Law of Trusts and Trustees

In the past a new edition of this standard textbook was producedevery eight years. As David Hayton says, in his preface, thatnow with the need for more frequent editions in light of increasingrapid developments in the trust world this seventeenth editioncomes out three years after the previous one. David Hayton is joined in the editorial role by Paul Matthewsand Charles Mitchell. The former is responsible for preparingthe Administration of Trusts section and Charles Mitchell forpreparing the division of the book on Trusts Imposed by Lawand The Consequences of a Breach of Trust. Jonathan Harris coversthe     

Reforming Relocation Law: A Reply to Prof. Thompson

This article provides a response to Prof. Thomson's critique, noting many points of agreement and also the broader consensus that is emerging among experts in the field. The research evidence, and the wider body of knowledge on children's well‐being generally, supports the proposition that relocation is a risk factor for children after parental separation but provides no support for a general presumption either in favor of, nor against, relocation. Nor should it be assumed that the interests of children are the same as those of their primary caregiver. We defend our three questions arguing the need in an adult‐centric debate to focus resolutely on children's interests rather than on adult rights. Both Prof. Thompson's approach and our own involve guided decision making with the child's best interests as the paramount consideration—his through weak presumptions based upon research about how judges respond to relocation issues and ours through focused questions based on research on how parents and children respond to relocations issues. We do not consider that codifying the existing practices of the courts represents real reform. We identify various risks involved in using presumptions, but note that, in jurisdictions with limited publicly funded resources for individual case assessment, presumptions, burdens or guidelines may be needed to offer rough justice to impecunious parents.

Key Points for the Family Court Community
• Notes points of emerging agreement on relocation within the research community
• Explores the differences between the use of presumptions and focused questions and highlights the role of empirical research of the lived experience of children and families postrelocation disputes
• Identifies how the level of public resourcing for the family law system may impact upon decisions about the substance of the law concerning relocation

     

论诉讼信托和讨债信托的效力——探讨《信托法》第11条第4项

我国《信托法》第11条第4项规定,专以诉讼或者讨债为目的设立的信托无效。然而,该条文是对日本《信托法》移植的结果,我国并没有禁止诉讼信托和讨债信托的理由。同时,该条文容易被规避且难以被认定,在司法实践中缺乏适用的空间。再者,该条文不仅与我国现行的诸多法律条文和制度产生冲突,而且与我国减少社会不良资产和增强我国公民法律意识、维权意识的目的相违背,故应当删除。事实上,诉讼信托和讨债信托不仅符合信托设立的要求,而且能使债权人、债务人受益,并起到减少讼累等有利效果,因此,应当承认诉讼信托和讨债信托在我国的合法地位。     

Reforming the United Kingdom Constitution: Law,Convention, Soft Law

The Governance of Britain Green Paper continues the programme of constitutional reform begun in 1997, and appears to reinforce the juridification of the UK's constitution. Nevertheless, several key reforms will be implemented not by legislation, but by creating new conventions. This article argues that such ‘declared’ conventions are best understood as a form of constitutional ‘soft law’, which attempt to influence constitutional behaviour rather than generating binding norms. Applying a regulatory analysis, it then argues that the case for a soft, rather than hard law approach to constitutional reform is weaker than its widespread use in the UK suggests. Finally, the article challenges the thesis that the political constitution is being replaced by a legal constitution, arguing that the government's attitude to constitutional reform still exhibits basic characteristics of political constitutionalism. Moreover, there is more to contemporary constitutional developments than a bipolar contest between political and legal constitutionalism.     

