Nev. Rev. Stat. § 159A.045 – Appointment of attorney to represent protected minor or proposed protected minor; duties; compensation

1. On or after the date of the filing of a petition to appoint a guardian:
1. (a) Subject to subsection 2, the court may appoint an attorney to represent the protected minor or proposed protected minor; and
2. (b) The attorney must represent the protected minor or proposed protected minor until relieved of that duty by court order.
2. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, if a petition to appoint a guardian is filed in a jurisdiction where there is a program for legal services that receives the fees charged pursuant to NRS 19.031 for the operation of programs for the indigent and the protected minor or proposed protected minor would qualify for representation from the program in the guardianship proceeding, the court shall appoint an attorney from the program to represent the protected minor or proposed protected minor.
3. If a program for legal services described in subsection 2 has insufficient funds to support the representation of each child who would qualify for the appointment of an attorney pursuant to subsection 2, the program shall determine the number of protected minors or proposed protected minors supported from the available funds.
4. If an attorney appointed pursuant to subsection 1 is not compensated by any public money for the representation and the protected minor or proposed protected minor has an estate, the court may authorize an attorney to receive reasonable compensation from the estate.
5. If the court finds that a person has unnecessarily or unreasonably caused the appointment of an attorney, the court may order the person to pay to the estate of the protected minor or proposed protected minor all or part of the expenses associated with the appointment of the attorney.
6. An attorney who is appointed pursuant to subsection 1 may not serve as a guardian ad litem or an advocate for the best interests of a protected minor or proposed protected minor.
7. An attorney appointed to represent a protected minor or proposed protected minor shall comply with the Nevada Rules of Professional Conduct.
8. The provisions of this section do not prohibit:
1. (a) A protected minor or proposed protected minor from retaining counsel; or
2. (b) An attorney from providing legal services on a pro bono basis to a protected minor or a proposed protected minor.

(Added to NRS by 2017, 820; A 2025, 1695)