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12th Judicial Circuit Court Partners With Icard Merrill

Family Law Guardian Ad Litem Pilot Program Launches.

The 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida launched a pilot program designed to provide guardians ad litem for children involved in high-conflict divorce and custody cases in the Circuit’s Family Law Division. All the volunteers for this ground-breaking program are attorneys from the law firm of Icard, Merrill, Cullis, Timm, Furen & Ginsburg. Twenty-four Icard Merrill attorneys have signed up to volunteer.

The program is directed by the Honorable Lee E. Haworth and Charles E. Williams, who are co-chairs of the Circuit’s pro bono program. After recognizing a need for independent parties to represent the best interests of children in contentious cases, the judges approached Robert Lyons, president of Icard Merrill, to ask if the firm would consider volunteering to advocate for these children, all of whom are from families at or below the poverty line.

“Children caught in the middle of an acrimonious divorce need an independent voice to speak for them in court, to make unbiased recommendations and to ensure the judges have the best information possible,” said Judge Haworth. “Because there is no state-funded program to allow guardians ad litem in family court, we have created this pro bono program to address a very real need in our circuit. I commend Icard Merrill for being willing to take this on as I know it will be a significant investment of time and resources. The end product, however, will be a better result for children, and there can be no higher calling than the protection of vulnerable kids.”

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