No interest is good unless it must vest, if at all, within 21 years of a life in being at the creation of the interest.
What else but the fear of failing Property, combined with the fear of failing the Missouri and Illinois bar exams, can explain why I instantly recall this gibberish after sixteen years? Someone please send me instructions for removing the Rule Against Perpetuities from my brain. The space is urgently needed for remembering my children's birthdays.
You want to get rid of the rule? Three words -- hammer, chisel, beer.
Posted by: Justin | March 04, 2004 at 08:32 AM
I liked it when the rules were much more simple and all started with Thou Shalt
Posted by: Tiger | March 04, 2004 at 05:46 PM
Nothing so drastic as a chisel. A spoon worked for me. Then again, I also accidentally extracted the Rule in Shelley's Case.
Posted by: Mike Wasylik | March 07, 2004 at 08:04 AM
All of these recommendations are somewhat drastic. In fact, I disfavor all remedies involving surgery on my brain, whether with a chisel, spoon, or any other implement. And it's not the accidental extraction of other legal rules I'm worried about, either. I may not need to remember the Rule in Shelley's Case, but I would like to be able to put on my socks.
Posted by: Evan Schaeffer | March 07, 2004 at 08:48 AM