can honestly promise you a first appointment date.
How do you become an attorney GAL in Delaware Family Court?
Get admitted to the Delaware bar, then get appointed. That is the whole path. There is no side door labeled GAL.
Admission is picky. Delaware Supreme Court Rule 52 requires a clerkship of at least 5 months in Delaware under a preceptor who is a member of this bar, before you sit as a regular applicant.[5] You also take Delaware's own bar exam. This state has not been a Uniform Bar Exam jurisdiction, so an out-of-state UBE score does not drop in cleanly. Confirm the present exam format and any limited motion rules with the Board of Bar Examiners. Do not trust a forum post for the fee. Fees move.
After you are sworn in, Family Court can name you in a private custody matter or in other civil child cases inside its Title 10 jurisdiction.[4] Some lawyers get repeat appointments because judges already know their work. Some never get one. There is no published statewide GAL roster you buy your way onto.
First-year operations look like this. You read the petition. You meet the child if the order and the child's age make that possible. You talk to parents, teachers, and treaters. You write a report the court can actually use. You show up. You keep time records if you will ask for a fee. You keep the file locked down.
I'd buy malpractice insurance before I accepted a private appointment. The court will not sell it to you. I'd also open a way to hold any fee award that belongs in a lawyer trust account. Guessing at IOLTA rules is how new lawyers get letters they do not want.
How do adult guardianship GAL appointments work in the Court of Chancery?
Adult and minor guardianship petitions go to the Court of Chancery, not Family Court. Title 12, Chapter 39 is the guardianship statute.[3] The court's own guardianship pages walk through petitions, accounts, and what a guardian later files.[8]
A guardian ad litem in that building is usually a Delaware attorney named to protect the due-process interests of the person who may be placed under guardianship. You are not automatically the long-term guardian of the person or property. Those are different jobs. Mixing them up in your marketing is a good way to look like you have never read Chapter 39.
The paper is a petition, service, medical or other supporting affidavits as the court requires, and then orders. Confirm the current packet with Chancery in the county where the person lives. New Castle, Kent, and Sussex each have their own filing counter habits even though the statute is statewide.
Compensation, if any, comes from the order or from the estate if the court allows it. I will not invent a percentage or an hourly cap. Chancery will tell you what it approves. If a trainer quotes you a statewide GAL rate for Chancery, ask them to show the order that set it. They will not have one that binds the next case.
How much does guardian ad litem cost in Delaware?
It depends which side of the table you are on, and which path you walk. There is no official GAL price list.
If you mean what it costs you to become eligible, CASA training is a volunteer program through OCA. Do not budget a tuition number until OCA gives you one. Many CASA programs charge little or nothing to the volunteer. Confirm that locally.[2]
If you mean the lawyer path, your real cost is law school, the living expenses during that 5-month Delaware clerkship, bar application fees, and then the ordinary cost of a law practice.[5] I will not invent the Board of Bar Examiners' current application fee. Look it up on the Board's materials and pay that figure, not a screenshot from 2019.
A practicing lawyer also faces a Delaware business license and gross receipts tax if the Division of Revenue treats the practice as a business. Confirm the present classification and any minimum tax before you file. Annual attorney registration and mandatory CLE sit on top of that. Confirm those numbers with the Supreme Court and the Commission on Continuing Legal Education. They change.
If you mean what a parent pays when Family Court appoints a GAL, the court can allocate fees between parties. There is no honest statewide average I can cite. Orders vary with income, case heat, and how much work the GAL actually did. Anyone selling you a fixed "Delaware GAL cost" for every custody case is making it up.
OCA staff time is not a private invoice to the parents. That office is a state function under Chapter 90A.[2] Do not budget a private retainer for an OCA lawyer as if they were your contractor.
How long does guardian ad litem take in Delaware?
Which clock?
CASA screening and training can run weeks to a few months, depending on the class calendar OCA is running when you apply. I will not invent a start date. Ask the office for the next training cohort. After that you wait for a case. Some volunteers wait. Some get a file quickly. Nobody has good public data on median wait.
