Summary Trustees often seek to limit their liability in the form of exoneration clauses in trust deeds. As such,  it is generally difficult for a beneficiary to challenge a trustee’s decision that falls within the scope of the exoneration clause. In Sofer v SwissIndependent Trustees SA [2019] EWHC 2071 (Ch), the England and Wales High … Read more

Earlier today, the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal handed down judgment in Zhang Hong Li v DBS Bank and others a case which has been the cause of considerable discussion in the private wealth and trusts world. The Court of Final Appeal reversed the Court of Appeal’s findings and ruled that the anti-Bartlett clause … Read more

Background In Chan Chi Wai v Chan Sau Wah [2019] HKCFI 1662 an application was made to vary a costs order nisi granted by the Hong Kong High Court regarding a dispute between five brothers over the legal and beneficial ownership of two houses in the New Territories (Original Proceedings). The applicants were two of the brothers and the plaintiffs … Read more

Next friends act on behalf of parties in legal proceedings who are not able to act themselves (for example, because of mental incapacity). In two recent decisions, the courts took the opportunity to reiterate the legal principles relating to the appointment and authority of a next friend and to make clear the capacity of a … Read more

In Re Galleria (Hong Kong) Limited [2019] HKCFI 1877, the Hong Kong Court of First Instance examined the legal principles in relation to dishonesty and blind-eye knowledge. Background This was an action brought by the liquidators of Galleria (Hong Kong) Limited (GHK) against a bank (the Bank), which was one of GHK’s former lenders, for … Read more

Please click here to access a preview of the Guide. We are pleased to launch the 2019 edition of our Asia Pacific Guide to Privilege. Businesses are increasingly faced with multi-jurisdictional disputes where evidence rarely falls within the borders of a single country and complex legal privilege issues often surface when dealing with communications across multiple … Read more

This blog post will consider a number of recent cases in England where solicitors have been convicted of offences or struck off the register for misappropriating client funds from deceased estates. These shed light on the surprising levels of abuse uncovered by the Courts and the English Solicitors Regulation Authority (the “SRA”), and the zero … Read more

The English High Court has recently approved an application to change the provision of a trust deed relating to the appointment of new trustees.[1] The change was necessary because the original power was reserved exclusively for the settlor, who had died. All adult beneficiaries of the trust supported the change, as did three of the … Read more