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

A land property estate contingent upon the occurrence or lack of occurrence of a particular event whereupon it can be created, augmented, or dismantled. ...

Money paid for a real estate project or investment that can be taken off on the tax return as an expense. Expenditures made during construction of a building that do not go directly into ...

A special agent in real estate is a real estate agent hired to do a specific task or job, as opposed to a general agent, who is a real estate agent who can do any task he or she is assigned ...

Operating property for business use, such as managing an office complex. ...

Gentrification is an urban development phenomenon wherein a specific area changes its population profile by way of an economic appreciation of its real estate. The best way to understand ...

Easement with the objective of keeping scenic beauty or to forbid constructing something else blocking that view. The property is retained in its natural setting. ...

Gift of real property as stipulated in a will. ...

An attached dwelling in a multiple housing complex having at least two floors and usually a garage. Such dwellings are typically found in condominiums and cooperatives. ...

Cubic unit of measure for a board one-foot long, one-foot wide and one inch thick, or 144 cubic inches. These measurements are not actual, since they are stated prior to finishing and ...

Popular Real Estate Questions