Opinion ID: 1608613
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Conflict Between J.K.'s Legal and Social Interests

Text: Section 43-272.01(2) provides a nonexhaustive list of criteria that the guardian ad litem is to consider in discharging his or her duties. Section 43-272.01(2)(b) requires the guardian ad litem to defend the juvenile's legal and social interests. The guardians ad litem argue that a conflict existed between what they considered to be J.K.'s legal interests and what they considered to be J.K.'s social interests. The guardians ad litem claim that they could not adequately defend either interest and that separate counsel should have been appointed to defend J.K.'s legal interests. As we understand it, this argument is different from the guardians ad litem's claim that a conflict of interest existed because J.K. had expressed interests different from what the guardians ad litem thought were in J.K.'s best interests. Rather, we understand their argument to be that a conflict existed because they had concluded that treatment was in J.K.'s best social interests but that challenging the constitutionality of the proceedings was in J.K.'s best legal interests. Although situations might exist when the juvenile's legal interests are so divergent with the juvenile's social interests that one person cannot adequately represent both, this case does not present that problem. The juvenile court did not abuse its discretion. If the guardians ad litem believed that J.K. should have been committed for treatment, this would not have prevented J.K. from arguing that the State and the court were not following the requisite statutory and constitutional procedures. In fact, the record shows that the guardians ad litem did just that.