Accretion, in law, usually refers to the slow addition of land next to water due to the water’s movement or the increase of beneficiary’s share of a trust due to the actions of another beneficiary.
Accretion from natural...
property law
act of God
An act of God refers to a severe, unanticipated natural event for which no human is responsible. Despite its facial religious connections, the usefulness of the term means “act of God” is frequently used in otherwise secular statutory and...
ademption
Ademption refers to the destruction or extinction of a testamentary gift because the bequeathed assets no longer belong to the testator at the time of their death. This occurs when the property that was the subject of a specific bequest is...
ademption by extinction
Ademption by extinction refers to when an intended gift of property through a will fails to transfer those property rights because the property as described in the will no longer belongs to the testator when the will takes effect.
...ademption by satisfaction
Ademption by satisfaction occurs when a party gives someone a gift initially intended to be included in their will while that party is still alive. In cases of direct familial relationships, ademption by satisfaction is presumed as...
adequate remedy
An adequate remedy is one that affords complete relief with reference to the particular matter in controversy, and which is appropriate given the circumstances of the case. An adequate remedy has also been described as a remedy that is...
administrative forfeiture
Administrative forfeiture is an in rem (against the property) action that allows the property to be forfeited to the United States without filing a case in federal court. The administrative forfeiture process occurs before the agency seizes...
administrator
In law, there are different meanings for “administrator.”
First, an administrator is a person who operates or leads a business, public office, agency, or other forms of organization. There are court administrators and local...
administrator ad litem
An administrator ad litem is a person appointed by a probate court to represent the interests of an estate for the purposes of a lawsuit.
Administrators ad litem are typically appointed in cases where the estate’s...
advancement
An advancement is a gift made during a donor’s life to a family member, usually when the donor anticipates their own death. The value of the advancement is included in the calculation of the net probate estate when the donor dies. Therefore,...