1. Introduction to equity and trusts

Author(s):  
Gary Watt

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. Expressly created trusts are a special form of gift that do not require any formality. However, formality is extremely important with regard to the subsequent transfer of beneficial interests after the creation of a trust and with regard to trusts made by will (so-called testamentary trusts). Not everybody has the capacity to create a binding trust; where there is no capacity it is mainly due to poor mental health or minority (infancy). This chapter deals with capacity and formality requirements in relation to the creation of trusts and considers inter vivos transactions, the relevant provisions of the Law of Property Act 1925, lack of formality as a defence to disguise a fraud and testamentary trusts. It also examines whether a would-be settlor is legally capable of setting up a trust and discusses the equitable interest under a trust in compliance with the proper formalities, trusts for which there are no formality requirements and valid ‘mutual wills’ and ‘secret trusts’.

Author(s):  
Gary Watt

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. Expressly created trusts are a special form of gift that do not require any formality. However, formality is extremely important with regard to the subsequent transfer of beneficial interests after the creation of a trust and with regard to trusts made by will (so-called testamentary trusts). Not everybody has the capacity to create a binding trust; where there is no capacity it is mainly due to poor mental health and minority (infancy). This chapter deals with capacity and formality requirements in relation to the creation of trusts and considers inter vivos transactions, the relevant provisions of the Law of Property Act 1925, lack of formality as a defence to disguise a fraud and testamentary trusts. It also examines whether a would-be settlor is legally capable of setting up a trust and discusses the equitable interest under a trust in compliance with the proper formalities, trusts for which there are no formality requirements and valid ‘mutual wills’ and ‘secret trusts’.


Author(s):  
Gary Watt

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. Expressly created trusts are a special form of gift that do not require any formality. However, formality is extremely important with regard to the subsequent transfer of beneficial interests after the creation of a trust and with regard to trusts made by will (so-called testamentary trusts). Not everybody has the capacity to create a binding trust; where there is no capacity it is mainly due to poor mental health or minority (infancy). This chapter deals with capacity and formality requirements in relation to the creation of trusts and considers inter vivos transactions, the relevant provisions of the Law of Property Act 1925, lack of formality as a defence to disguise a fraud and testamentary trusts. It also examines whether a would-be settlor is legally capable of setting up a trust and discusses the equitable interest under a trust in compliance with the proper formalities, trusts for which there are no formality requirements and valid ‘mutual wills’ and ‘secret trusts’.


2021 ◽  
pp. 46-65
Author(s):  
Gary Watt

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. Expressly created trusts are a special form of gift that do not require any formality. However, formality is extremely important with regard to the subsequent transfer of beneficial interests after the creation of a trust and with regard to trusts made by will (so-called testamentary trusts). Not everybody has the capacity to create a binding trust; where there is no capacity it is mainly due to poor mental health or minority (infancy). This chapter deals with capacity and formality requirements in relation to the creation of trusts and considers inter vivos transactions, the relevant provisions of the Law of Property Act 1925, lack of formality as a defence to disguise a fraud and testamentary trusts. It also examines whether a would-be settlor is legally capable of setting up a trust and discusses the equitable interest under a trust in compliance with the proper formalities, trusts for which there are no formality requirements and valid ‘mutual wills’ and ‘secret trusts’.


2021 ◽  
pp. 366-393
Author(s):  
Gary Watt

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. A resulting trust refers to a trust under which, in certain circumstances, the beneficial interest jumps back to the settlor. Resulting trusts are created in accordance with the presumed intention of the settlor or donor and are enforced against the personal wishes of the constructive trustee. Under s 53(2) of the Law of Property Act 1925, the creation or operation of resulting, implied or constructive trusts is not subject to any written formality. This chapter deals with resulting and constructive trusts, and how they differ from each other. It examines how the law of resulting trusts applies to the many contexts in which they occur, the nature of constructive trusts, presumed resulting trusts on a voluntary transfer, constructive trusts in comparison with fiduciary liability to account, illegality and the presumption of a resulting trust, the presumption of advancement and the range of situations in which constructive trusts are to be found. The chapter also discusses presumed resulting trusts where express trusts do not exhaust the whole of the beneficial interest.


