As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on August 22, 2011

Securities Act File No. 33-43446

Investment Company Act File No. 811-06444

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

  UNDER   
  THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933    x
  Pre-Effective Amendment No.   
  Post-Effective Amendment No. 213    x

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

  THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940    x
  Amendment No. 213   

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

 

 

Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

 

 

55 Water Street, New York, New York   10041
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code (800) 451-2010

Robert I. Frenkel

Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust

100 First Stamford Place

Stamford, Connecticut 06902

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

COPY TO:

Benjamin J. Haskin, Esq.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

1875 K Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20006


Continuous

(Approximate Date of Proposed Offering)

 

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective:

 

  ¨ immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

 

  x on August 31, 2011 pursuant to paragraph (b)

 

  ¨ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

 

  ¨ on                      pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

 

  ¨ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

 

  ¨ on                      pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.

If appropriate, check the following box:

 

  ¨ This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

This filing relates solely to Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund.

 

 

 

 

- 2 -


August 31, 2011

 

LOGO

 

Prospectus

Legg Mason

Capital

Management

All Cap

Fund

Class : Ticker Symbol

 

A : SPAAX
B : SPBBX
C : SPBLX
FI
R
R1
I : LACIX
1 : LMGOX

The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined whether this Prospectus is accurate or complete. Any statement to the contrary is a crime.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE


 

2   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund
Contents       
Investment objective      2   
Fees and expenses of the fund      2   
Principal investment strategies      3   
Certain risks      4   
Performance      5   
Management      6   
Purchase and sale of fund shares      6   
Tax information      6   
Payments to broker/dealers and other financial intermediaries      6   
More on the fund’s investment strategies, investments and risks      7   
More on fund management      11   
Choosing a class of shares to buy      13   
Comparing the fund’s classes      14   
Sales charges      16   
More about contingent deferred sales charges      19   
Retirement and Institutional Investors — eligible investors      20   
Buying shares      23   
Exchanging shares      24   
Redeeming shares      26   
Other things to know about transactions      28   
Dividends, distributions and taxes      32   
Share price      34   
Financial highlights      36   

Investment objective

The fund seeks long-term capital growth.

Fees and expenses of the fund

The accompanying table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in funds sold by Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC (“LMIS”), the fund’s distributor. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary, in this Prospectus on page 16 under the heading “Sales charges” and in the fund’s statement of additional information (“SAI”) on page 49 under the heading “Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions.”

The fund no longer offers Class B shares for purchase by new or existing investors. Class B shares will continue to be available for dividend reinvestment and incoming exchanges.

Class 1 shares of the fund are not available for purchases or incoming exchanges.

 

Shareholder fees (paid directly from your investment)            
      Class A   Class B   Class C   Class FI   Class R   Class R1   Class I   Class 1
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a % of offering price)   5.75   None   None   None   None   None   None   N/A
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a % of the lower of net asset value at purchase or redemption) (may be reduced over time)   Generally,

none

  5.00   1.00   None   None   None   None   N/A
Small account fee 1   $15   $15   $15   None   None   None   None   $15
Annual fund operating expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of
your investment)
(%)
      Class A   Class B   Class C   Class FI   Class R   Class R1   Class I   Class 1
Management fees   0.70   0.70   0.70   0.70   0.70   0.70   0.70   0.70
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees   0.25   1.00   1.00   0.25   0.50   1.00   None   None
Other expenses   0.48   0.55   0.23   0.27 2   0.27 2   0.27 2   0.42   0.41
Total annual fund operating expenses   1.43   2.25   1.93   1.22   1.47   1.97   1.12   1.11
Fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed   N/A   N/A   N/A   3   3   3   (0.12) 3   3
Total annual fund operating expenses after waiving fees and/or reimbursing expenses   1.43   2.25   1.93   1.22   1.47   1.97   1.00   1.11

 

1  

Effective September 30, 2011 (or as soon as possible thereafter in the fund’s discretion), if your shares are held in a direct account and the value of your account is below $1,000 ($250 for retirement plans that are not employer-sponsored), the fund may charge you a fee of $3.75 per account that is determined and assessed quarterly (with an annual maximum of $15.00 per account). Direct accounts generally include accounts held in the name of the individual investor on the fund’s books and records.

2  

“Other expenses” for Class FI, Class R and Class R1 shares are estimated for the current fiscal year. Actual expenses may differ from estimates.

3  

The manager has agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse operating expenses (other than interest, brokerage, taxes, extraordinary expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses) so that total annual operating expenses are not expected to exceed 1.30% for Class FI shares, 1.55% for Class R shares, 2.05% for Class R1 shares and 1.00% for Class I shares. In addition, total annual fund operating expenses for Class 1 shares are expected to be at least 0.25% lower than total annual fund operating expenses for Class A shares. These arrangements cannot be terminated prior to December 31, 2012 without the Board of Trustees’ consent. The manager is permitted to recapture fees waived or expenses reimbursed to a class during the same fiscal year if the class’ total annual operating expenses have fallen to a level below the limits described above.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     3   

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes:

 

Ÿ  

You invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated

 

Ÿ  

Your investment has a 5% return each year and the fund’s operating expenses remain the same

 

Ÿ  

You reinvest all distributions and dividends without a sales charge

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

Number of years you own your shares ($)    1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years
Class A (with or without redemption at end of period)    712    1,001    1,311    2,188
Class B (with redemption at end of period)    728    1,003    1,304    2,377
Class B (without redemption at end of period)    228    703    1,204    2,377
Class C (with redemption at end of period)    296    606    1,042    2,254
Class C (without redemption at end of period)    196    606    1,042    2,254
Class FI (with or without redemption at end of period)    124    387    670    1,477
Class R (with or without redemption at end of period)    150    465    803    1,757
Class R1 (with or without redemption at end of period)    200    618    1,062    2,295
Class I (with or without redemption at end of period)    102    344    605    1,352
Class 1 (with or without redemption at end of period)    113    353    612    1,353

Portfolio turnover. The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 23% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

The fund invests primarily in equity securities that, in the portfolio managers’ opinion, offer the potential for capital growth. The fund may invest in issuers of any size, allowing the portfolio managers flexibility to identify investment opportunities that are expected to help the fund achieve its investment objective.

