Trust Administration

A trustee is accountable to the trust beneficiaries, and must fulfill many important responsibilities in a timely manner. Trust beneficiaries have many rights against a Trustee who does not fulfill the duties the law imposes on him or her.  Trustees can be severely punished by the court if they engage in conflicts of interest, commingling of trust and personal assets, mismanagement of trust property, taking excessive trustee fees, or avoiding contact and communication with the beneficiaries. Most often Trustees get in trouble for not sending out the statutory Notification by Trustee advising the beneficiaries of their rights to contest the trust; or, for not providing detailed trust accounting within the time prescribed by law, when presented with a written Demand for Accounting. In some cases, Trustees can be surcharged for breaching their duties.