My experience with Carlo Colosimo was frustrating and maddening. I'm a gay father who had a close relationship with my daughter as I raised her for 12 and a half years. The mother petitioned for sole custody and Carlo Colosimo was appointed by the court as guardian ad litem. His duty was to act in the best interest of my daughter. Mr. Colosimo never took me seriously as a father and he failed to properly evaluate the importance of a father in my daughter's life. He dismissed every single mention I made of the mother coaching my daughter and alienating her from me. "I'm an attorney, not a psychiatrist," he said.
That is for sure, as he was easily manipulated by my daughter's mother.
For mandatory reunification therapy (a good idea), Carlo Colosimo designated a licensed clinical social worker with no experience in reunifying alienated parents and their children, no idea of how to proceed with reunification, no plan to bring me together with my daughter, and a documented hostility to the role of fathers in their children's lives. The therapist actually told me my daughter "does not need her father." She based this principle on her own divorce and her own children's relationship with her former husband.
THIS is who Mr. Colosimo thought was more qualified and suitable than any other experienced reunification therapist in the region. He said that because my daughter was already familiar with her, she was the best choice. Sure my daughter is more familiar with her than with any other counselor she had not yet met. This was Mr. Colosimo making a decision that posed the least amount of trouble to himself. There were 3 other qualified counselors he could have chosen from but he did not want to take the time to evaluate them.
I complained about Mr. Colosimo to ARDC. They closed the complaint after an initial inquiry because as an attorney, he enjoys broad discretion. In his letter in response to the inquiry, though, Carlo Colosimo made factual errors about the number of attorneys involved in my case and who they were representing, exaggerated his effort, and put forward false assertions. He is careless with facts. As a result of the complaint, he removed himself from further involvement in my daughter's case. A representative suggested that Carlo Colosimo specified this particular social worker with no experience because Colosimo did not expect me to follow through with therapy. That is irresponsible and disgraceful behavior from a guardian ad litem. He completely abdicated his responsibility to act in the best interest of my daughter and deliberately set up a reunification therapist guaranteed to fail.
Look at the "Guardian Ad Litem" page of his website and he will inform you about the importance of treating him with respect. He wants respect but did not treat me with respect nor did he respect his duty to my daughter. I am glad he removed himself because who knows what further damage he could do, but it is too late to prevent the damage he has already caused and the precious time he has wasted.
Carlo Colosimo as guardian ad litem took numerous short cuts, did not delve behind his first impressions to get at the heart of this complex situation, and was arrogant, dismissive, and condescending in our interviews and in his final recommendations.
Even though guardians are appointed, not hired, I recommend that you avoid him in any legal capacity. read more
