Definition of "Ad litem"

Pam & Jason Maples<br>(The Maples Team) real estate agent

Written by

Pam & Jason Maples
(The Maples Team)
elite badge icon

Grinnell Realty

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”.

Real Estate Tips:

Have a Real Estate Agent as your guardian, protecting your best interests at all times!

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

In a principal gent transaction or contract where a third party knows the name of the principal the agent represents. This is a typical setting in real estate situations. In this ...

Homeowner’s insurance is a kind of property insurance that covers risks commonly encountered by homeowners.There are several kinds of homeowner’s insurance ...

A loan in which the entire charge is subtracted up front from the face value of a loan. The proceeds received are the face value of the loan less this deduction, which increases the ...

In real estate, the term "preamble" refers to an introductory statement that outlines the fundamental principles and goals guiding the industry's practices. Specifically, in the National ...

Last installment payment, substantially greater than the previous installment payments. The unpaid balance of a long-term loan is paid off in a lump sum at the end of the loan term. ...

Main structural support beam. A girder is made of steel, reinforced concrete, or timber. It is designed to support loads at different points along its length. ...

System for listing recorded documents affecting a particular tract of land. ...

A shallow yet funny definition of a tax specialist is someone who loved math since 1st grade. He or she has an elephant’s memory and is always up to date with the regulations and ...

An activity by a property owner annoys or seriously disturbs other property owners making it discomforting to use their own property. A wide range of activities can be classified as ...

Popular Real Estate Questions