Methodology, sourcing, and corrections

Every figure GAL eRegistry publishes comes from a record a member of the public can retrieve. Last statewide verification sweep: April 2, 2026.

Public-record sourcing

County records begin with the superior court's own website: the Guardian ad Litem registry page, the registry list, published qualification requirements, and any posted rate or retainer schedule. Where a court has not published a registry, we submit a public-records request and record the date. We do not fill gaps with estimates.

RCW 26.12.177 compliance

RCW 26.12.177 requires each superior court to maintain a registry of persons willing to serve as Guardian ad Litem in Title 26 proceedings, with background information on each registrant and a complaint procedure. We publish only material the statute and the Public Records Act already place in public view. We do not publish case-file contents, sealed material, information about children, or the identities of parties.

How we label data

• Registry published — Court publishes a current GAL registry with qualifications.
• Partial record — A registry exists but is incomplete, dated, or not directly downloadable.
• Unverified — No public registry located. Records requested from the court.

Corrections policy

1. Acknowledge every correction request within one business day.
2. Verify against the cited source by re-retrieving it.
3. Correct confirmed errors within three business days of verification.
4. Date and disclose substantive corrections on the affected page.
5. Remove and mark unverified any disputed figure we cannot re-verify.

Watchdog firewall

No Guardian ad Litem, law firm, or court pays to appear in, be removed from, or be ranked within the county index. Paid research clients have no influence over what we publish. We accept no advertising from Guardian ad Litem appointees or evaluators, and we are independent of every Washington court and government agency.