Case Study Of Gulbenkian Case

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Introduction: In order to decide the most advantageous approach for trustees to take in a discretionary trust, it is important to first begin with the definition of a trust. The word ‘trust’ has been defined in many different ways. A well detailed definition is that of Underhill who describes a trust as “an equitable obligation binding a person (called a trustee) to deal with the property over which he has control (called the trust property) for the benefit of persons (called beneficiaries) of whom he himself may be one and any of whom may enforce the obligation.” A discretionary trust is where there is an obligation upon the trustee of certain property to distribute it amongst a certain class of beneficiaries, but with discretion as to the manner of …show more content…

Stamp LJ shows that the approach in the Gulbenkian case is the approach he agrees with. If there is any person, who cannot be ensured with certainty that they are an object to the trust, it will fall due to the uncertainty of objects. Stamp LJ appears here to be harsh, as any postulant would have to conform to a “yes” box or “no” box . If one person is uncertain, this will result in the whole trust becoming invalid . An advantage of this approach is that the trustee will know for certain if a person is in or out of the class from the start. However, is it fair that a whole trust will become void due to a few uncertainties? The ‘complete list’ approach that Stamp LJ closely mimics would not be the best approach for a trustee to take in a discretionary trust. This is because the ‘complete list’ is a test which was designed to be applied to fixed trusts, like in IRC v Broadway Cottages . This approach defies the intention of the settlor as it defeats the point of creating a discretionary trust and not a fixed

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