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

Property title having no encumbrances. In the usual sense this means a title not having a mortgage. Other encumbrances could include judgments or additional financial liens. ...

Listing of all of the plats of subdivided plots in a jurisdiction showing the location, boundaries, and plat owners. A plat book normally shows other improvements including roads, blocks, ...

The assessment in real estate definition means the evaluation of a property’s value by an assessor. They are generally required to evaluate the property annually as the assessment is ...

An order withdrawing a property lien after a claim is paid by other means. ...

To depreciate is to lose value for something. Depreciation is the act of losing worth.Connecting with real estate, Property depreciation can be both an accounting method typically used to ...

Demolition and removal of all existing structures on a building site and the subsequent construction of a totally new building structure. For example, in a downtown redevelopment project, ...

Individual having permission to act ob behalf of a bank or other financial institution in a specified locality to attract interest borrowers. ...

As the term “servient” comes from the root word “serve” and to serve means to perform a duty or a service for another entity, its meaning is easy to define. The term ...

Partial fulfillment. Pro tanto is normally used in relation to the partial satisfaction of a claim. For example, a pro tanto settlement in an eminent domain action will not prejudice any ...

Popular Real Estate Questions