Restoring Judicial Fact-Finding in Utah Child custody Cases: Adjudication Without Synthetic Substitutes

This post is the third in a four-part series examining Utah courts’ reliance on guardians ad litem (GALs), private guardians ad litem (PGALs), and custody evaluators, and the legal, procedural,…

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When Help Becomes Substitution: Where Utah’s Use of Best-Interest Professionals Breaks Down Legally

This post is the second in a four-part series examining Utah courts’ reliance on guardians ad litem (GALs), private guardians ad litem (PGALs), and custody evaluators, and the legal, procedural,…

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Why Utah Courts Rely on GALs, PGALs, and Custody Evaluators — The Best Case

This post is the first in a four-part series examining Utah courts’ reliance on guardians ad litem (GALs), private guardians ad litem (PGALs), and custody evaluators, beginning with the strongest…

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Best Interests Without Evidence: The Unexamined Premise of PGAL and Custody Evaluator Appointments

When Courts Hear About Children Instead of Hearing From Them In Utah child-custody and parent-time disputes, motions to appoint a Private Guardian ad Litem (PGAL) and/or a custody evaluator have…

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“Erring on the Side of Caution” Is Still Error: Why Utah Courts Must Stop Quietly Abandoning the Burden of Proof in Protective Order Cases

Utah law requires domestic violence protective orders to be supported by a preponderance of the evidence. Increasingly, courts are not applying that standard. Instead, they substitute an unwritten “better safe than…

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Read more about the article Compelling Reasons for Permitting Litigants and Their Attorneys to Appear Remotely for Court Hearings
Compelling Reasons for Permitting Litigants and Their Attorneys to Appear Remotely for Court Hearings

Compelling Reasons for Permitting Litigants and Their Attorneys to Appear Remotely for Court Hearings

World War II’s silk shortage forced the military to abandon a comfortable default; nylon parachutes—stronger, cheaper, and mass-producible—started as a substitute and became the superior standard. COVID-19 did the same…

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The Utah courthouses will be re-opening soon. Don’t go back!

With the COVID-19 crisis essentially behind us now (please don't start on the Delta variant) the Utah courts are re-opening the courthouses. And there's nothing wrong with that . .…

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Utah Courts “Divorce Education for Children” program is free of charge

The Utah Courts provide a "Divorce Education for Children" program that is free of charge for children 9-12 years of age whose parents are divorcing. More information about the program…

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