Author(s):  
Gary Watt

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. A resulting trust refers to a trust under which, in certain circumstances, the beneficial interest jumps back to the settlor. Resulting trusts are created in accordance with the presumed intention of the settlor or donor and are enforced against the personal wishes of the constructive trustee. Under s 53(2) of the Law of Property Act 1925, the creation or operation of resulting, implied or constructive trusts is not subject to any written formality. This chapter deals with resulting and constructive trusts, and how they differ from each other. It examines how the law of resulting trusts applies to the many contexts in which they occur, the nature of constructive trusts, presumed resulting trusts on a voluntary transfer, constructive trusts in comparison with fiduciary liability to account, illegality and the presumption of a resulting trust, the presumption of advancement and the range of situations in which constructive trusts are to be found. The chapter also discusses presumed resulting trusts where express trusts do not exhaust the whole of the beneficial interest.


2021 ◽  
pp. 453-472
Author(s):  
Gary Watt

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. This chapter shows how a stranger to the trust may be threatened with personal equitable liability. It explains the rationale behind equitable liability for ‘knowing receipt’ of trust property, considers the distinction between ‘knowing receipt’ and ‘inconsistent dealing’, examines the nature of a stranger’s liability for dishonest assistance in (or procurement of) a breach of trust and looks at possible reforms of the law in this area. The chapter also discusses how liability of strangers differs from tracing, trusteeship de son tort, the four requirements for ‘dishonest assistance’ (existence of a trust, breach of the trust, assistance and dishonesty), the relationship between knowledge and dishonesty in cases of dishonest assistance and whether accessory liability should be a common law tort.


2019 ◽  
pp. 261-287
Author(s):  
Richard Taylor ◽  
Damian Taylor

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. This chapter examines the frustration of a contract. Fundamental changes in the facts assumed by the parties, ‘frustrating events’ such as natural disasters and less catastrophic events, may fundamentally change the parties’ obligations and frustrate the contract. Frustration of a contract brings the parties’ obligations to an end; a less substantial, non-frustrating event will have no effect and the parties must continue to perform their obligations even if they have become more onerous. The discussions cover the allocation of risk, examples of frustration, limits on frustration, effects of frustration and the Law Reform (Frustrated Contracts) Act 1943.


2019 ◽  
pp. 172-202
Author(s):  
Richard Taylor ◽  
Damian Taylor

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. This chapter is concerned with the territory just beyond the borders of the contract, where we find the representations which are not part of the contract but which influenced its creation and which, if false, are remedied by the law on misrepresentation. The discussions cover the key elements of the definition of misrepresentation; the differences between fraudulent, negligent and innocent misrepresentations; and the remedies of rescission and the various rights to damages. This also includes the bars on the right to rescind, the principles of assessment of damages and the controls on excluding liability for misrepresentation.


2020 ◽  
pp. 329-359
Author(s):  
Carol Brennan ◽  
Vera Bermingham

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams, and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. Defamation differs from other aspects of tort law because it is concerned with protecting against harm caused by words. The law of defamation is intended to provide compensation for people whose reputations have been damaged by untrue statements and it may allow one to obtain an interim injunction to stop a potentially defamatory statement from being published. This chapter discusses the human rights dimension in defamation and the procedural and substantive changes to defamation law introduced by the Defamation Act 2013. It also explores how to strike a balance between the competing rights of freedom of expression and protection of reputation.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Carol Brennan ◽  
Vera Bermingham

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, diagrams, and exercises help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress. In civil law, tort provides remedy for a party who has suffered the breach of a protected interest. Tort law protects a wide range of interests. Currently, negligence is the greatest source of litigation with respect to tort. Torts of trespass to the person protect physical safety while trespass to property governs the ownership of property. The tort of defamation provides remedies for threats to one’s reputation. Another tort-related area deals with the protection of privacy from media intrusion. This chapter discusses the range of activity to which tort law applies and the types of harm for which it provides compensation. It also considers the main interests protected by the law of tort, how the law of tort differs from other branches of the law, and the role of policy and the human rights dimension in the law of tort.


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