Presenter:
Carrie Mason, Ph.D., Esq.
This session provides a comprehensive overview of Guardian ad Litem representation in Tennessee Title 36 proceedings, grounded in T.C.A. § 36-4-132 and Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 40A. Participants will review the role, authority, duties, and limitations of the Rule 40A GAL; the substantive legal frameworks governing custody and parenting-plan decisions; conducting a focused and independent investigation; and working effectively with parents and other sources of information. The training also includes instruction in early childhood, child, and adolescent development; developmentally appropriate engagement and interviewing; consideration and presentation of a child’s expressed wishes; assessing whether child testimony is necessary; and using appropriate safeguards when a child participates in court proceedings.
This training satisfies the Guardian ad Litem training requirement established by Public Chapter 810 (2026), effective July 1, 2026, and codified at T.C.A. § 36-4-132(d). Public Chapter 810 requires a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem under § 36-4-132 to complete training appropriate to the GAL role, including training in early childhood, child, and adolescent development provided by a qualified professional. The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts can confirm participation in this training and, for Tennessee-licensed attorneys, report attendance to the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Participants should retain documentation of their attendance as a record of completion of the training requirement; in the event it is requested by the court.
CLE: This course has been approved for 1.75 general hours.
- The approved CLE for this training includes additional time to complete the Pre-Training Quiz and Survey, and Post-Training Quiz, CLE Request and Training Evaluation. Kindly take your time to offer thoughtful responses to the questions.
- Partial credit is not given for distance learning courses.
- You may only receive CLE credit for the completion of on-demand distance learning courses one time, regardless of which calendar year the course was completed.
- On-Demand Training sessions must have interactive components accredited for actual time spent to obtain CLE Credit Hours. Therefor you must complete the training questions. Your responses to the quiz questions are reviewed for data purposes only.
To continue, please complete the Pre-Training Quiz and click "Continue to Training" at the bottom of the page. You will be directed to the video presentation and training materials. Should you have any issues accessing the training material page, please email cipadminassistant@tncourts.gov.
