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
Real estate bought and leased to tenants to obtain rental income. ...
Charges billed for services rendered. They may be on a flat basis or on an hourly rate. ...
Room in a building used to collect solar heat. To provide for such collection, a room is generally constructed with a glass roof and walls. ...
Matters that need to be rectified in a home or building prior to its sale or acceptance by a new owner. For example, a leaking water pipe should be repaired prior to showing the property to ...
Self-employed contractor who may perform work on a structure such as residential or commercial property. ...
Are you speculating what a spec house means? (sorry for the lousy pun) The textbook spec (or speculative) house definition is “one built on an experimental basis, without an order ...
Structure built into the water from the land providing a facility for boats to tie up. A dock will often provide utility access ...
Make changes to existing property. Example are putting in a new bathroom, kitchen, or basement ...
British thermal unit-a unit of energy associated with the creation of heat. Prior to 1929, it was defined as the amount of heat required to raised the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 ...

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