Hayton and Marshall: Commentary and Cases on the Law of Trusts and Equitable Remedies
£28.19
Glass half full - This is a formidable text, which can also be a formidable read at times. It is comprehensive in a way that no other text is, and it does a better job of providing insightful criticism. That said, it s very noticeable which of the two authors have written which chapters, and the ones which David Hayton has done tend to obscure clear discussion and explanation of the law. That said Charles Mitchells chapters are excellent. The next edition will probably be even better.
Detailed but helpful - Students studying the law of Equity will no doubt be recommened to buy Hayton and Marshall. The book is geared towards to more advance students, providing in depth extracts from the vital cases, with preliminary outlines of the particular topic. The majority of the main case are included within the book, but their are some gaps in Creation of a Trust, Constructive trusts and Charities.But the information is well explained and in sufficient to detail to enable further study if required, but for those student just looking to pass, Hayton & Marshall will also be of great assisitance. However, it may be recommendable to buy a more consise book on Equity to supplement this one.
Horrible - As an LLB student at the University of London, this was set as my course text book. It is quite shockingly horrible to read. Whilst the law is (apparently) all there, and there is discussion of important areas of trust law, the language is impenetrable. Paragraphs of whole pages in length discuss complex algebraic manipulations of beneficiaries/trustees with very little text devoted to actually explaining what the legal position is. There is overtly heavy reliance on footnotes, and I have not spoken to one student, from the most to the least able who values the book. I would suggest looking at Penner s title The Law of Trusts, which is far more accessible, although sadly not in quite enough depth.
For students who want to know how trust works in practice - This is really not a book in which you can find a comprehensive statement or debate of the law of trusts. However, it is excellent in all other respects.