The lawyer clock is long. A typical J.D. is 3 academic years. Delaware then wants that 5-month clerkship before regular admission under Rule 52.[5] Bar results add more weeks. If you are already a lawyer elsewhere, still budget the clerkship and Delaware's exam unless the Board tells you in writing that a different rule applies to you. Verbal war stories do not bind the Board.
Once you are eligible, a single GAL case lasts as long as the docket lasts. A short custody add-on might close in months. A child-welfare case can run much longer because review hearings keep coming. Chancery guardianship work can end for the GAL after the petition even while the underlying guardianship continues.
There is no statutory stopwatch that says "you will be a GAL 90 days from payment." Anyone who guarantees a processing time is selling you a national myth. Confirm timelines with OCA or the Board for the step you are actually on.
What paper do you actually file, and with which court?
Start with the court that owns the case. Child welfare and private custody live in Family Court under Title 10, Chapter 9.[4] Guardianship of person or property lives in the Court of Chancery under Title 12, Chapter 39.[3] Filing the right packet in the wrong building wastes a filing fee and a week.
For CASA, your first paper is the OCA application and the later appointment order the judge signs. You do not draft your own appointment.
For a lawyer GAL, the usual set is the appointment order, an entry of appearance, later a report or recommendation, and if you want to be paid, a fee affidavit or petition in the form that court uses. Confirm the current Family Court or Chancery forms on the courts site. Forms get revised. Old PDFs linger on random blogs.
Adult guardianship has its own petition and supporting papers. Chancery publishes guardianship guidance for petitioners and guardians.[8] Read that before you invent a caption.
If you want a paper checklist that is not legal advice, GALPath sells a $149 one-time GAL Certification Kit at /start. GALPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. The kit does not file itself and it does not replace OCA or Board forms.
Keep copies. First-year operations fail when the only record of your notes is a text thread with a parent. Print. Date. File.
What training and ethics rules apply after you start?
CASA volunteers follow OCA's training and confidentiality rules. Chapter 90A is strict about child records for a reason.[2] Gossip is how volunteers get removed.
Lawyers follow the Delaware Lawyers' Rules of Professional Conduct and whatever the appointment order says about scope. Best-interests work is not the same as being the child's criminal-defense counsel. If the order is fuzzy, ask the judge to tighten it. Do not freelance a new role.
Delaware lawyers also complete mandatory CLE on a two-year cycle. Confirm the current hour total and ethics slice with the Commission on Continuing Legal Education. I am not printing a number the Commission can change.
CAPTA's federal condition still sits behind abuse and neglect appointments. The statute calls for a guardian ad litem "who has received training appropriate to the role, including training in early childhood, child, and adolescent development."[6] That is a real training expectation, not a branding slogan.
Delaware's answer to that federal duty is OCA, staffed by attorneys and trained CASAs. Train for the role you were actually given.
What is a waste of money if you want Delaware GAL work?
A course that promises a Delaware GAL license. That credential does not exist.[7]
A national certificate that implies Family Court or Chancery will treat you as appointed. Judges here read the order and, for lawyer work, your Delaware bar number.
Paying a consultant to "register you with the Delaware GAL board." There is no such board.[7]
Buying another state's packet and swapping the cover page. Alabama paper will not clear a Dover clerk. If you like comparing state paths, read a real state guide instead of a recycled workbook, such as how to start guardian ad litem in Alabama or how to start guardian ad litem in California.
I'd also skip prepaid "first-year marketing retainers" that tell you to advertise GAL services to parents as if you were a hired advocate they can fire. In Delaware the court appoints you. Parents are not your intake department.
Spend money on malpractice insurance if you are a lawyer, on a locking file cabinet, and on the Board's real fees. That is enough.
How does Delaware compare with other states' GAL setups?
