[Chancellor Palpatine]

Guardian Ad Litem - a court appointed lawyer, designated to look out for the interests of the mentally disabled person in this instance. They get paid by the opposing litigant, who has no control over how much gets run up.

[cake_crumb]

Um...Terri's parents want Michael to give up guardianship of Terri and transfer it to them. He would not be liable to pay for her health care if he did that. He would not inherit the money he won from the lawsuit, set aside in trust to rehabilitate Terri, but not spent on rehabilitation.

In other words, the situation is different. All cases are unique. This is not your friend's case. This is Terri's case.