The portfolio managers follow an intrinsic value discipline in selecting securities, which means that the portfolio managers seek to purchase securities trading at large discounts to their assessment of the companies’ estimated value. The portfolio managers determine intrinsic value by measuring the company’s value on such factors as the discounted value of its projected future free cash flows, the capability to earn returns on capital in excess of its cost of capital, private market values of similar companies and the costs to replicate the business. These and other factors may be more or less significant depending on the type of company. The portfolio managers may also consider qualitative factors in selecting stocks, including an assessment of the company’s products, competitive positioning, strategy, industry economics and dynamics, and regulatory frameworks, among others. Securities may be undervalued due to, among other things, uncertainty arising from the limited availability of accurate information, economic growth and changes, changes in competitive conditions, technological change, investor overreaction to negative news or events, and changes in governmental policy or geopolitical dynamics.

The fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in foreign securities.


 

4   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Certain risks

 

Risk is inherent in all investing. There is no assurance that the fund will meet its investment objective. The value of your investment in the fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly. You may lose part or all of your investment in the fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. The following is a summary description of certain risks of investing in the fund.

Stock market and equity securities risk. The securities markets are volatile and the market prices of the fund’s securities may decline generally. Securities fluctuate in price based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. If the market prices of the securities owned by the fund fall, the value of your investment in the fund will decline. The recent financial crisis has caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities. In response to the crisis, the U.S. and other governments and the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have taken steps to support financial markets. The withdrawal of this support could also negatively affect the value and liquidity of certain securities. In addition, legislation recently enacted in the United States calls for changes in many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of the legislation on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time.

Issuer risk. The value of a stock can go up or down more than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole, often due to disappointing earnings reports by the issuer, unsuccessful products or services, loss of major customers, major litigation against the issuer or changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or the competitive environment. The fund may experience a substantial or complete loss on an individual stock. Historically, the prices of securities of small and medium capitalization companies have generally gone up or down more than those of large capitalization companies, although even large capitalization companies may fall out of favor with investors.

Liquidity risk. Some securities held by the fund may be difficult to sell, or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Illiquid securities may also be difficult to value. If the fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may be forced to sell at a loss.

Foreign investments risk. The fund’s investments in securities of foreign issuers involve greater risk than investments in securities of U.S. issuers. Foreign countries in which the fund may invest may have markets that are less liquid and more volatile than U.S. markets and may suffer from political or economic instability. In some foreign countries, less information is available about issuers and markets because of less rigorous accounting and regulatory standards than in the United States. Currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses.

Portfolio selection risk. The value of your investment may decrease if the portfolio managers’ judgment about the attractiveness, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry or sector or about market movements is incorrect.

Value investing risk. The value approach to investing involves the risk that stocks may remain undervalued. Value stocks may underperform the overall equity market while the market concentrates on growth stocks.

Although the fund will not concentrate its investments in any one industry or industry group, it may, like many value funds, weight its investments toward certain industries, thus increasing its exposure to factors adversely affecting issuers within those industries.

Non-diversification risk. The fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a small number of issuers than a diversified fund. To the extent the fund invests its assets in fewer issuers, the fund will be more susceptible to negative events affecting those issuers than a diversified fund.

Risk of increase in expenses. Your actual costs of investing in the fund may be higher than the expenses shown in “Annual fund operating expenses” for a variety of reasons. For example, expense ratios may be higher than those shown if a fee limitation is changed or terminated or if average net assets decrease. Net assets are more likely to decrease and fund expense ratios are more likely to increase when markets are volatile.

These risks are discussed in more detail later in this Prospectus or in the SAI.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     5   

Performance

 

The accompanying bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The table shows the average annual total returns of each class of the fund that has been in operation for at least one full calendar year and also compares the fund’s performance with the average annual total returns of an index or other benchmark. The fund makes updated performance information available at the fund’s website, http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors/products/mutual-funds/annualized_performance (select share class), or by calling the fund at 1-877-721-1926.

The fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

Sales charges are not reflected in the accompanying bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would be less than those shown.

Prior to February 2, 2007, the fund had a different manager and followed different investment strategies under the name “Legg Mason Partners Multiple Discipline Funds All Cap Growth and Value.” Prior to January 21, 2004, the fund followed different investment strategies under the name “Premier Selections All Cap Growth Fund.”

 

Total returns (before taxes)  (%)

LOGO

  

Best quarter

(06/30/2009): 28.75

 

Worst quarter

(12/31/2008): (26.35)

 

The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar
quarter, which ended 06/30/2011, was 6.80

 

Average annual total returns (for periods ended December 31, 2010)  (%)                         
       1 year    5 years   

10 years

   Since
inception
   Inception
date
Class  A                         
Return before taxes    7.29    (4.28)    (3.36)          
Return after taxes on distributions    7.29    (4.28)    (3.36)          
Return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares    4.74    (3.59)    (2.79)          
Other Classes (Return before taxes only)                         
Class B    9.24    (3.85)    (3.36)          
Class C    13.58    (3.43)    (3.30)          
Class I    14.22    N/A    N/A    (8.31)    10/02/2007
Class 1    13.93    N/A    N/A    (9.46)    02/02/2007
Russell 3000 Index 1    16.93    2.74    2.16      

 

1  

For Class I and Class 1 shares, each for the period from the class’ commencement of operations to December 31, 2010, the average annual total return of the Russell 3000 Index was (3.32)% and (0.96)%, respectively.

