Article on the Role of Trust Protectors

Andrew T. Huber recently published an Article entitled, Trust Protectors: The Role Continues to Evolve, 3 Probate & Property 28 (Jan/Feb 2017). Provided below is an abstract of the Article:

The trust protector’s role is relatively new in modern trusts. Generally, trust protectors provide oversight of certain decisions and allow for a degree of flexibility not easily accommodated by the traditional parties to a trust. Although the trust protector’s role can be very useful, its role is not precisely defined. For attorney-drafters, settlors, and trustees alike, ambiguity in defining the role can be a difficult challenge because statutes among the states are diverse, inconsistent, and, arguably, incomplete. There is a dearth of domestic case law interpreting state statutes, and identifying whether the trust protector is a fiduciary (or not) can be problematic. The purpose of this article is to provide a broad overview of the role and to identify some of the challenges and opportunities inherent with using trust protectors.