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Full-Text Articles in Estates and Trusts

A Prudential Exercise: Abstention And The Probate Exception To Federal Diversity Jurisdiction, Christian J. Grostic Oct 2005

A Prudential Exercise: Abstention And The Probate Exception To Federal Diversity Jurisdiction, Christian J. Grostic

Michigan Law Review

Ann-Marie Brege's parents established an irrevocable trust in 1985, with Ann-Marie as sole beneficiary. When Merrill Lynch Trust Co. took over as trustee years later, however, the trust's principal dropped sharply, losing over half its value in just a few years. Ann-Marie sued in Michigan probate court, alleging that Merrill Lynch had violated its legal duties in administering the trust. Since Ann-Marie was from New York and Merrill Lynch had its headquarters in New Jersey, Merrill Lynch had an apparently easy argument for diversity jurisdiction. In an unremarkable turn of events, Merrill Lynch filed a notice of removal to federal …


Charity Governance: What’S Trust Law Got To Do With It? (Symposium), Evelyn Brody Mar 2005

Charity Governance: What’S Trust Law Got To Do With It? (Symposium), Evelyn Brody

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Charity Governance: What’S Trust Law Got To Do With It? (Symposium), Evelyn Brody Mar 2005

Charity Governance: What’S Trust Law Got To Do With It? (Symposium), Evelyn Brody

Evelyn Brody

No abstract provided.


Modification And Termination Of Irrevocable Trusts Under The Ohio Uniform Trust Code, Alan Newman, Jamie R. Minor Jan 2005

Modification And Termination Of Irrevocable Trusts Under The Ohio Uniform Trust Code, Alan Newman, Jamie R. Minor

Akron Law Faculty Publications

The adoption of the Ohio Uniform Trust Code (the “OUTC” or “the Code”) will constitute a comprehensive codification of trust law in Ohio. Among the many subjects it covers are the modification and termination of trusts. As noted in a comment to the national Uniform Trust Code (the “UTC”), “the overall objective of these [modification and termination] sections is to enhance flexibility consistent with the principle that preserving the settlor’s intent is paramount.” Given such factors as the increased use of trusts in recent years (including trusts created by non-lawyers and lawyers who do not specialize in estate planning); the …


Drafting Attorneys As Fiduciaries: Fashioning An Optimal Ethical Rule For Conflicts Of Interest, Paula A. Monopoli Jan 2005

Drafting Attorneys As Fiduciaries: Fashioning An Optimal Ethical Rule For Conflicts Of Interest, Paula A. Monopoli

Faculty Scholarship

The American Bar Association recently revised the ethical rules that govern lawyers. Its Ethics 2000 Commission proposed a number of changes to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, including revisions to the rules that affect how the profession handles conflicts of interest in the area of attorneys who draft instruments that name themselves as fiduciaries. The intersection of these changes, with their subsequent clarification by an ABA opinion issued in May 2002, has broad implications for attorneys practicing in this area. Given the increasing elderly population, the trillions of dollars that they are transferring to their baby-boomer children, and the …


Wills, Trusts And Estates (Annual Survey Of Virginia Law, 2004-05), J. Rodney Johnson Jan 2005

Wills, Trusts And Estates (Annual Survey Of Virginia Law, 2004-05), J. Rodney Johnson

Law Faculty Publications

The General Assembly enacted legislation dealing with wills, trusts, and estates that added or amended a number of sections of the Virginia Code in its 2005 Session. In addition, there were two opinions from the Supreme Court of Virginia that presented issues of interest to the general practitioner as well as to the specialist in wills, trusts, and estates during the period covered by this review. This article reports on all of these legislative and judicial developments.


The Virginia Uniform Trust Code, Robert T. Danforth Jan 2005

The Virginia Uniform Trust Code, Robert T. Danforth

Scholarly Articles

In its 2005 session the Virginia General Assembly enacted Senate Bill No. 891, thus adopting the Uniform Trust Code (UTC), with modifications considered appropriate to this state's institutions, traditions and jurisprudence. The Virginia Uniform Trust Code (Virginia UTC), set forth in new Chapter 31 of Title 55 of the Code, has an effective date of July 1, 2006, but, once in effect, will be applicable (with some exceptions) to trusts created before, on, or after that date.

The new Virginia UTC, which encompasses the great bulk of the principles and rules that comprise the law of trusts in Virginia, has …


Modification And Termination Of Irrevocable Trusts Under The Ohio Uniform Trust Code, Alan Newman, Jamie R. Minor Jan 2005

Modification And Termination Of Irrevocable Trusts Under The Ohio Uniform Trust Code, Alan Newman, Jamie R. Minor

Alan Newman

The adoption of the Ohio Uniform Trust Code (the “OUTC” or “the Code”) will constitute a comprehensive codification of trust law in Ohio. Among the many subjects it covers are the modification and termination of trusts. As noted in a comment to the national Uniform Trust Code (the “UTC”), “the overall objective of these [modification and termination] sections is to enhance flexibility consistent with the principle that preserving the settlor’s intent is paramount.” Given such factors as the increased use of trusts in recent years (including trusts created by non-lawyers and lawyers who do not specialize in estate planning); the …


The Virginia Uniform Trust Code, John E. Donaldson Jan 2005

The Virginia Uniform Trust Code, John E. Donaldson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Perpetual Trusts And The Settlor's Intent, Joshua C. Tate Jan 2005

Perpetual Trusts And The Settlor's Intent, Joshua C. Tate

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

In recent years, a number of American states have abolished the Rule Against Perpetuities, allowing for the creation of perpetual dynasty trusts. Some scholars have suggested that these states should also pass statutes making it easier for beneficiaries and trustees to undo a perpetual dynasty trust after the settlor has died. This article makes use of a novel source of empirical evidence - websites created by estate planners to entice clients to set up dynasty trusts - to show that settlors' goals would be frustrated by the proposed legislation.