Rule VIII. Appointment of Counsel and Fees

Rule VIII. Appointment of Counsel and Fees

   A. The court will appoint counsel for any juvenile or for any parent determined indigent by the court and for any other person whenever appointment of counsel would be appropriate in the exercise of the court’s discretion. The court will appoint a guardian ad litem for a juvenile as required under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-272 and as required by any other section of the Nebraska Juvenile Code.

   B. Attorneys who are willing to serve as court-appointed counsel in juvenile court proceedings shall notify the Clerk of the fact, providing their contact information and filling out any necessary paperwork. The Clerk shall maintain a current list of all attorneys who are willing to accept appointments in juvenile court and shall provide the same to all judges, and shall keep the list updated. Any attorney who wishes to be removed from the list may do so upon request of the Clerk.

   C. Appointments shall be made by the court using the list described above. The court is entitled to rely upon its knowledge of an attorney’s qualifications, skill level, and experience in appointing an attorney whom the court deems suitable to serve on a particular case.

   D. Court-appointed counsel may apply for payment of reasonable attorney fees by submitting an itemized bill to the Clerk with a certificate of service to the Sarpy County Attorney’s Office. The itemized billing statement shall provide with specificity each service rendered, the date of each service rendered, and the amount of time expended. The statement should further included the attorney’s name and case number. Court-appointed counsel shall also sign each statement confirming the truth and accuracy of the same.

   E. Court-appointed counsel shall comply with the Instructions for Court-Appointed Counsel.

Adopted March 31, 1995; amended May 31, 2023.