What is the Friend of the Court?

The Friend of the Court office is an arm of the circuit court, family division. In contested matters, it conducts investigations and makes recommendations to the court on issues of custody, parenting time and support. It also mediates those issues where there are disagreements and enforces support and parenting time orders. If contested matters cannot be settled between the parties, evidentiary hearings are often conducted by Friend of the Court referees, who then report their findings and make recommendations to the judge assigned to the case.