Who holds legal title in a trust?

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In a trust arrangement, the trustee holds legal title to the property placed in the trust. This means that the trustee has the authority to manage, control, and administer the trust assets according to the terms established in the trust document. The primary responsibility of the trustee is to act in the best interests of the beneficiaries while adhering to the stipulations outlined by the grantor, who created the trust.

The grantor, also known as the trustor or settlor, is the individual who establishes the trust and transfers assets into it. Once the trust is created, the grantor typically relinquishes legal control of the assets to the trustee. Although the beneficiaries may hold equitable title, which gives them the right to benefit from the trust assets, it is the trustee who is legally responsible for managing those assets.

In this context, an attorney may be involved in setting up the trust or providing legal advice but does not hold legal title to the assets in the trust. Therefore, the correct answer is that the trustee is the individual who holds legal title in a trust.

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