The after-tax returns are shown only for Class A shares, are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns for classes other than Class A will vary from returns shown for Class A.


 

6   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Management

 

Investment manager: Legg Mason Capital Management, LLC (“LMCM”)

Portfolio managers: Jay Leopold, CFA and Bill Miller, CFA. Mr. Leopold (Portfolio Manager of LMCM) has been a portfolio manager for the fund since February 2007 and Mr. Miller (Chairman, Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager of LMCM) has been a portfolio manager for the fund since January 2009.

Purchase and sale of fund shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the fund each day the New York Stock Exchange is open, at the fund’s net asset value determined after receipt of your request in good order, subject to any applicable sales charge.

The fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows:

 

Investment minimum initial/additional investment ($)
      Class A   Class B 1   Class C   Class FI   Class R   Class R1   Class I   Class  1 2
General   1,000/50   1,000/50   1,000/50   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
Uniform Gifts or Transfers to Minor Accounts   1,000/50   1,000/50   1,000/50   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
IRAs   250/50   250/50   250/50   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
SIMPLE IRAs   None/None   None/None   None/None   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
Systematic Investment Plans   50/50   50/50   50/50   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries   None/None   N/A   N/A   None/None   N/A   N/A   None/None   N/A
Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund   None/None   N/A   None/None   None/None   None/None   None/None   None/None   N/A
Other Retirement Plans   None/None   None/None   None/None   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
Institutional Investors   1,000/50   1,000/50   1,000/50   N/A   N/A   N/A   1 million/None   N/A

 

1

The fund no longer offers Class B shares for purchase by new or existing investors. Class B shares will continue to be available for dividend reinvestment and incoming exchanges.

 

2  

Class 1 shares are not available for purchases and incoming exchanges.

Your financial intermediary may impose different investment minimums.

For more information about how to purchase, redeem or exchange shares, and to learn which classes of shares are available to you, you should contact your financial intermediary, or, if you hold your shares or plan to purchase shares through the fund, you should contact the fund by phone at 1-877-721-1926 or by mail at Legg Mason Funds, P.O. Box 55214, Boston, MA 02205-8504.

Tax information

The fund’s distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gain, except when your investment is through an IRA, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged account.

Payments to broker/dealers and other financial intermediaries

The fund’s related companies may pay broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries (such as a bank or an insurance company) for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments create a conflict of interest by influencing your broker/dealer or other intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s or salesperson’s website for more information.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     7   

More on the fund’s investment strategies, investments and risks

 

The fund seeks long-term capital growth.

The fund invests primarily in equity securities that, in the portfolio managers’ opinion, offer the potential for capital growth. The fund may invest in issuers of any size, allowing the portfolio managers flexibility to identify investment opportunities that are expected to help the fund achieve its investment objective.

The portfolio managers follow an intrinsic value discipline in selecting securities, which means that the portfolio managers seek to purchase securities trading at large discounts to their assessment of the companies’ estimated value. The portfolio managers determine intrinsic value by measuring the company’s value on such factors as the discounted value of its projected future free cash flows, the capability to earn returns on capital in excess of its cost of capital, private market values of similar companies and the costs to replicate the business. These and other factors may be more or less significant depending on the type of company. The portfolio managers may also consider qualitative factors in selecting stocks, including an assessment of the company’s products, competitive positioning, strategy, industry economics and dynamics, and regulatory frameworks, among others. Securities may be undervalued due to, among other things, uncertainty arising from the limited availability of accurate information, economic growth and changes, changes in competitive conditions, technological change, investor overreaction to negative news or events, and changes in governmental policy or geopolitical dynamics.

The fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in foreign securities.

The fund’s investment objective and investment strategies may be changed without shareholder approval.

The fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a small number of issuers than a diversified fund.

Cash management

The fund may hold cash pending investment, and may invest in money market instruments for cash management purposes. The amount of assets the fund may hold for cash management purposes will depend on market conditions and the need to meet expected redemption requests.

Equity investments

Equity securities include exchange-traded and over-the-counter (OTC) common and preferred stocks, warrants and rights, securities convertible into common stocks, and securities of other investment companies and of real estate investment trusts.

Derivatives and hedging techniques

Derivatives are financial instruments whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an asset, such as one or more investments, indexes or currencies. The fund may engage in a variety of transactions using derivatives, such as futures and options on securities, securities indexes or currencies, options on these futures, forward currency contracts, and interest rate or currency swaps. Derivatives may be used by the fund for any of the following purposes:

 

  Ÿ  

As a hedging technique in an attempt to manage risk in the fund’s portfolio

 

  Ÿ  

As a substitute for buying or selling securities

 

  Ÿ  

As a cash flow management technique

A derivative contract will obligate or entitle the fund to deliver or receive an asset or cash payment based on the change in value of one or more investments, indexes or currencies. When the fund enters into derivatives transactions, it may be required to segregate assets or enter into offsetting positions, in accordance with applicable regulations. Such segregation is not a hedging technique and will not limit the fund’s exposure to loss. The fund will, therefore, have investment risk with respect to both the derivative itself and the assets that have been segregated to offset the fund’s derivative exposure. If such segregated assets


 

8   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

More on the fund’s investment strategies, investments and risks cont’d

 

represent a large portion of the fund’s portfolio, portfolio management may be affected as covered positions may have to be reduced if it becomes necessary for the fund to reduce the amount of segregated assets in order to meet redemptions or other obligations.

Should the fund invest in derivatives, the fund will, in determining compliance with any percentage limitation or requirement regarding the use or investment of fund assets, take into account the market value of the fund’s derivative positions that are intended to reduce or create exposure to the applicable category of investments.

Foreign investments

The fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in the equity securities of foreign issuers, either directly or through depositary receipts.

