Legal Definitions - approximation, doctrine of

The doctrine of approximation allows a court to make changes to the way a trust is managed in order to keep the trust intact and fulfill the wishes of the person who created the trust. This is also known as the equitable doctrine of approximation.

For example, if a trust was created to provide scholarships for students in a particular field of study, but that field of study no longer exists, the court may use the doctrine of approximation to modify the trust so that it can still provide scholarships for a related field of study.

Another example would be if a trust was created to support a specific charity, but that charity no longer exists, the court may use the doctrine of approximation to find a similar charity to support instead.