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
The meaning of a disclosure statement is a legal document signed by both parties, the lender and the borrower or buyer. This statement outlines the terms and conditions, the potential ...
Oral or written contract that is not enforceable by the judicial system. Examples are contracts with minors, fraudulent agreements and contracts that exceed the statute of limitations. ...
The abstract of judgment definition is best explained as a written summary of the judgment passed by a court. This abstract of judgment includes the amount of money the losing party of a ...
Securities supported by a pool of mortgages. The principal and interest are due monthly in the mortgages and are passed through to the investors who bought the pool. ...
The geographic moving of an individual from one region to another usually because of a change in employment. Relocation normally involves the complete moving of the individual's ...
Device that places the ownership of real property with one or more trustees for security until the loan is paid by the debtor. It is used in place of a conventional mortgage contract in ...
Estimated value of property after a specified time period. ...
Building or other structure used to receive, hold, and issue products and other goods for a fee. A warehouse is a commercial property typically located in an industrial area. ...
Regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) establishing the criteria to avoid a private offering. For example, John wants to sell shares in an apartment house to several ...

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