Fund of funds investments

The fund may be an investment option for other Legg Mason-managed mutual funds that are managed as a “fund of funds.”

Defensive investing

The fund may depart from its principal investment strategies in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions by taking temporary defensive positions in any type of money market instruments, short-term debt securities or cash without regard to any percentage limitations. Although the manager has the ability to take defensive positions, it may choose not to do so for a variety of reasons, even during volatile market conditions.

Other investments

The fund may also use other strategies and invest in other securities that are described, along with their risks, in the SAI. However, the fund might not use all of the strategies and techniques or invest in all of the types of securities described in this Prospectus or in the SAI.

More on risks of investing in the fund

Stock market and equity securities risk. Securities fluctuate in price based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. The value of a particular security may decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as an increase in production costs, competitive conditions or labor shortages; or due to general market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment.

Issuer risk. The value of a security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole. The value of a company’s securities may deteriorate because of a variety of factors, including disappointing earnings reports by the issuer, unsuccessful products or services, loss of major customers, major litigation against the issuer or changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or the competitive environment.

Large capitalization company risk. Large capitalization companies may fall out of favor with investors.

Small and medium capitalization company risk. The fund will be exposed to additional risks as a result of its investments in the securities of small and medium capitalization companies. Small and medium capitalization companies may fall out of favor with investors; may have limited product lines, operating histories, markets or financial resources; or may be dependent upon a limited management group. The prices of securities of small and medium capitalization companies generally are more volatile than those of large capitalization companies and are more likely to be adversely affected than large capitalization companies by


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     9   

changes in earnings results and investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions, including those experienced during a recession. Securities of small and medium capitalization companies may underperform large capitalization companies, may be harder to sell at times and at prices the portfolio managers believe appropriate and may offer greater potential for losses.

Liquidity risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to sell. Although most of the fund’s investments must be liquid at the time of investment, investments may become illiquid after purchase by the fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the fund holds illiquid investments, the portfolio may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the fund may suffer a loss. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain investments, the fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector.

Foreign investments risk. The fund’s investments in securities of foreign issuers involve greater risk than investments in securities of U.S. issuers. Foreign countries in which the fund may invest may have markets that are less liquid and more volatile than markets in the United States, may suffer from political or economic instability and may experience negative government actions, such as currency controls or seizures of private businesses or property. In some foreign countries, less information is available about issuers and markets because of less rigorous accounting and regulatory standards than in the United States. Foreign withholdings may reduce the fund’s returns. Currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. Because the value of a depositary receipt is dependent upon the market price of an underlying foreign security, depositary receipts are subject to most of the risks associated with investing in foreign securities directly.

Portfolio selection risk. The value of your investment may decrease if the portfolio managers’ judgment about the attractiveness, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry or sector or about market movements is incorrect.

Value investing risk. The value approach to investing involves the risk that value stocks may remain undervalued. Value stocks as a group may be out of favor and underperform the overall equity market for a long period of time, while the market concentrates on growth stocks. Although the fund will not concentrate its investments in any one industry or industry group, it may, like many value funds, weight its investments toward certain industries, thus increasing its exposure to factors adversely affecting issuers within those industries.

Non-diversification risk. The fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a small number of issuers than a diversified fund. To the extent the fund invests its assets in fewer issuers, the fund will be more susceptible to negative events affecting those issuers than a diversified fund.

Cash management and defensive investing risk. The value of the investments held by the fund for cash management or defensive investing purposes may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in credit ratings of the investments. If the fund holds cash uninvested it will be subject to the credit risk of the depository institution holding the cash. If a significant amount of the fund’s assets are used for cash management or defensive investing purposes, it will be more difficult for the fund to achieve its investment objective.

Derivatives risk. Using derivatives, especially for non-hedging purposes, may involve greater risks to the fund than investing directly in securities, particularly as these instruments may be very complex and may not behave in the manner anticipated. Certain derivatives transactions may have a leveraging effect on the fund. Even a small investment in derivative contracts can have a significant impact on the fund’s stock market, interest rate or currency exposure. Therefore, using derivatives can disproportionately increase losses and reduce opportunities for gains when stock prices, currency rates or interest rates are changing. The fund may not fully benefit from or may lose money on derivatives if changes in their value do not correspond as anticipated to changes in the value of the fund’s holdings. Using derivatives may increase volatility, which is the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price


 

10   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

More on the fund’s investment strategies, investments and risks cont’d

 

within a short time period. Holdings of derivatives also can make the fund less liquid and harder to value, especially in declining markets.

Derivatives are subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation.

Recent legislation calls for new regulation of the derivatives markets. The extent and impact of the regulation are not yet fully known and may not be for some time. New regulation of derivatives may make them more costly, may limit their availability, or may otherwise adversely affect their value or performance.

Risks associated with the use of derivatives are magnified to the extent that a large portion of the fund’s assets are committed to derivatives in general or are invested in just one or a few types of derivatives.

Fund of funds investments risk. From time to time, the fund may experience relatively large redemptions or investments due to rebalancings of a fund of funds’ portfolio. In the event of such redemptions or investments, the fund could be required to sell securities or to invest cash at a time when it is not advantageous to do so.

Risk of increase in expenses. Your actual costs of investing in the fund may be higher than the expenses shown in “Annual fund operating expenses” for a variety of reasons. For example, expense ratios may be higher than those shown if a fee limitation is changed or terminated or if average net assets decrease. Net assets are more likely to decrease and fund expense ratios are more likely to increase when markets are volatile.

Recent market events risk. The equity and debt capital markets in the United States and internationally have experienced unprecedented volatility. This financial crisis has caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities. This environment could make identifying investment risks and opportunities especially difficult for the manager. These market conditions may continue or get worse. In response to the crisis, the U.S. and other governments and the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have taken steps to support financial markets. The withdrawal of this support could also negatively affect the value and liquidity of certain securities. In addition, legislation recently enacted in the United States calls for changes in many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of the legislation on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time.

