WomensLaw serves and supports all survivors, no matter their sex or gender.

Legal Information: Arkansas

Custody

Laws current as of November 6, 2024

What does an attorney ad litem mean?

An attorney ad litem is an attorney appointed to represent the child’s best interest. The attorney ad litem is not there to represent either you or the other parent, but to try to represent what s/he thinks is in the child’s best interest. Attorneys ad litem have to meet certain guidelines and standards of practice for attorneys.

The judge can appoint an attorney ad litem whenever s/he thinks that it is in the best interest of the child and that the case will be better facilitated by appointing a private attorney to represent the child in a custody case.

Generally, both parents split the attorney ad litem’s fees and expenses.1

1 Ark. Code § 9-13-106

Legal Information

© 2008–2024 WomensLaw.org is a project of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, Inc. All rights reserved. This website is funded in part through a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). NNEDV is a 501©(3) non-profit organization; EIN 52-1973408.