At any stage of a proceeding under this Act, the court may appoint a guardian ad litem for an individual to identify and represent the individual's best interest or perform other duties if the court determines the individual's interest otherwise would not be adequately represented. If a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest does not exist, a guardian ad litem may be appointed to represent multiple individuals or interests. The guardian ad litem may not be the same individual as the attorney representing the respondent. The court shall state on the record the duties of the guardian ad litem and the reasons for the appointment, as well as responsibility for payment of the guardian ad litem fees.   [PL 2017, c. 402, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 2019, c. 417, Pt. B, §14 (AFF).]