Please note that there are other factors that could adversely affect your investment and that could prevent the fund from achieving its investment objective. More information about risks appears in the SAI. Before investing, you should carefully consider the risks that you will assume.

Portfolio holdings

A description of the fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of its portfolio holdings is available in the SAI. The fund posts its complete portfolio holdings at http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors/prospectuses (click on the name of the fund) on a quarterly basis. The fund intends to post its complete portfolio holdings 14 calendar days following the quarter-end. The fund intends to post partial information concerning the fund’s portfolio holdings (such as top 10 holdings or sector breakdowns, for example) on the Legg Mason funds’ website on a monthly basis. The fund intends to post this partial information 10 business days following each month-end. Such information will remain available until the next month’s or quarter’s holdings are posted.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     11   

More on fund management

 

Legg Mason Capital Management, LLC (“LMCM” or the “manager”) is the fund’s investment manager. LMCM, with offices at 100 International Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, selects the fund’s investments, oversees its operations and provides administrative services, manages assets for clients around the globe including corporations, public funds, government entities, endowments, foundations and individual investors. Clients invest with LMCM through separately managed accounts, sub-advised funds and Legg Mason-sponsored mutual funds. Since 1982, with the introduction of Legg Mason Value Trust, LMCM has distinguished itself by applying its distinct value investment process. As of June 30, 2011, LMCM’s investment personnel managed approximately $11.6 billion in separate accounts and pooled assets.

Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA” or the “sub-administrator”) serves as the sub-administrator to the fund. LMPFA, with offices at 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10018, provides certain administrative services to the fund pursuant to a sub-administration agreement between LMCM and LMPFA. LMCM, not the fund, pays LMPFA for its services as sub-administrator. LMPFA was formed in April 2006 as a result of an internal reorganization to consolidate advisory services after Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”) acquired substantially all of Citigroup’s asset management business in December 2005.

LMCM and LMPFA are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Legg Mason. Legg Mason, whose principal executive offices are at 100 International Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, is a global asset management company. As of June 30, 2011, Legg Mason’s asset management operations had aggregate assets under management of approximately $662.5 billion.

Portfolio managers

Jay Leopold and Bill Miller serve as co-portfolio managers of the fund. Mr. Leopold has served as portfolio manager since February 2007. Mr. Miller has served as portfolio manager since January 2009.

Mr. Leopold, CFA, is a Portfolio Manager at LMCM. Mr. Leopold joined Legg Mason in 1986 and LMCM in 1995. After covering stocks in a variety of industries including health care, he was named Assistant Portfolio Manager of the Legg Mason American Leading Companies Trust mutual fund in 2000 and later assumed responsibility for LMCM’s All Cap product. Mr. Leopold is a former President and Director of the Baltimore Security Analysts Society.

Mr. Miller, CFA, is the Chairman and Chief Investment Officer for LMCM and Managing Member of LMM, LLC. Mr. Miller has been employed by one or more subsidiaries of Legg Mason since 1981. Mr. Miller has served as a portfolio manager of Legg Mason Value Trust since 1982 and as portfolio manager for Legg Mason Opportunity Trust since 1999.

The SAI provides information about the compensation of the portfolio managers, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and any fund shares held by the portfolio managers.

Management fee

The fund pays a management fee at an annual rate that decreases as assets increase, as follows: 0.70% of assets up to and including $2 billion and 0.65% of assets over $2 billion.

For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011, the fund paid LMCM an effective management fee of 0.70% of the fund’s average daily net assets for management services, after waivers and/or reimbursements.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) approval of the fund’s management agreement is available in the fund’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011.

Expense limitation

The manager has agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse operating expenses (other than interest, brokerage, taxes, extraordinary expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses) so that total annual operating expenses are not expected to exceed 1.30% for Class FI shares, 1.55% for Class R shares, 2.05% for Class R1 shares and 1.00% for Class I shares, subject to recapture as described below. In addition, total annual fund


 

12   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

More on fund management cont’d

 

operating expenses for Class 1 shares are expected to be at least 0.25% lower than total annual fund operating expenses for Class A shares. These arrangements are expected to continue until December 31, 2012, may be terminated prior to that date by agreement of the manager and the Board, and may be terminated at any time after that date by the manager. These arrangements, however, may be modified by the manager to decrease total annual operating expenses at any time. The manager is also permitted to recapture fees waived or expenses reimbursed to a class during the same fiscal year if the class’ total annual operating expenses have fallen to a level below the limit described above. In no case will the manager recapture any amount that would result, on any particular business day of the fund, in the class’ total annual operating expenses exceeding the applicable limits described above or any other lower limit then in effect.

Distribution

LMIS, a wholly-owned broker/dealer subsidiary of Legg Mason, serves as the fund’s sole and exclusive distributor.

The fund has adopted a Rule 12b-1 shareholder services and distribution plan. Under the plan, the fund pays distribution and/or service fees based on annualized percentages of average daily net assets, of up to 0.25% for Class A shares; up to 1.00% for Class B shares; up to 1.00% for Class C shares; up to 0.25% for Class FI shares; up to 0.50% for Class R shares; and up to 1.00% for Class R1 shares. These fees are an ongoing expense and, over time, will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges. Class I shares and Class 1 shares are not subject to distribution and/or service fees under the plan.

