Supreme Court of Georgia
In Re Formal Advisory Opinion No. 16-2.
December 11, 2017808 S.E.2d 735
Summary
The Court approved Formal Advisory Opinion No. 16-2, concluding that an attorney serving both as a child's counsel and guardian ad litem may not advocate termination over the child's objection once the attorney determines that the child's wishes conflict with the attorney's considered view of the child's best interests. The attorney must seek removal from the guardian ad litem role, consider confidentiality obligations before disclosing information, and may seek complete withdrawal in sufficiently severe circumstances.