Delaware is small and centralized. Child-welfare advocacy is pulled into one statutory office, OCA, instead of a county-by-county GAL contractor market.[2] Family Court is one statewide court with three county locations.[4] Chancery keeps guardianship.[3] That split surprises people who come from states where one juvenile court does all of it.
Other states really do run different paper. Some use county GAL offices. Some let trained non-attorneys take private custody appointments. Delaware is tighter on the lawyer side for private and Chancery work. If you are shopping jurisdictions, read the actual start path for that state, not a Facebook summary. Comparisons people ask for include how to start guardian ad litem in Arizona, how to start guardian ad litem in Arkansas, how to start guardian ad litem in Alaska, and how to start guardian ad litem in Colorado.
Delaware's 5-month clerkship is the other big difference on the attorney path.[5] Plenty of states admit you on exam scores alone. This one still wants you in a Delaware office first.
What should you confirm with the court or board before you spend money?
Confirm four things in writing.
One, that you are applying to the right body. CASA is OCA. Lawyer admission is the Board of Bar Examiners under the Supreme Court Rules.[5] Business tax is the Division of Revenue. Guardianship forms are Chancery.[8] None of those offices will honor a receipt from the others.
Two, the current fee. I have not printed a live dollar figure for bar applications, business licenses, or filing fees because those numbers move. If a page conflicts with the clerk, the clerk wins.
Three, whether your out-of-state law license does anything. Unless the Board says so in the current rule, assume you still need the Delaware exam and the 5-month clerkship.[5]
Four, that you are not buying a fake license. Check the DPR board list yourself.[7]
GALPath does not process applications and does not appear in court. Use the kit at /start only as optional reading. Then file the real forms with the real office. No article, including this one, can promise you an appointment or a date.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for guardian ad litem in Delaware?
No. Delaware does not issue a GAL license and DPR lists no GAL board. CASA volunteers go through OCA screening and training. Lawyer GAL work in Family Court or Chancery requires Delaware bar admission. Confirm any other credential with the agency that would actually issue it.
How much does guardian ad litem cost in Delaware?
There is no official GAL price. CASA entry costs whatever OCA currently charges volunteers, often little or nothing. The lawyer path costs law school, a 5-month Delaware clerkship, Board of Bar Examiners fees, plus ordinary practice costs. Parent-paid GAL fees are set in the appointment order. Confirm every dollar with the Board, Revenue, or the court.
How long does guardian ad litem take in Delaware?
CASA training follows OCA's class calendar, often weeks to a few months, then you wait for an appointment. The attorney path adds a typical 3-year J.D., a 5-month Rule 52 clerkship, and bar results. A single case then lasts as long as that docket lasts. Nobody can honestly guarantee a start date.
Can a non-lawyer be a guardian ad litem in Delaware?
Yes, as a CASA volunteer appointed in child-welfare cases after OCA screening and training. Private Family Court GAL work and almost all Court of Chancery GAL work go to Delaware attorneys. Do not advertise lawyer-only appointments if you are not admitted. Confirm the role with OCA or the court before you accept a file.
Is CASA the same as guardian ad litem in Delaware?
CASA is one Delaware method for trained volunteer advocacy in child-welfare cases, run through the Office of the Child Advocate. Federal CAPTA language treats a trained CASA as one way to meet the guardian ad litem condition. It is not a private custody practice and it is not a Chancery guardianship appointment.
Which court appoints a GAL in Delaware?
Family Court appoints CASAs and lawyer GALs in child-welfare and private custody matters under Title 10, Chapter 9. The Court of Chancery appoints GALs in guardianship matters under Title 12, Chapter 39. File in the court that already has the case. The wrong building will not fix a caption.
Do I need a Delaware law license if I am already licensed in another state?
For lawyer GAL appointments, yes, unless the Board of Bar Examiners tells you in writing that another rule applies. Delaware still uses its own bar exam and a 5-month in-state clerkship under Rule 52 for regular applicants. Do not assume UBE score portability. Confirm the current admission route before you move.