In addition, the distributor, the manager and/or their affiliates make payments for distribution, shareholder servicing, marketing and promotional activities and related expenses out of their profits and other available sources, including profits from their relationships with the fund. These payments are not reflected as additional expenses in the fee table contained in this Prospectus. The recipients of these payments may include the fund’s distributor and affiliates of the manager, as well as non-affiliated broker/dealers, insurance companies, financial institutions and other financial intermediaries through which investors may purchase shares of the fund, including your financial intermediary. The total amount of these payments is substantial, may be substantial to any given recipient and may exceed the costs and expenses incurred by the recipient for any fund-related marketing or shareholder servicing activities. The payments described in this paragraph are often referred to as “revenue sharing payments.” Revenue sharing arrangements are separately negotiated.

Revenue sharing payments create an incentive for an intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend or sell shares of the fund to you. Contact your financial intermediary for details about revenue sharing payments it receives or may receive. Revenue sharing payments, as well as payments under the shareholder services and distribution plan (where applicable), also benefit the manager, the distributor and their affiliates to the extent the payments result in more assets being invested in the fund on which fees are being charged.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     13   

Choosing a class of shares to buy

 

Individual investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Individual investors who held Class I shares prior to November 20, 2006 are permitted to make additional investments in Class I shares. Effective July 27, 2007, the fund’s Class 1 shares were closed to all purchases and incoming exchanges. Investors owning Class 1 shares on that date may continue to maintain their then-current Class 1 shares, but are no longer permitted to add to their Class 1 share positions (excluding reinvestment of dividends and distributions). Retirement Plan and Institutional Investors and Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries should refer to “Retirement and Institutional Investors — eligible investors” below for a description of the classes available to them.

Each class has different sales charges and expenses, allowing you to choose a class that may be appropriate for you.

When choosing which class of shares to buy, you should consider:

 

  Ÿ  

How much you plan to invest

 

  Ÿ  

How long you expect to own the shares

 

  Ÿ  

The expenses paid by each class detailed in the fee table and example at the front of this Prospectus

 

  Ÿ  

Whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges

 

  Ÿ  

Availability of share classes

If you plan to invest a large amount and/or your investment horizon is five years or more, Class C shares might not be as advantageous as Class A shares. The annual distribution and/or service fees on Class C shares may cost you more over the longer term than the front-end sales charge you would have paid for larger purchases of Class A shares.

The fund no longer offers Class B shares for purchase by new or existing investors. Individual investors who owned Class B shares on June 30, 2011 may continue to hold those shares, but they may not add to their Class B share positions except through dividend reinvestment. Class B shares are also available for incoming exchanges.

Each class of shares except Class 1 shares is authorized to pay fees for recordkeeping services to Service Agents. As a result, operating expenses of classes that incur new or additional recordkeeping fees may increase over time.

You may buy shares:

 

  Ÿ  

Through banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies, investment advisers, financial consultants or advisers, mutual fund supermarkets and other financial intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the distributor to sell shares of the fund (each called a “Service Agent”)

 

  Ÿ  

Directly from the fund

Your Service Agent may provide shareholder services that differ from the services provided by other Service Agents. Services provided by your Service Agent may vary by class. You should ask your Service Agent to explain the shareholder services it provides for each class and the compensation it receives in connection with each class. Remember that your Service Agent may receive different compensation depending on the share class in which you invest.

Your Service Agent may not offer all classes of shares. You should contact your Service Agent for further information.

More information about the fund’s classes of shares is available through the Legg Mason funds’ website. You’ll find detailed information about sales charges and ways you can qualify for reduced or waived sales charges, including:

 

  Ÿ  

The front-end sales charges that apply to the purchase of Class A shares

 

  Ÿ  

The contingent deferred sales charges that apply to the redemption of Class B shares, Class C shares and certain Class A shares (redeemed within one year)

 

  Ÿ  

Who qualifies for lower sales charges on Class A shares

 

  Ÿ  

Who qualifies for a sales load waiver

To visit the website, go to http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors/products, and click on the name of the fund in the dropdown menu.


 

14   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Comparing the fund’s classes

 

The following table compares key features of the fund’s classes. You should review the fee table and example at the front of this Prospectus carefully before choosing your share class. Your Service Agent can help you choose a class that may be appropriate for you. Please contact your Service Agent regarding the availability of Class FI, Class R or Class R1 shares. You may be required to provide appropriate documentation confirming your eligibility to invest in Class FI, Class R or Class R1 shares. Your Service Agent may receive different compensation depending upon which class you choose.

 

    Key features   Initial sales charge   Contingent deferred
sales charge
  Annual distribution and/
or service fees
  Exchange privilege 1
Class A  

Ÿ    Initial sales charge

Ÿ    You may qualify for reduction or waiver of initial sales charge

Ÿ    Generally lower annual expenses than Class C

  Up to 5.75%; reduced or waived for large purchases and certain investors. No charge for purchases of $1 million or more   1.00% on purchases of $1 million or more if you redeem within 1 year of purchase; waived for certain investors   0.25% of average daily net assets   Class A shares of funds sold by the distributor
Class B  

Ÿ    Closed to all new purchases

Ÿ    No initial sales charge

Ÿ    Contingent deferred sales charge declines over time

Ÿ    Converts to Class A after approximately 8 years

Ÿ    Generally higher annual expenses than Class A

  None   Up to 5.00% charged if you redeem shares. This charge is reduced over time and there is no contingent deferred sales charge after 5 years; waived for certain investors   1.00% of average daily net assets   Class B shares of funds sold by the distributor
Class C  

Ÿ    No initial sales charge

Ÿ    Contingent deferred sales charge for only 1 year

Ÿ    Does not convert to Class A

Ÿ    Generally higher annual expenses than Class A

  None   1.00% if you redeem within 1 year of purchase; waived for certain investors   1.00% of average daily net assets   Class C shares of funds sold by the distributor
Class FI  

Ÿ    No initial or contingent deferred sales charge

Ÿ    Only offered to Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries and eligible Retirement Plans

  None   None   0.25% of average daily net assets   Class FI shares of funds sold by the distributor
Class R  

