FL · rules
Fla. R. Juv. P. 8.615
Providing Counsel to Parties
(a) Duty of the Court.
(1) At each stage of the proceeding the court shall
advise all parties of their right to have counsel present. The court
shall appoint counsel to insolvent persons who are so entitled as
provided by law. The court shall ascertain whether the right to
counsel is understood and, where appropriate, knowingly and
intelligently waived. The court shall enter its findings in writing with
respect to the appointment or waiver of counsel for insolvent
parties.
(2) The court may appoint an attorney for the child or
parent, guardian, or custodian of the child as provided by law.
(b) Waiver of Counsel.
(1) No waiver shall be accepted where it appears that
the party is unable to make an intelligent and understanding choice
because of mental condition, age, education, experience, the nature
or complexity of the case, or other factors.
(2) A waiver of counsel shall be made in court and be of
record.
(3) If a waiver is accepted at any stage of the
proceedings, the offer of assistance of counsel shall be renewed by
the court at each subsequent stage of the proceedings at which the
party appears without counsel.
Provenance
- Source
- floridabar.org
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-14
- Edition
- 2026-09-14
- Content hash
68708f605a2684b40ec27b68a0f4134b07b834ea4e6b1328d88f64818f847a6f
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