论农村土地承包经营权登记——以《土地管理法》第11条之修改为视角

1986年《土地管理法》颁行后经1988年、1998年、2004年三次修改,都没有将土地承包经营权作为登记的对象;这与《农村土地承包法》、《物权法》以及《不动产登记暂行条例》的规定相冲突,与经济体制改革中我国农村经营体制发生巨大转变的状况不相适应;应当及时修改现行《土地管理法》第11条规定,将土地承包经营权纳入农用地登记范围,以保持我国法律体系统一性,维护集体农民的权利义务一致性。     

土地法、动产法到信息法的社会历史变迁

人类社会的发展已经由农业社会、工业社会进入到信息社会。早期的人类在狩猎经济的方式下生存,没有私有财产,也没有所有权。农业社会的基础经济资源是土地,与之相适应,土地法成为最早的经济资源配置法则。工业社会的基础经济资源是机器,于是动产法取代了土地法的核心地位。信息是信息社会最重要的经济资源,信息法必将成为一个独立而完善的法律部门。     

Reforming Relocation Law: An Evidence‐Based Approach

In recent years, there has been much discussion within international fora about the need for a greater consensus on how to approach relocation cases. Empirical research on the lived experience of parents and children who have been through relocation disputes has an important role to play in providing an evidence base for decisions on policy. In this article, we summarize the findings of a 5‐year prospective longitudinal study of relocation disputes in Australia and make recommendations in the light of this and other research evidence concerning a new approach to relocation law. We argue that there should be no presumptions. Nonetheless there is an appropriate place for legislative or appellate guidance on how to approach these disputes. “Good faith” should be irrelevant to decision making, and children should not be placed in the center of the conflict. The adjudication of relocation disputes should be on the basis of asking three questions: First, how close is the relationship between the nonresident parent and the child and how important is that relationship developmentally to the child? Second, if the relocation is to be permitted, how viable are the proposals for contact with the nonresident parent? Third, if the relationship between the child and the nonresident parent is developmentally important to the child and is likely to be diminished if the move is allowed, then (a) what are the viable alternatives to the parents living a long distance apart? and (b) is a move with the primary caregiver the least detrimental alternative?

Key Points for the Family Court Community
• Describes the findings of empirical research on relocation disputes in Australia on the lived experience of children and families postrelocation disputes.
• Reviews various features of relocation law and proposals for reform in the light of this research evidence.
• Proposes an approach to deciding relocation cases based upon three essential questions.

     

衡平法、用益与信托:英国信托法的早期史概说

英美信托制源自用益制。在用益和信托的早期史上,大法官法院基于拯救受托人的良心的衡平管辖权赋予了用益和信托以法律上的保障,而衡平法从"良心到衡平"的变化通过塑造衡平权益使得信托得以制度化。     

The Law of the Land

This article considers the status of foreign precedents in national courts. It examines possible reasons for courts referring to them and concludes that, absent some incorporating convention, judges cannot ever be said to have an obligation to refer to them. But it also shows that there is nothing unprincipled about national courts choosing to treat foreign precedents as persuasive authority, notwithstanding that there are some good reasons, especially in the context of constitutional adjudication, for cautioning against this. It is also suggested that no satisfactory argument can be adduced to support the proposition that a national court must never rely on foreign precedent as the sole reason for modifying the indigenous common law – though it seems very unlikely that judges would ever need (still less want) to rely on foreign precedent in this way.     

Reforming Public Safety: An Evaluation of the 1983 British Seat Belt Law

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of the 1983 British seat belt law in England and Wales. The methodology employed is interrupted time series analysis.
In terms of a lasting impact, the seat belt legislation for automobiles compares favorably with other interventions designed to decrease deaths and injuries on the road, such as legislation to control drinking and driving. Typically, such legislation is effective only in the short term. In contrast, the seat belt law thus far shows a stronger and more lasting shift in the reduction of serious and fatal car casualties. The post intervention decline in this variable is stronger than a control series that consists of the number of fatal and serious non-car casualties. A more marginal reduction is found for non-serious car casualties even though this drop in injuries is slightly stronger than a control category of nonserious non-car casualties. The paper suggests also that the seat belt legislation may have had a short term effect on the number of fatal and serious accidents on weekend nights, the period of time during which alcohol-related crashes are most likely to occur.
The policy implications of this study suggest that with comparable compliance, such an intervention may similarly be effective in the United States and other Western countries which up to now have used primarily deterrence-based approaches to reduce highway casualties.