Ÿ    No initial or contingent deferred sales charge

Ÿ    Only offered to eligible Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund

  None   None   0.50% of average daily net assets   Class R shares of funds sold by the distributor


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     15   
    Key features   Initial sales charge   Contingent deferred
sales charge
  Annual distribution and/
or service fees
  Exchange privilege 1
Class R1  

Ÿ     No initial or contingent deferred sales charge

Ÿ     Only offered to eligible Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund

Ÿ     Generally higher annual expenses than Class R

  None   None   1.00% of average daily net assets   Class R1 shares of funds sold by the distributor
Class I  

Ÿ     No initial or contingent deferred sales charge

Ÿ     Only offered to institutional and other eligible investors

Ÿ     Generally lower annual expenses than all classes

  None   None   None   Class I shares of funds sold by the distributor
Class 1  

Ÿ     Closed to all purchases and incoming exchanges

  N/A   None   None   Class A shares of funds available for exchange

 

1  

Ask your Service Agent about the funds available for exchange.


 

16   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Sales charges

 

Class A shares

You buy Class A shares at the offering price, which is the net asset value plus a sales charge. You pay a lower rate as the size of your investment increases to certain levels called breakpoints. You do not pay a sales charge on the fund’s distributions or dividends that you reinvest in additional Class A shares.

The table below shows the rate of sales charge you pay, depending on the amount you purchase. It also shows the amount of broker/dealer compensation that will be paid out of the sales charge if you buy shares from a Service Agent. For Class A shares sold by the distributor, the distributor will receive the sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A shares (or any contingent deferred sales charge paid on redemptions) and will retain the full amount of such sales charge. Service Agents will receive a distribution and/or service fee payable on Class A shares at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class A shares serviced by them.

 

Amount of Investment      Sales charge
as a % of
offering price
       Sales charge
as a % of net
amount
invested
       Broker/dealer
commission as
a % of
offering price
 
Less than $25,000        5.75           6.10           5.00   
$25,000 but less than $50,000        5.00           5.26           4.25   
$50,000 but less than $100,000        4.50           4.71           3.75   
$100,000 but less than $250,000        3.50           3.63           2.75   
$250,000 but less than $500,000        2.50           2.56           2.00   
$500,000 but less than $750,000        2.00           2.04           1.60   
$750,000 but less than $1 million        1.50           1.52           1.20   
$1 million or more 1        -0-           -0-           up to 1.00   

 

1  

The distributor may pay a commission of up to 1.00% to a Service Agent for purchase amounts of $1 million or more. In such cases, starting in the thirteenth month after purchase, the Service Agent will also receive an annual distribution and/or service fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class A shares held by its clients. Prior to the thirteenth month, the distributor will retain this fee. Where the Service Agent does not receive the payment of this commission, the Service Agent will instead receive the annual distribution and/or service fee starting immediately after purchase. Please contact your Service Agent for more information.

Investments of $1,000,000 or more

You do not pay an initial sales charge when you buy $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares. However, if you redeem these Class A shares within one year of purchase, you will pay a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00%.

Qualifying for a reduced Class A sales charge

There are several ways you can combine multiple purchases of Class A shares of funds sold by the distributor to take advantage of the breakpoints in the sales charge schedule. In order to take advantage of reductions in sales charges that may be available to you when you purchase fund shares, you must inform your Service Agent or the fund if you are eligible for a letter of intent or a right of accumulation and if you own shares of other funds that are eligible to be aggregated with your purchases. Certain records, such as account statements, may be necessary in order to verify your eligibility for a reduced sales charge.

 

  Ÿ  

Accumulation Privilege – allows you to combine the current value of Class A shares of the fund with other shares of funds sold by the distributor that are owned by:

 

  Ÿ  

you or

 

  Ÿ  

your spouse, and children under the age of 21

with the dollar amount of your next purchase of Class A shares for purposes of calculating the initial sales charges.

If you hold fund shares in accounts at two or more Service Agents, please contact your Service Agents to determine which shares may be combined.

Shares of money market funds sold by the distributor acquired by exchange from other funds offered with a sales charge may be combined. Please contact your Service Agent for additional information.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     17   

Certain trustees and fiduciaries may be entitled to combine accounts in determining their sales charge.

 

  Ÿ  

Letter of Intent – allows you to purchase Class A shares of funds sold by the distributor over a 13-month period and pay the same sales charge, if any, as if all shares had been purchased at once. At the time you enter into the letter of intent, you select your asset goal amount. Generally, purchases of shares of funds sold by the distributor that are purchased during the 13-month period by:

 

  Ÿ  

you or

 

  Ÿ  

your spouse, and children under the age of 21

are eligible for inclusion under the letter of intent, based on the public offering price at the time of the purchase and any capital appreciation on those shares. In addition, you can include toward your asset goal amount the current value of any eligible holdings.

If you hold shares of funds sold by the distributor in accounts at two or more Service Agents, please contact your Service Agents to determine which shares may be credited toward your letter of intent asset goal.

Shares of money market funds sold by the distributor acquired by exchange from other funds offered with a sales charge may be credited toward your letter of intent asset goal. Please contact your Service Agent for additional information.

If you do not meet your asset goal amount, shares in the amount of any sales charges due, based on the amount of your actual purchases, will be redeemed from your account.

Waivers for certain Class A investors

Class A initial sales charges are waived for certain types of investors, including:

 

  Ÿ  

Employees of Service Agents

 

  Ÿ  

Investors who redeemed Class A shares of a fund sold by the distributor in the past 60 days, if the investor’s Service Agent is notified

 

  Ÿ  

Directors and officers of any Legg Mason-sponsored fund

 

  Ÿ  

Employees of Legg Mason and its subsidiaries

 

  Ÿ  

Investors investing through certain Retirement Plans

If you qualify for a waiver of the Class A initial sales charge, you must notify your Service Agent or the fund at 1-877-721-1926 at the time of purchase and provide sufficient information at the time of purchase to permit verification that the purchase qualifies for the initial sales charge waiver.

