LLAW6299 & JDOC6299

General Course Information

1.1 Course details

Course code: LLAW6299 / JDOC6299
Course name: Law and Wealth Management
Programme offered under: LLM Programme / JD Programme
Semester: Second
Prerequisites: Contract Law
Credit point value: 9 credit / 6 credits

1.2 Course description

Wealth for families is often managed using trusts, and the fiduciary management of those trusts creates interesting—and evolving—legal issues.

This course begins with an introduction to trust law and then examines issues related to wealth management and gratuitous transfer of wealth. The students will read law review articles and other contemporary articles and be asked to explore and reflect on recent developments in a number of areas, including the use of sustainable investing strategies by fiduciaries, the creation and management of charitable foundations, the use of family offices and international trust services, the use of a trust to hold and run a business, strategies to protect family assets from creditors and from disgruntled family members, the use of a trust to limit taxes imposed on family wealth, and the use of trusts as part of incapacity and succession planning. The course provides an overview of such uses with examples from Hong Kong, England, and the United States.

Class discussion will be an important part of the course, and students will be expected to have read and thought about the topics before the class meetings. For each topic students will be introduced to the topic with basic explanations and then be guided through an in-depth analysis of critical issues in each topic.

  1. AI policy

Students are allowed to use AI, but must include a disclosure statement with the following information:

  • The name and website link of the AI tool used
  • A description of how the tool was used (e.g., generate text, edit text, generate images)
  • The specific prompts used
  • An explanation of how the AI output was incorporated into their final work
  1. List of topics covered in the course
  • An Overview of Trusts and Family Offices in Hong Kong and the United States
  • Trusts for Succession Planning and Special Needs in Hong Kong and China
  • ESG Investing and Trust Management
  • Purpose Trusts for Sustainable Business Practices
  • Charitable Trusts: A Hong Kong Perspective
  • Preserving Private Wealth through Trusts in Hong Kong and the United States
  • Trusts for Art Collection Management

1.3 Course teachers

Name E-mail address Office Consultation
Course convenor Lusina Ho lusinaho@hku.hk CCT 614 By email
Course convenor Susan Gary TBA TBA By email

Learning Outcomes

2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course

CLO 1 Apply basic knowledge and understanding of trust law to new developments in the use of trusts to manage family wealth.

CLO 2 Analyze and explain the issues presented for each topic during the course.

CLO 3 Engage with academic writing and discussion about legal developments.

CLO 4 Develop an understanding of how common law legal structures operate differently in different countries.

CLO 5 Learn to analyze client issues and develop strategies to help clients attain their goals.

2.2 LLM and JD Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Please refer to the following link:

LLM – https://course.law.hku.hk/llm-plo/

JD – https://course.law.hku.hk/jd-plo/

2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course

PLO A PLO B PLO C PLO D PLO E PLO F
CLO 1
CLO 2
CLO 3
CLO 4
CLO 5

Assessment(s)

3.1 Assessment Summary

Assessment task Due date Weighting Feedback method* Course learning outcomes
Class participation and written comments in online platforms TBC 40% 2, 4, 5 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Response essays TBC 60% 5 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
*Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher)
1 A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle
2 Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle
3 Individual review meeting upon appointment
4 Group review meeting
5 In-class verbal feedback

3.2 Assessment Detail

To be advised by course convenor(s).

3.3 Grading Criteria

Please refer to the following link:

https://dm.law.hku.hk/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf

Learning Activities

4.1 Learning Activity Plan

Seminar: 3 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks
Private study time: 9.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks

Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.

4.2 Details of Learning Activities

To be advised by course convenor(s).

Learning Resources

5.1 Resources

Reading materials: Reading materials are posted on Moodle
Core reading list: TBA
Recommended reading list: TBA

5.2 Links

Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/