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Chapter 18 (Rules 18.1 to 18.13): the guidelines for the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program adopted as a rule of court (18.1); special advocates appointed for dependent and delinquent children, trained under the program (18.2); serving at the pleasure of the court (18.3); their functions (18.4); sworn officers of the court (18.5); specific duties set by order (18.6); the appointment order (18.7); access to records (18.8); mandated child abuse reporters (18.9); communication (18.10); timely notice of motions (18.11); calendar priority (18.12); and CASA reports submitted and served at least (3) three court days before the hearing (18.13).
California > First Appellate District > Lake County > Superior Court of California, County of Lake
CHAPTER 18 COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATE 18.1 Guidelines for Court Appointed Special Advocate Programs (eff. 1/1/2011) The Superior Court hereby adopts the guidelines for a the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, as more particularly set forth under the caption, “Program Guidelines for Court Appointed Special Advocate Programs” established by section 100 of the Welfare and Institutions Code of the State of California, as a Rule of Court applicable to the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program for Mendocino/Lake County. The guidelines are incorporated herein by reference. (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.2 Court Appointed Special Advocate Program (eff. 1/1/2011) The Superior Court may appoint child advocates to represent and report to the court on the interests of dependent and/or delinquent children. In order to qualify for appointment the special advocate must be trained by and function under the auspices of a Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, formed and operating under the guidelines of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association. (W&I 356.5) The advocate program shall report regularly to the Presiding Judge and Judges of the Juvenile Dependency and Juvenile Delinquency Courts with evidence that it is operating under the guidelines established by the National Court Appointed Special Advocates Association and the California State Guidelines for child advocates. (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.3 Special Advocates(eff. 1/1/2011) Special advocates serve at the pleasure of the court having jurisdiction over the proceeding in which the advocate has been appointed. (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.4 Functions(eff. 1/1/2011) In general, an advocate’s functions are as follows: 1. To support the child throughout the court proceedings; 2. To establish a relationship with the child to better understand his or her particular needs and desires; 3. To communicate the child’s needs and desires to the court in written reports and recommendations; 4. To identify and explore potential resources which will facilitate early family reunification or alternative permanency planning; 5. To provide continuous attention to the child’s situation to ensure that the court’s plan for the child are being implemented; 6. To the fullest extent possible, to communicate and coordinate efforts with the case manager (social worker or probation officer); 7. To the fullest extent possible, to communicate and coordinate efforts with the child’s attorney; 8. To represent the interest of the child in other judicial or administrative proceedings; and 9. To be present in court for all hearings when the case is before the court. (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.5 Sworn Officer of the Court (eff. 1/1/2011) A special advocate is an officer of the court and is bound by these rules. Each advocate shall be sworn in by a Judge or Court Commissioner before beginning his or her duties, and shall subscribe to a written oath. (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.6 Specific Duties(eff. 1/1/2011) In its initial order of appointment, and thereafter in subsequent orders as appropriate, the court may specifically delineate the advocate’s duties in each case, including interviewing and observing the child and other appropriate individuals, reviewing appropriate records and reports, consideration of visitation rights for the child’s grandparents and other relatives, and reporting back directly to the court as indicated. If no specific duties are outlined by the court order, the advocate shall discharge his or her obligation to the child and the court in accordance with the functions set forth in Local Rule. (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.7 Appointment Process (eff. 1/1/2011) To accomplish the appointment of a special advocate, the Judge or Commissioner making the appointment shall sign an order granting the advocate the authority to review specific relevant documents and interview parties involved in the case, as well as other persons having significant information relating to the child, to the same extent as any other officer appointed to investigate proceedings on behalf of the court. (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.8 Access to Records (eff. 1/1/2011) A special advocate shall have the same legal right to records relating to the child he or she is appointed to represent as any case manager (social worker or probation officer) with regard to records pertaining to the child held by any agency, school, organization, division or department of the State, physician, surgeon, nurse, other health care provider, psychologist, psychiatrist, mental health provider or law enforcement agency. The advocate shall present his or her order and identification as a Court Appointed Special Advocate to any such record holder in support of his or her request for access to specific records. No consent from the parent or guardian is necessary for the advocate to have access to any records relating to