LAW2263 : Equity and Trusts
- Offered for Year: 2026/27
- Available for Study Abroad and Exchange students, subject to School approval at module registration
- Module Leader(s): Dr Christine Beuermann
- Lecturer: Dr Yang Guo, Professor Philip Kramer
- Owning School: Newcastle Law School
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Pre-requisite
Modules you must have done previously to study this module
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| LAW1221 | Contract Law |
| LAW2222 | Land Law |
Pre Requisite Comment
N/A
Co-Requisite
Modules you need to take at the same time
Co Requisite Comment
N/A
Aims
1) To develop a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles of equity, with a particular focus on the institution of 'the trust.'
2) To understand the use of the trust in its original social context and in a modern context, both domestic and commercial.
3) To understand how the trust operates, and why it must operate within these constraints.
4) To develop critical views of the aims, approaches and doctrines equity takes.
Outline Of Syllabus
What is 'Equity': equity as assisting the common law or equity as an independent jurisprudence?
The institution of the trust
Topics to do with its nature, constitution, management, obligations and regulation, including judicial responses to things going wrong
Third party claims (personal/ proprietary)
Topics importing logically-ordered reasoning and multifactorial reasoning
Precise details within these bounds to be specified in the course handbook and topic outline.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 60:00 | 60:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | Seminars |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | Commercial Awareness Workshop |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 3 | 1:00 | 3:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 109 | 1:00 | 109:00 | Reading, revision and seminar preparation |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lecturing will be used to provide an overview of both matters that need to be known in outline (where little further reading is required), and also matters that need to be known in detail, where it must be followed up with self-study from textbook chapters and academic articles.
Self-study is critical in order for the learner to grasp the detail and to spend time considering the material in depth, and for working through problems and constructing arguments at a slow enough pace for deep learning.
Seminars focus on developing students' understanding and knowledge of the law, as formulated at a basic level from the lectures and self-study. Students can check they have understood the foundational materials properly, before stretching their understandings of the law and key concepts further through comprehensive, analytical discussion.
Learners should close the feedback loop by reconsidering the seminar material that they have not fully understood or completed, after a seminar, in further self-study.
Five seminar cycles are required to meet the knowledge and skills objectives.
Consultation hours are another way of closing the feedback loop. Here, individual feedback and discussion is provided for matters that require further clarification following a seminar or lecture, or from a student's further reading.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Examination | 135 | 2 | A | 100 | Inspera Digital Exam. Students must answer one essay question (Part A) and one problem question (Part B). |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 2 | M | MCQ 1 – Trust Deed. Students are required to achieve a 60% pass rate. Multiple attempts allowed. |
| Written exercise | 2 | M | MCQ 2 – Case Analysis. Students are required to achieve a 60% pass rate. Multiple attempts allowed. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The knowledge and skills outcomes of the module will be tested through an examination. The in-person exam format is necessary to prevent AI misuse and academic plagiarism. This assessment will prioritise critical thinking, problem solving skills and the ability to construct persuasive arguments. To ensure students are engaging sufficiently with the required materials in the module, and developing the necessary skills to engage with those materials, students will be required to undertake two formative MCQ assessments. As these assessments are earlier in the semester, it will enable students who are experiencing difficulties with the material to be identified and assisted.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- LAW2263's Timetable