Opinion ID: 1154523
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: mr holman's legal opinion regarding his trustee's fees

Text: In the course of administering the Stuart trusts, Mr. Holman gave, and relied upon, his own legal opinion as to his trustee's fees. The court found it was improper for Mr. Holman to have provided and charged the trusts for this legal opinion and it was further improper for Mr. Holman, as the will's drafter, to rely on this opinion. Having provided the trustees with the legal opinion that his fees were allowable under Mrs. Stuart's will, Mr. Holman then claimed that this opinion gave the trustees the protection of article 14, section 3(a) of the will which states that [m]y trustees shall be fully protected in relying upon the advice of legal counsel and shall not be liable for any loss or damage caused by any agent or attorney selected by it if it shall have exercised reasonable care in selecting and retaining such agent or attorney. Seattle-First did not affirmatively agree to have Mr. Holman provide a legal opinion regarding his fees. Any and all affirmative actions taken by the cotrustees required the joint affirmation of the trustees. [1] Mr. Holman claimed that the provisions of article 14, section 3(b), the good faith clause, protect him as trustee. As the attorney engaged to write the testator's will, he is precluded from reliance on this clause to limit his liability when the testator did not receive independent advice as to its meaning and effect.