CHICAGO VOLUNTEER LEGAL SERVICES GAL TRAINING MANUAL - Serving as a Court-Appointed Guardian ad Litem in Cook County Adult Guardianship Proceedings

Sep 18, 2026

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services GAL Training Manual provides structured guidance for serving as a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem in Cook County adult guardianship proceedings. It explains guardianship fundamentals, key terms, and legal and geographic considerations, then details how GAL appointments are initiated, modified, restored, or succeeded. The manual outlines GAL duties, including investigation steps, document creation, report preparation, and court appearance responsibilities, with a focused section on taking a CVLS GAL case.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages144

Reading Time6 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Guardianship Overview

Common Issues

Guardianship Types

Guardianship Terms and Definitions

Law and Location

GAL Appointments

Initial Petition

Restoration / Termination / Modification of Guardianship

Successor Guardianship

Questionable Guardian

Citations

GAL Duties

Investigation

Report

Document Creation

Taking a CVLS GAL Case

Conflicts and Scheduling

CVLS Policies

Fee or No Fee

The Investigation

First Steps

Legal Pleadings and Other Court Documents

Venue and Jurisdiction

The Report of Physician, or CCP-211

School and Nursing Home Records and Other Evaluations

Access to Records

Contested Matters

Initial Contact

Explaining your role

Contact Petitioner or Their Counsel

Contact Residential Care Facility or Other Placement

Interviewing the Parties

Interview with Petitioner

Interviewing Collateral Contacts

Interviewing the Respondent

Additional Investigation

Post-Investigation

The GAL Report

Appearing in Court

| CHICAGO VOLUNTEER LEGAL SERVICES GAL TRAINING MANUAL | | --- | | SERVING AS A COURT-APPOINTED GUARDIAN AD LITEMIN COOK COUNTY ADULT GUARDIANSHIP PROCEEDINGS | | By Peter M Ashmore | Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................2 I. Guardianship Overview.......................................................................................................................... 2 A. Common Issues................................................................................................................................. 5 B. Guardianship Types........................................................................................................................... 6 II. Guardianship Terms and Definitions..................................................................................................... 8 III. Law and Location ............................................................................................................................... 14 IV. GAL Appointments ............................................................................................................................. 16 A. Initial Petition................................................................................................................................. 16 B. Restoration / Termination of adjudication of disability / Modification of guardianship............... 16 C. Successor guardianship.................................................................................................................. 17 D. Questionable Guardian................................................................................................................... 17 E. Citations.......................................................................................................................................... 18 V. GAL Duties........................................................................................................................................... 19 A. Investigation................................................................................................................................... 20 B. Report............................................................................................................................................. 21 C. Document Creation......................................................................................................................... 22 VI. TAKING A CVLS GAL CASE .................................................................................................................. 24 A. Conflicts and Scheduling................................................................................................................. 24 B. CVLS Policies................................................................................................................................... 25 C. Fee or No Fee.................................................................................................................................. 25 THE INVESTIGATION.........................................................................................................................26 I. First Steps ............................................................................................................................................. 26 A. Legal Pleadings and Other Court Documents................................................................................ 26 B. Venue and Jurisdiction................................................................................................................... 27 C. The Report of Physician, or CCP-211.............................................................................................. 28 D. School and Nursing Home Records and Other Evaluations...................................................

FAQs

What is the role of a GAL in Cook County adult guardianship proceedings?

A GAL serves as a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem. The manual focuses on fulfilling duties such as investigation, reporting, and participating in court proceedings for adult guardianship matters.

How are GAL appointments initiated and later modified or terminated?

The manual covers the initial petition process and also addresses restoration/termination of adjudication of disability and modification of guardianship. It further explains successor guardianship and situations involving a questionable guardian.

What investigation steps must a GAL complete?

The manual describes first steps, including reviewing legal pleadings and other court documents, confirming venue and jurisdiction, obtaining the physician report (CCP-211), gathering school/nursing home records and evaluations, managing access to records, and handling contested matters.

Sep 18, 2026

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