Wills & Trusts Law Reports | March 2012 #117Privy Council (Lady Hale, Lord Mance, Lord Kerr, Lord Clarke and Sir Robin Auld)
The respondents made claims for breach of trust against the appellant in respect of breaches that occurred in Guernsey at a time when Guernsey customary law governed the duties of Guernsey trustees and also after the introduction of the Trusts (Guernsey) Law 1989 (the 1989 Law), but before that law was amended by the Trusts (Amendment) (Guernsey) Law 1990 (the 1990 Law). The trust instrument included an exoneration clause in respect of negligence by the trustee and ...
Caroline Watson and Matthew Feldman discuss the impact of Jones v Kernott in cases where there is an express declaration of beneficial interests ‘The question now being asked by practitioners up and down the country is whether the judiciary will again be prepared to step in to clarify the law in cases where there is …
Continue reading "Trusts: Clear intentions"
This post is only available to members.
Luke Barnes highlights the cohabitant cases that fall outside of the judgment in Jones v Kernott and the applicable case law ‘The claimant in sole name cases continues to face a stern test to establish a beneficial interest by virtue of an inferred common intention. In particular, it continues to be unclear what conduct may …
Continue reading "Trusts: Different rules"
This post is only available to members.
Green v Montagu shows that the question of legitimacy may still arise in cases of long-standing family trusts, as Thomas Dumont and William Moffatt delineate ‘The decision in Green rests upon a principle that lies at the heart of the conflict of laws: if a person holds a particular status under the law of their …
Continue reading "Trusts: Heirs and Graces?"
This post is only available to members.
Shân Warnock-Smith QC examines the partitioning of ‘Freeston’ trusts in the recent case of Southgate v Sutton ‘The US beneficiaries and the trustees were put in a difficult position as a result of the decision at first instance: the beneficiaries because of their continued exposure to penal US tax and the trustees because they could …
Continue reading "Trusts: Section 57 clarified"
This post is only available to members.
Catherine Paget looks at the Northall case, which sheds light on who inherits joint bank accounts ‘If a joint account is opened with funds solely provided by one party, the provisions of the deceased’s will or the operation of the intestacy rules will often mask the fact that no specific instruction has been given to …
Continue reading "Trusts: The presumption of advancement?"
This post is only available to members.
James Lister and Sean Hilton summarise the approach to trust assets in family proceedings Case law demonstrates the need for absolute clarity from the outset, the nuanced nature of cases involving trust assets and the enhanced duties of the lawyers involved to give judges proper guidance so as to avoid unsafe decisions. It has always …
Continue reading "Trusts: Every penny counts"
This post is only available to members.
James Riby and Cora Brown focus on the courts’ approach in cases involving trust assets ‘Recent decisions have appeared to limit the extent to which the court should attempt to “judicially encourage” independent trustees to make payments to potential beneficiaries so that the beneficiary can pay an ancillary relief order.’The decision in M v W …
Continue reading "Trusts: Beyond reach"
This post is only available to members.