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

The definition of the term abutment can be a structure in engineering meant to support the pressure of a bridge. It is also used for arches or spans in the construction of buildings. The ...

A large enclosed shopping mall having several national and regional retails stores acting as anchor tenants. The enclosed floor area of regional shopping centers ranges between 250,000 ...

Tank placed beneath the ground to accumulate sewage. ...

principal line running north and south in the government rectangular survey method. Other meridians, each 24 miles apart, are surveyed from the principal meridian. ...

Geographic location where a vacant or occupied structure exists. It usually means the land reserved is for a future building. ...

Secondary written agreement to purchase real property in the event the initial contract is not signed. ...

Land that has poor income potential, usually used in an agricultural sense meaning that the land is untellable, has poor access, is extremely steep, has suffered serious erosion, is ...

A fully amortized mortgage necessitating periodic payments of both interest and principal. In the early years of the loan, the share of principal is smaller and the interest larger, a ...

Expenditure paid to occupy property over a specified time period. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions