Need to know the Ad Litem definition after coming across this weird term?
Ad litem is short for “Guardian Ad Litem” or “Attorney Ad litem”, a legal term that refers to the person appointed by the court to investigate what results would be of best interest to the child (or a grownup that is legally incapacitated of representing himself) in the lawsuit at hand. The Guardian Ad Litem (GAL), then, represents that person and fights for that outcome.
The most common use for it is in divorce lawsuits. But in Real Estate it can also have many uses:
- Say a kid becomes an orphan – a GAL will be appointed to act on his or her behalf in court regarding the kid’s rights to inheritance.
- If a situation arises for a non-verbal person with special needs and no relatives that leads to a Homes for the disabled lawsuit, the court will also appoint a GAL.
- It can even be used in a property litigation: to act on behalf of an estate if the owners are unavailable or unwilling to do so.
Lastly, in case you’re wondering: The root of the Ad Litem definition comes from Latin. The word Ad Litem means “for the suit”, or “for the proceeding”.
Have a Real Estate Agent as your guardian, protecting your best interests at all times!
Popular Real Estate Terms
Personal income minus personal income tax payments and other government deductions. It is the personal income available for people to spend or save; also called take-home pay. It may be a ...
Civil rights acts passed by the U.S. Congress includes those of 1866, 1870, 1871, 1875, 1964, and 1968. The first two acts gave blacks the rights to be treated as citizens in legal actions, ...
Appraisal performed in accordance with the National Housing Act to determine the resale value of vacant or improved property in an urban area to be or under development. The renewal ...
Organization that manages the relocation of the employees of client companies from one area of the country to another. A relocation service will manage home sales and purchases in another ...
Housing where affirmative action is actively pursued encouraging people of all races, nationalities, and religions to purchase or rent the facilities. ...
Canceling, nullifying, terminating, or dishonoring a contractual obligation. The Truth-in-Lending Act provides the right of rescission whereby a person can annul a contract without ...
Title granted to those having expertise in valuing homes by the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers. ...
Any of a number of types of covenants agreeing to do or not to do something that is attached to the title and is passed form one owner to the next. See also covenant running with the land. ...
Company formed for the purpose of owning securities of one or more real estate corporations and assuming control over their practices and management. The other corporations are generally ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.