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

Through real estate properties, many individuals of varying degrees of expertise find ways to make money. The real estate industry allows these practices as real estate properties are ...

Investments, usually in limited partnership, that can protect of defer shelter) part of the income from current taxes. Under current law, passive leases can be applied up to passive income. ...

Measure of the annualized compound growth of a real estate investment. ...

You can frequently encounter “circa” in everyday discourse, referring to an approximation as an approximate date. Variations of circa are: about, near, and roughly.  The ...

Rule stating that the monthly mortgage payment, property taxes, and insurance should not exceed 25% of a family's monthly gross income, or about 35% for a Federal Housing Administration ...

Apartment building in which each resident owns a percentage share of the corporation that owns the building. ...

Borrower who gives property as collateral for a loan. ...

A capitalized expenditure usually extending the useful life of a building or improving it in some manner over and above the original condition. In contrast, a maintenance or repair expense ...

Raw land in its natural condition which has in no way been improved. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions