Equity and Trusts Flashcards
What is a fixed trust?
This defines the share of the trust property which the beneficiary will receive
What is a bare trust?
When the beneficiary is an adult, with full mental capacity and the sole beneficiary - can end the trust at anytime
What is a trust with a remainder?
This is when there is a life tenant and a remainder man. Life tenant receives income and remainderman entitled to trust capital
What is the test for a fixed trust?
The complete list test
What is the rule in Saunders v Vautier?
The beneficiary can end the bare trust at any time, by demanding that the trustees transfer legal title to him
What are the conditions in Saunders v Vautier?
- In existence and ascertained
- 18 or older of sound minds
- In agreement
What is a discretionary trust?
This gives the trustees power to the amount they may give any beneficiary
What are the names of people named in a discretionary trust?
Objects rather than beneficiaries
This is because they hold no equitable interest
What is the test for a discretionary trust?
McPhail v Doulton
Given postulant
What is a vested interest?
The interest is unconditional
They will receive the trust no matter what - on death will fall in to their estate
What is a contingent interest?
This interest is conditional. It is reliant on some future event being satisfied
Once this future event occurs then it is a vested interest
What is in possession?
In possession means NOW. Can enjoy the interest immediately
What is in remainder?
Can enjoy the interest later, have to wait until some other beneficiaries right to enjoyment expires
What is an absolute interest?
You get the capital -
What is a limited interest?
You get the income only
What comes under s.9 of the Wills Act 1837?
Will must be
- In writing
- Signed by testator
- In the presence of two witnesses who also sign the will in his presence
What do the administrators need to do upon death?
- They become PRs
- They automatically become legal and beneficial owners of the property forming the estate of the deceased
- Can pass on the legal and beneficial titles to the beneficiaries
What is a grant of probate?
This is confirmation of the PRs the authority in the will
What is a grant of letters of administration?
This is confirmation of the adminstrators the authority in the will
What is a codicil?
This is a later alteration of the will, must be signed and witnessed
What is a devise gift?
This is a gift of freehold land
What is a legacy or bequest?
This is a gift of personal property or personalty
What is a specific gift/legacy/device?
This is a group of assets that is distinguished from all other assets of the same kind (eg my BT shares, my Audi)
What is a pecuniary legacy?
Money
What is a residuary gift?
Anything that remains
What is a gift on trust?
Can give the property to trustees on behalf of the beneficiary
What is ademption?
This is a failure of a gift if the testator no longer possesses the property when he dies (eg he sold it or gave it away)
What is a lapse?
- This fails if the beneficiary dies before the testator
- This gift will fall in to the residuary estate
What is the witness beneficiary rule?
s.15 Wills Act 1837. If the will is witnessed by a beneficiary or a beneficiary’s husband, wife or civil partner then the gift to the witness fails
When may a will be revoked?
- The marriage or civil partnership of the testator
- The destruction of the will with an intention to revoke
- The making of a new will, which deals with the same property as the first will
How may individual gifts be revoked?
Codicil
What are intestacy rules?
All the deceased estate passes to statutory next of kin
- If the deceased made no will
- If his will contains no residuary gift
How may you know if the trust has been properly constituted?
Has received cash
By deed etc
How is land properly constituted?
The transferor must execute a deed (s52(1) LPA 1925)
Deed - Signed - Witnessed Intention Delivered
Must be registered at the Land Registry
What is the difference between shares inside or outside the CREST system?
Outside = private companies Inside = public companies
How do you properly constitute shares that are outside the CREST system?
The shareholder will have a share certificate
- Transferor signs the stock transfer form
- Transferor hands completed stock transfer form and share certificate to transferee
- Transferee sends both documents to the company to be registered. The legal title is not transferred until registered
How do you properly constitute shares within the CREST system?
- These shares are part of an electronic system therefore registration is IMMEDIATE.
- There is no need for a stock transfer form
How do you properly constitute money?
Transfer is effective by delivery of notes and coins to transferee
How do you properly constitute chattels?
Chattels are passed by
- Physical delivery of the asset
- By deed
What happened in Jaffa v Taylor Gallery?
Transfer of picture was valid by deed as held to physically deliver to another country was absurd
What is the general rule if not properly constituted?
Equity will not perfect an imperfect gift
Equity will not assist a volunteer
What are the two exceptions?
Every effort test [Re Rose 1952]
Strong v Bird
What is the every effort test?
If the transferor has done everything in his power to legally affect the transfer and all that is left is action by a third party
What was established in Pennington v Waine?
