Words / G / Law

guardian ad litem

noun/ˌɡɑːdiən æd ˈlaɪtɛm/

C2CEFR level
85/100Rarity: very rare
TechnicalRegister

A person appointed to conduct litigation on behalf of a party who lacks capacity.

The court appointed a guardian ad litem to protect the minor's interests in the settlement.

Similar: litigation friend

Topic: Evidence & procedure in Legal English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More law words: Evidence & procedure