The Juvenile Court is responsible for appointing attorneys to represent:
Juveniles in delinquency cases
Guardians ad litem in child protection cases
Attorneys for named respondents in child protective proceedings
The Juvenile Court will not appoint attorneys for adoption cases.
Parties have a right to waive representation by an attorney and proceed through the court process in pro per ("for oneself", without an attorney).
The Court will notify parties of their appointed attorneys by mail unless there is an emergent hearing in which case the attorney will be present at the hearing. Please notify the Court as soon as possible if you are retaining an attorney.
Attorneys on the court appointed list are held to the standards set by Michigan statute, State Bar of Michigan, and local court standards. All attorneys must be in good standing with the local and state bar associations in order to practice in the Juvenile Court.