Equity will regard the gift as complete if the stage had been reached where it would be unconscionable to withdraw
What was established in Mascall v Mascall?
With property, if no deed was used then the every effort test WILL NOT ASSIST
What are the conditions needed in Strong v Bird?
- The donor intends to make an immediate gift to the donee, but the gift is invalid because they have failed to comply with appropriate formalities
- The intention must be required to make an IMMEDIATE gift, not one conditional in the future
- The intention to give must continue unchanged until the donor’s death
- The donor dies and the DONEE IS APPOINTED EXECUTOR
What are the requirements needed for a valid gift?
- The donor must have the necessary mental capacity to make a gift
- The three certainties must be satisfied
- Must be properly constituted
What was established in Re Beaney?
The degree of understanding must be greater, if the size of the gift is greater
What are the three certainties?
- Certainty of intention
- Certainty of subject matter
- Certainty of objects
What are the four requirements needed to create a valid trust?
- Three certainties
- Beneficiary principle
- Rules against perpetuity
- Formalities for express declaration of trust
What is meant by certainty of intention?
There must be an intention to impose a legally binding obligation on the trustee
What was established in Paul v Constance?
It is not necessary to use the word trust. Words and conduct are sufficient to show intention
What are precatory words?
In full confidence that, hoping that, believing that
What was established in Re Adam and the Kensington Vestry?
Precatory words are NOT SUFFICIENT
What is meant by certainty of subject matter?
There must be a clear description of trust property and respective interests of beneficiaries
The beneficial interests must be certain. It must be clear what type of interest each beneficiary has and what shares they will respectively enjoy
What happened in Re London Wine Company?
In this case, specific wine bottles stored in a warehouse had to be specified to have certainty of subject matter. The wine bottles were different in quality/price
What happened in Hunter v Moss?
The shares in a company did not need to be specified to create a trust as they are all the exact same
What happened in Re Lewis’s of Leicester?
The subject matter was certain as money was paid in to a separate bank account
What happened in Re Golay?
The subject matter of a trust is certain if the settlor gives a workable formula for calculating the amount
What is meant by certainty of objects?
The certainty of objects rule requires that the settlor defines the beneficiaries with sufficient clarity when declaring a trust
What is the beneficiary principle?
Must be human beneficiaries, capable of enforcing in court
What are exceptions to the beneficiary principle?
Charitable trust
Pet
What is the rule of perpetuity?
This is to prevent tying up your property for a very long time
What is the rule against the remoteness of vesting?
A contingent interest is void unless it vests within the perpetuity period
This is 125 years
What is the rule against inalienability?
Must be able to spend all of the trust or does not go further than 21 years
What is the difference between a power of appointment vs a discretionary trust?
Discretionary trust - HAS TO DEAL WITH THE PROPERTY
Power of appointment = DOES NOT NEED TO EXERCISE THE POWER
What does the power of appointment do?
Fiduciary duty
- They must check whether or not they should exercise the power periodically
- They must consider the range of objects of the power
- They must consider the appropriateness of individual appointments
When would you use the complete list test?
Fixed trusts
What is the complete list test?
IRC V Broadway Cottages
It must be possible to draw up a complete list of each and every beneficiary - otherwise the trust will fail
What are the requirements for the complete list test?
Conceptual certainty
Evidential certainty
What is conceptual certainty?
The settlor must define objects using clear concepts so that the trustees will know who they are looking for
What is evidential certainty?
Must be able to identify each and every member of the class
What is the given postulant test for discretionary trusts?
McPhail v Doulton Must be possible to say with certainty that any given postulant is or is not within the class of objects stated in the trust instrument
What was established in Re Baden?
For given postulant need conceptual certainty, but not evidential certainty
What is the difference between the given postulant test for discretionary trusts and power of appointment?
The only difference is one of degree
Trustees of a discretionary trust make a wider and more systematic survey of the range of objects that if they were given power
What is administrative unworkability?
When the definition of the beneficiaries is so wide that the trust is administratively unworkable
What is an example of administrative unworkability?
Discretionary trust of 2.5m people of Yorkshire
What is different for powers of appointment and administrative unworkability?
Powers of appointment to everyone in the world are permitted
What is capriciousness?
Irrational
How do you identify a purpose trust?
No certainty of objects, offends beneficiary principle
What is a charitable trust?
Even if no identifiable beneficiaries they are allowed if for a charitable purpose
What must a charitable trust have?
