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Title : Williams on Wills: Supplement to 7r.e
Author : Sir William J. Williams
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : The best book of its kind
I cannot recommend this book too highly. It combines a full account of the law relating to wills with a volume of precedents covering virtually every common situation.
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Title : Understanding Living Trusts: How You Can Avoid Probate, Save Taxes and Enjoy Peace of Mind
Author : Vickie Schumacher
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : It keeps gettin' better all the time...
I've recently had the privilage to read this fifth installment about estate planning from Jim and Vickie Schumacher, and I can honestly say it's the best they've turned out yet. Ever since their first edition (originally titled A Will is not the Way), these two have been giving us clear and concise information about the estate planning world in everyday, conversational English. This tradition is continued in their newest edition. What makes the fifth edition a must have, however, is all the new information they've included. Five months ago, President Clinton signed the Taxpayers Relief Act of 1997, seriously changing the "rules" on estate and capital gains taxes. Not only have the Schumacher's already incorporated this new information into their book and translated it from Washington's "legelese" into English I can understand, they've even told me how these changes pratically apply to my estate planning situation. This alone would make the book worth buying, but when you couple it with the state-specific estate planning information they've included (as a direct response from reader's requests), you've got a real steal.
Title : The Law of Trusts
Author : John G. Riddall
Rating : 3 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Good introduction guide to Trust Law
Riddall's Trust Law is one of the simplest guide to the the subject. The words are clear, the format is structured and organized. I would recommend students of Trust Law to buy this book. However, his book is quite out-dated since the latest edition is published in 1996. Also, it lacks sufficient information of family home issues and proprietary estoppel.
Title : Wills and Probate: How to Make a Will and How to Administer the Estate of Someone Who Has Died, with or without Employing a Solicitor (Which? Consumer Guides)
Author : Consumers' Association
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : General information but lacking in detail
This guide devotes 20% of its pages to writing a will and 80% to dealing with someones estate after their death. It covers all of the main areas such as inheritance tax, trusts, intestacy, guardianship, joint ownership etc. This book covers some of the differences between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
As far as writing a will is concerned, the book provides inadequate information to do it properly by yourself but does give you all of the questions that you need to think about. As such, I would recommend this book to someone to read before seeing the solicitor.
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Title : Modern Equity
Author : Harold Greville Hanbury
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Excellent if you have to learn about this!
Having been recommended this book by my law tutor, it was never going to be a fascinating read. However, the broad narrative and the easy-ish to read text meant that taking notes was fairly simple. The definitive textbook for the student of the modern law of trusts.
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Title : Cases and Materials on Equity and Trusts
Author : Paul Todd
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : An excellent book
This is an excellent book. I would advise that it should be used in conjunction with a "heavier-weight" textbook, such as Hanbury Martin; but as a cases and materials book, it is well worth investigating.