the child. (W & I 107) (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.9 Report of Child Abuse(eff. 1/1/2011) A special advocate is a mandated child abuse reporter with respect to the case to which he or she is appointed. (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.10 Communication (eff. 1/1/2011) There shall be ongoing, regular communication concerning the child’s best interests, current status, and significant case developments, maintained among the special advocate, case manager, child’s attorney, attorneys for parents, relatives, foster parent, and any therapist for the child. (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.11 Right to Timely Notice (eff. 1/1/2011) The moving party shall provide the special advocate timely notice of any motions concerning a child for whom a special advocate has been appointed. (W & I 106) (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.12 Calendar Priority (eff. 1/1/2011) In light of the fact that special advocates are rendering a volunteer service to children and the court, matters on which they appear should be granted priority on the court’s calendar, whenever possible. (eff. 1/1/2011) 18.13 Distribution of CASA Reports(eff. 1/1/2011) CASA reports shall be submitted to the court and served on parties entitled to receive a copy of the report at least (3) three court days prior to the hearing. (eff. 1/1/2011)
CHAPTER 18 COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATE 18.1 Guidelines for Court Appointed Special Advocate Programs (eff. 1/1/2011) The Superior Court hereby adopts the guidelines for a the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, as more particularly set forth under the caption, “Program Guidelines for Court Appointed Special Advocate Programs” established by section 100 of the Welfare and Institutions Co
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-10 (California T4 Lake build 2026-10-10) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-lake/docs/local-rules/local-rules-january-2026_v2.pdf (the court's rule book, its cover “SUPERIOR COURT, STATE OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF LAKE LOCAL RULES Effective 1/1/2026”, as fetched 2026-10-10; 852364 bytes, sha256 060a39793172b99fb99a1f839efb8fee0755a6d5c8c03d52d407d1d536399e9d; 69 pages) with the shared verbatim composer (v2 reflow): the rule body (PDF pages 9 to 68; the chapters run on without page breaks) composed once and cut at the twenty chapter headings (“CHAPTER 1 ADOPTION AND APPLICABILITY OF RULES” to “CHAPTER 20 ELECTRONIC FILING”), the chapters reassembling the body exactly: each page's running header (“Superior Court, County of Lake”) and footer (the page number) removed as chrome; lines reflowed into the rules' paragraphs; Rule 5.8's ruled table (Case Plan Disposition Time Standards and Court Events, pages 29 and 30) read cell by cell by the table finder; no struck run on any of the 69 pages (review/strike-report-2026-10-10.txt); 22 whitespace-only fixes (build/book-fixes.json: Rule 5.8's table cells' lettered items and paragraphs set on their own lines (10); Rule 8.6's plans and its item 3 (3); Rule 3.13's history note (1); Rule 11.5's default fee schedule set row by row (1); the subheadings of Rules 3.5 (at a page break) and 4.10(c) set on their own lines (2); Rule 5.9's form number FL-105 and the word “denial” its Rule 5.9(E) prints across three lines set whole (2); and the sentences of Rules 9.4, 10.3 and 5.4(B) rejoined where the composition broke them before an inline item, a dash and a capitalized word (3)) and 1 same-character fix (build/book-captions.json: Rule 16.3(B)'s list of remote proceeding calendars, printed in two columns, set group by group); the vertical-gap, short-line, page-break, bold-line, row and false-break audits find no other; proof 1 (whitespace-only) and proof 2 (same character multiset as the text layer minus chrome) pass. The cover, the table of contents, the three local forms the book prints (LK-108, LKSC-420 and LK-117) and the index belong to no card. Review note: Carried as printed: Rule 18.1 adopts the guidelines "as a Rule of Court applicable to the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program for Mendocino/Lake County".
Division XI: information forms for data processing (Rule 11.2); required action - action taken on all calendared cases and a future date always set (Rule 11.19); and pro tem judges - an attorney named as a plaintiff in a civil or small claims case may not sit as a judge pro-tem during the case or within six months following its resolution, nor one named as a defendant in two or more such cases (Rule 11.22). Rules 11.1, 11.3 to 11.5, 11.7 to 11.18, 11.20 and 11.21 are repealed, and Rule 11.6 (voluntary arbitration; see Local Rule 10.2) was repealed and renumbered.
Duval County's indigent-defense and magistration rules under the Texas Fair Defense Act (S.B. 7): who may be booked into the county jail and on what paper; arrest-case numbering; presentment to a magistrate within 48 hours (art. 15.16); the magistrate's warnings, counsel inquiry, interpreter duty, indigence determination and appointment of counsel within 24 hours of a request; the alternative appointment plan under art. 26.04(g)-(h) with annual applications, seven attorney categories (capital, first and second degree, third degree/state jail/misdemeanor, competency, appeals, post-conviction, extradition), CLE and experience standards, random rotation within each category, written acceptance within 48 hours, first contact by the end of the next working day, replacement and suspension of counsel, fee applications within five days of completing services and the compensation attachment ($500 pleas; $175/$150 hourly; $1,400 per jury-trial day; appellate caps); bail schedules by offense class with a personal bond office (fee $20 or 3%), pre-trial supervision and revocation hearings within two working days; arraignment settings and notice; repeal of conflicting rules.