As part of the Proceeding to Determine Heirship, often Courts will appoint an Attorney Ad Litem to represent any heirs that the applicant may have either forgetten, be defrauding, or even just not know about. The Ad Litem's fees are usually between $300 and $800 and vary depending on the attorney appointed, and the amount of work which the attorney performs. Many people who are forced to do a proceeding to determine heirship feel the appointment of the Ad Litem simply makes the proceeding take more time and money.

So if the Ad Litem is bringing out essentially the same information Laura has already provided, why do we need him? Because Laura has an incentive to lie. Or, even if she is not willing to lie, she has an incentive not to be curious. Let's say that George had been married before, but never really talked about it. Now he has died without a will. Laura gets two witnesses and files her application for administration. However, when the Ad Litem is appointed, the Ad Litem realizes that neither of the witnesses knew George during his first marriage. So the Ad Litem contacts the ex-wife. It turns out there was a child born during the marriage. Suddenly there is another heir. However, many situations are far more comlicated. Not only is divorce become quite common, but so has the number of children born outside of wedlock. Somethimes the Ad Litem has a real job in front of him