Spokane County Superior Court

		
		
                          LJuCR 3.4
  APPOINTMENT OF COUNSEL AND SCHEDULING OF DEPENDENCY FACT-
                       FINDING HEARING


     (a) [Deleted]
     Amended effective 9/1/99

     (c) Scheduling of Hearing. Any request for continuance
of the fact-finding hearing shall identify the 75th day from
the filing of the petition.  A motion to continue beyond the
75th day shall be supported by a declaration of exceptional
circumstances.  The order continuing the hearing beyond 75
days shall identify the exceptional circumstances found by
the Court.

Amended effective 9/1/99


     (e) Appointment of Attorney or Guardian Ad Litem.

     (1) Minor Parents.  Juvenile Court staff shall review
all dependency, guardianship and termination petitions to
determine whether an attorney and/or guardian ad litem
should be appointed for a parent under the age of 18.
Juvenile Court staff shall apply to the court for an Order
Assigning Lawyer or Guardian Ad Litem for a minor parent.
Juvenile Court staff shall forward the dependency,
guardianship, or termination petition to the appointed attorney.

Amended effective 9/1/99


     (2) Attorney for Child.  A child over the age of 12 may
request the appointment of an attorney by informing the
Guardian ad Litem or by written request to Juvenile Court
staff.  Juvenile Court staff shall apply to the Court for an
Order Assigning Lawyer for the child.

Effective 9/1/99


     (3) Request for Appointed Counsel by Parent/Guardian. A
parent or guardian may request appointment of counsel in a
dependency, guardianship or termination proceeding by
completing a Motion and Declaration for Assignment of
Lawyer.  Juvenile Court staff will help the parent or
guardian complete the requisite documents and will present
the motion and Order Assigning Lawyer to the court.  If the
order is signed, a copy of the order along with the
dependency, termination, or guardianship petition shall be
delivered immediately to the assigned lawyer by Juvenile
Court staff.  Copies of the order shall be furnished to all parties.

     If the motion for counsel is denied, the parent or
guardian may request the court to review its decision.  The
parent or guardian shall contact the Juvenile Court
Coordinator to initiate the review process.

Amended effective 9/1/99


     (f) Private Counsel.  If private counsel is retained by
any party to the proceedings, such counsel shall immediately
file a notice of appearance with the Clerk of Court and
provide a copy to Juvenile Court staff, the child's guardian
ad litem, if any, the Attorney General's Office, other
counsel, and the supervising agency.  If the child’s
guardian ad litem is a CASA, providing a copy of the notice
of appearance to the CASA Program is deemed notice to the
guardian ad litem.

Amended effective 9/1/99