Definition of "Ad litem"
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
Contract to act on the behalf of a principal in selling real estate. The principal agrees to pay a commission to the broker when a buyer is produced who is ready, willing, and able to meet ...
The coefficient of dispersion is how municipalities can determine differences between the assessed values of properties in an area or neighborhood. It gives a broader look at the state of ...
Ownership rights to the minerals or other precious resources, such as petroleum, in one's property. A property owner having the mineral rights to the property can do one of three things ...
An official indicating intensity of land use in a zoned urban area. ...
Government owned lands, for conservation purposes or for specific uses such as dams and hydropower. Public lands are owned by federal, state, and local governments. Many public lands are ...
A rental contact in which the tenant's rental is tied to a change in the price level, such as the Gross National Price Deflator. ...
When a mortgage loan is provided to a borrower, the lender establishes a fund called a tax and insurance escrow to accumulate the debtor's monthly payments for property taxes and insurance ...
Bond collaterized by real assets. Two kinds of mortgage bond are senior mortgages and junior mortgages. A mortgage bond may have a closed-end provision that prevents the firm from issuing ...
Tax deduction permitted upon the transfer of property from one spouse to another. The deduction is allowed under the federal gift tax for lifetime transfers or under the federal estate tax ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.