Can I start a GAL business and advertise for clients in Delaware?
Not in the way people advertise a notary shop. A judge appoints you. Parents are not supposed to hire their child's GAL off a Facebook ad. A law firm can describe experience, but the appointment still comes from the court. CASA work is volunteer advocacy through OCA, not a billable business line.
What does first-year GAL work actually look like?
You read the petition, meet the child when the order allows it, gather records, write a report the judge can use, and appear at hearings. You track time if you will seek a fee. You keep the file confidential. For lawyers, add malpractice coverage and ordinary trust-account hygiene. The glamorous part is the parking lot.
Does Delaware use the Uniform Bar Exam?
Delaware has used its own bar examination rather than sitting as a UBE jurisdiction. Combined with the 5-month clerkship in Rule 52, that makes lateral admission slower than in many states. Confirm the present exam format with the Board of Bar Examiners before you rely on an out-of-state score report.
Who pays the GAL in a Delaware custody case?
The appointment order says. Family Court can split fees between parties, assign them to one side, or handle OCA time as a state function instead of a private invoice. There is no honest statewide hourly average published for private GALs. Read the order. Ask the court if the order is silent.
Is there a state GAL board I register with in Delaware?
No. The Division of Professional Regulation does not list a guardian ad litem board. OCA runs CASA and staff attorney advocacy. The Board of Bar Examiners admits lawyers. Chancery and Family Court issue appointments. If a seller offers to register you with a Delaware GAL board, keep your wallet closed.
Do I need malpractice insurance to be a GAL in Delaware?
CASA volunteers follow OCA's coverage and volunteer rules, which you should ask about in writing. Lawyers who accept private or Chancery appointments should carry malpractice insurance. The court will not issue a policy with the appointment order. Confirm carrier requirements yourself. I would not accept a private file bare.
Where do I confirm current bar or volunteer requirements?
CASA and Deputy Child Advocate postings: Office of the Child Advocate, Title 29, Chapter 90A. Lawyer admission: Board of Bar Examiners and Delaware Supreme Court Rule 52. Business taxes: Division of Revenue. Guardianship forms: Court of Chancery. Custody and child cases: Family Court. Use those offices, not a reseller.
Sources
- Delaware Code, Title 13, Chapter 7, Subchapter I (§ 722 best interests): 13 Del. C. § 722 directs Family Court to decide custody and residential arrangements according to the best interests of the child.
- Delaware Code, Title 29, Chapter 90A, Office of the Child Advocate: Title 29, Chapter 90A creates the Office of the Child Advocate and houses Delaware's statutory child-advocacy function, including CASA-related work.
- Delaware Code, Title 12, Chapter 39, Guardianship: Title 12, Chapter 39 is the Delaware guardianship statute administered in the Court of Chancery for minors and adults.
- Delaware Code, Title 10, Chapter 9, The Family Court: Title 10, Chapter 9 establishes Family Court and its statewide civil jurisdiction over child and family proceedings.
- Delaware Supreme Court Rules (Rule 52 bar admission and clerkship): Delaware Supreme Court Rule 52 requires a clerkship of at least 5 months in Delaware as part of regular bar admission.
- 42 U.S.C. § 5106a, CAPTA state grant requirements: CAPTA conditions certain grants on appointment of a trained guardian ad litem or CASA in judicial child-abuse or neglect proceedings.
- Delaware Division of Professional Regulation, professional boards list: DPR's published board list does not include a guardian ad litem licensing board.
- Delaware Court of Chancery, Guardianship program page: The Court of Chancery administers guardianship petitions, accounts, and related filings for person and property.
- National CASA/GAL Association for Children, volunteer training overview: National CASA describes pre-service volunteer training programs used by state CASA/GAL programs, which are not a substitute for Delaware's local training schedule.
- Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, Family Services: DSCYF Family Services is the state child-welfare agency whose petitions generate many OCA and CASA appointments.