Certified Guardian Ad Litem for Children

Focused on Domestic Violence, Abuse, and Personal Injury Cases
Serving Broward and Palm Beach Courts

In many high conflict divorce and paternity cases, there are serious allegations of domestic violence, as well as allegations of physical and emotional abuse. This is Catherine’s focus, and where Catherine’s thirty years of experience representing parents in Domestic Violence, Dependency, and Family Law cases, including as a former in-house counsel for HRS, is best utilized.

When there are allegations of domestic violence and abuse, the parents are almost always conflicted and battling about timesharing, phone contact, choice of schools, after-school activities, and the medical needs of their children. Catherine serves as a compassionate advocate for children caught between their parents’ allegations.

Some personal injury cases require a Guardian Ad Litem to recommend whether a proposed settlement is best for an injured minor child. Catherine’s experience as former in-house counsel for a major insurance company assists the Civil Division in understanding the intricacies of the child’s medical, emotional, and educational needs.

Catherine is a Certified Guardian Ad Litem who conducts careful investigation and inquiry into all aspects of the children’s lives, and provides detailed reports to the Court, including specific recommendations that help the Court sift through, and make sense of, the allegations and concerns. The interviews Catherine conducts, with the child’s school, pediatrician, daycare, medical specialists, neighbors, and other witnesses, provide the Court and the attorneys with a comprehensive summary of the facts, helps avoid the frustrations experienced in cases where there is only “he said/she said” conflicting testimony, and provides a means for others involved with the children to tell their concerns to the Judge.

To achieve her goal of solving what Catherine refers to as “the rubik’s cube” of the problems interfering with a normal functioning family, Catherine enlists the assistance of investigators, therapists with a wide variety of specialties, and educational specialists, in order to provide the Court and the attorneys with facts and solutions that help quickly end the drama and dread involved in most highly contested litigated family division cases and complex personal injury cases. When all is said and done, “the rubik’s cube” is all lined up, and Catherine is ready for another challenging case.

Catherine is especially focused on the well-being and best interests of the children, and utilizes her over thirty years of experience to creatively interview children with their school guidance counselor or principal, and without revealing the purpose of the interview to the children, when appropriate. Catherine is careful with her interviews of children, which she conducts with the presence and assistance of a therapeutic professional, when necessary. Catherine also coordinates with schools to pose as a volunteer for portions of the day, in order to observe the children in their classrooms, lunchroom, and playground, prior to their interview, which allows Catherine to capture the children’s true nature, personality, and academic performance.

As an experienced Marital & Family Law Attorney, Certified Family Law Mediator, and Collaborative Family Law Professional, Catherine utilizes her training and vast experience, so that parents are often able to reach agreements as to timesharing, co-parenting, and support issues, when they are provided with the results of Catherine’s extensive investigation. This helps preserve the family’s resources by minimizing litigation, and provides much appreciated relief to the lawyers involved in those hotly contested cases.

CHOOSE AN EXPERIENCED AND COMPASSIONATE BOCA RATON & FORT LAUDERDALE CERTIFIED GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR YOUR CHILDREN DURING YOUR CONTESTED DIVORCE OR PATERNITY CASE, OR YOUR PERSONAL INJURY CASE.

Contact Certified Guardian Ad Litem Attorney Catherine I. Favitta to find out how a Certified Guardian Ad Litem for Children may be able to give your children a voice, and be a qualified professional specifically looking out for the best interests of your children during your contested family law or personal injury case.