- Charitable purpose
- Sufficient public benefit
- Exclusively charitable
What is charitable purpose?
Comes under s3(1) Charities Act 2011
Poverty, education, sport, religion etc
What is meant by public benefit?
It must be beneficial to the public and any detriment or harm must not outweigh the benefit
What is said in s4(2) CA 2011?
There is no presumption of benefit, it must be proved
When may it not be public benefit?
If restricted to a section of the public
What must you look at if restricted to a section of the public?
Any restrictions must be proportionate
Age, geographical etc
What happened in IRC v Baddeley?
A trust for methodists in West Ham was invalid as class within a class
What was established in Oppenheim v Tobacco?
Education for the children of employees and former employees of BAT.
Contractual relationship, therefore personal nexus
What is the difference between poverty and anything else?
Much more lenient when it comes to poverty
Trust to relieve poverty among relations was allowed
What happened in Independent Schools Council v Charitable Commission case?
In order to be charitable, you must make more than a de minimus or toke provision to the less-well off. A private school must put all charitable money back in to the school and give opportuities to less fortune
What happened in Gilmour v Coats?
Religious order who had no contact with community - not a public trust
What happened in Neville Estates v Madden?
Trust for a synagogue allowed as they would benefit society with their religious outlook so valid
What is meant by exclusively charitable?
Must be solely for charity
Not for political purposes etc
What is a Denley Trust?
Where a sufficiently identifiable group of individuals would be capable of enforcing in court - then valid
What happened in Re Denley and what is needed in a Denley trust?
Sports and recreation ground left for benefit of employees of a particular company
- Tangible benefit
- Ascertainable beneficiaries
- Compliance with rule of inalienability
- Certainty of purpose and objects
What are the two other exceptions?
For animals
For maintenance of graves
How does a purpose trust not offend the rule of inalienability?
- Be limited in duration to 21 years or ‘as long as the law allows’
- Allow the trustees to spend all the trust capital on the purpose and thereby end the trust at anytime
What are the two ways in which an implied trust can be created?
Voluntary transfer of asset
Purchase money cases
What happens in a voluntary transfer of an asset?
When someone transfers property for no consideration, there is an assumption that a resulting trust is established
What happens in a purchase money case?
When someone provides money for a property to be put in a sole name of someone else, presumed resulting trust
What is an exception to presumption of a resulting trust for a transfer of an asset?
If PROPERTY then it is likely to be intended as a gift
What happened in Parrot v Parkin?
Yacht purchased 55% 45%
This resulting trust was presumed for the contribution that they gave
What happened in Curley v Parkes?
This considered what payments would give rise to a resulting trust
- Payment must be part of the purchase price
- Payment must be made at the time of the initial purchase
- Payment of mortgage instalments or any other outgoings at the date of the purchase WILL NOT GIVE RISE to a resulting trust
- Legal fees and stamp duty do not count
What happened in Sekhon v Alissa
The presumption of a resulting trust if a mother purchases property in the name of her child
What happened in Stack v Dowden?
Constructive trusts are better
What happened in Laskar v Laskar?
Resulting trusts will still have a part to play where an investment rather than a home
What happened in Marr v Collie?
Where property bought as an investment - intention to show how beneficial ownership shared
When would a presumption of advancement arise?
When a FATHER makes a voluntary transfer in the name of his child [Bennet v Bennet]
When a father ‘in loco parentis’ makes a voluntary transfer or purchases property in the name of a child
When a husband makes a voluntary transfer or purchases the property in the name of his wife (Pettitt v Pettitt)
What does loco parentis mean?
Taking on the responsibility of being a parent
This CAN be mother (Re Cameron (Deceased))
What is key about the presumption of advancement?
EASILY REBUTTED
How can either be rebutted?
Advancement (family relationships) Evidence that an outright gift was intended Section 60(3) LPA 1925
What happened in McGrath v Wallis?
The reason for the purchase of the house was conveyed in the son’s sole name was a technicality
- Therefore presumption of advancement rebutted
What happened in Marshall v Crutwell?
A husband transferred his bank account into the joint names of himself and his wife. The presumption of advancement was rebutted as was covenience
What happened in Warren v Gurney?
Purchased for daughter as wedding gift but kept the deeds - presumption of advancement rebutted
How do you prove that evidence is admissable?
Any evidence should be from actions in the past, not future actions
[Shephard v Cartwright]
What could a trust be if land or personalty?
- Express
- Implied (resulting or constructive)