If you want to learn about additional waivers of Class A initial sales charges, contact your Service Agent, consult the SAI or visit the Legg Mason funds’ website, http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors/products, and click on the name of the fund in the dropdown menu.

Class B shares

The fund no longer offers Class B shares for purchase by new or existing investors. If you owned Class B shares on June 30, 2011, you may continue to hold those shares, but you may not add to your Class B share position except through dividend reinvestment. Class B shares are also available for incoming exchanges. Class B shares are issued at net asset value with no initial sales charge. If you redeem your Class B shares within five years of your purchase payment, you will pay a contingent deferred sales charge. The contingent deferred sales charge decreases as the number of years since your purchase payment increases.

 

Year after Purchase (%)      1st        2nd        3rd        4th        5th        6th through 8th  
Contingent deferred sales charge        5           4           3           2           1           0   

LMIS will retain the contingent deferred sales charges. The fund pays annual distribution and/or service fees of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets of Class B shares. Service Agents receive an annual distribution and/or service fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class B shares serviced by them.


 

18   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Sales charges cont’d

 

Class B conversion

After approximately 8 years, Class B shares automatically convert into Class A shares. This helps you because Class A shares have lower annual expenses. Your Class B shares will convert to Class A shares as follows:

 

Shares issued: at initial purchase   Shares issued: on reinvestment of
dividends and distributions
  Shares issued: upon exchange
from another fund sold by LMIS
Approximately 8 years after the date of purchase   In same proportion as the number of Class B shares converting is to total Class B shares you own (excluding shares issued as dividends)   On the date the shares originally acquired would have converted into Class A shares

Class C shares

You buy Class C shares at net asset value with no initial sales charge. However, if you redeem your Class C shares within one year of purchase, you will pay a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00%.

LMIS generally will pay Service Agents selling Class C shares a commission of up to 1.00% of the purchase price of the Class C shares they sell. LMIS will retain the contingent deferred sales charges and an annual distribution and/or service fee of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class C shares serviced by these Service Agents until the thirteenth month after purchase. Starting in the thirteenth month after purchase, these Service Agents will receive an annual distribution and/or service fee of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class C shares serviced by them.

Class FI, Class R and Class R1 shares

You buy Class FI, Class R and Class R1 shares at net asset value with no initial sales charge and no contingent deferred sales charge when redeemed.

Service Agents receive an annual distribution and/or service fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets represented by Class FI shares serviced by them, up to 0.50% of the average daily net assets represented by Class R shares serviced by them and up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets represented by Class R1 shares serviced by them.

Class I shares

You buy Class I shares at net asset value with no initial sales charge and no contingent deferred sales charge when redeemed. Class I shares are not subject to any distribution and/or service fees.

Class 1 shares

The fund no longer offers Class 1 shares for purchase by new or existing investors or for incoming exchanges. If you owned Class 1 shares on July 26, 2007, you may continue to hold those shares, but you may not add to your Class 1 share position except through dividend reinvestment.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     19   

More about contingent deferred sales charges

 

The contingent deferred sales charge is based on the net asset value at the time of purchase or redemption, whichever is less, and therefore you do not pay a sales charge on amounts representing appreciation or depreciation.

In addition, you do not pay a contingent deferred sales charge:

 

  Ÿ  

When you exchange shares for shares of another fund sold by the distributor

 

  Ÿ  

On shares representing reinvested distributions and dividends

 

  Ÿ  

On shares no longer subject to the contingent deferred sales charge

Each time you place a request to redeem shares, the fund will first redeem any shares in your account that are not subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and then redeem the shares in your account that have been held the longest.

If you redeem shares of a fund sold by the distributor and pay a contingent deferred sales charge, you may, under certain circumstances, reinvest all or part of the redemption proceeds within 60 days and receive pro rata credit for any contingent deferred sales charge imposed on the prior redemption. Please contact your Service Agent for additional information.

The distributor receives contingent deferred sales charges as partial compensation for its expenses in selling shares, including the payment of compensation to your Service Agent.

Contingent deferred sales charge waivers

The contingent deferred sales charge for each share class will generally be waived:

 

  Ÿ  

On payments made through certain systematic withdrawal plans

 

  Ÿ  

On certain distributions from a Retirement Plan

 

  Ÿ  

For Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund

 

  Ÿ  

For involuntary redemptions of small account balances

 

  Ÿ  

For 12 months following the death or disability of a shareholder

If you want to learn more about additional waivers of contingent deferred sales charges, contact your Service Agent, consult the SAI or visit the Legg Mason funds’ website, http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors/products, and click on the name of the fund in the dropdown menu.


 

20   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Retirement and Institutional Investors —

eligible investors

 

Retirement Plans

“Retirement Plans” include 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit-sharing plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans and other similar employer-sponsored retirement plans. Retirement Plans do not include individual retirement vehicles, such as traditional and Roth individual retirement accounts, Coverdell education savings accounts, individual 403(b)(7) custodial accounts, Keogh plans, SEPs, SARSEPs, SIMPLE IRAs or similar accounts.

Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund can generally invest in Class C, Class FI, Class R, Class R1 and Class I shares.

Although Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund are not subject to minimum initial investment requirements for any of these share classes, certain investment minimums may be imposed by a financial intermediary. The distributor may impose certain additional requirements. Please contact your Service Agent for more information.

Class A shares are no longer offered through Service Agents for Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund, with limited exceptions. Class A shares will cease to be available to new Retirement Plan investors through a Service Agent if the Service Agent makes Class FI shares available. Class C shares will cease to be available to new Retirement Plan investors through a Service Agent if the Service Agent makes Class R1 shares available. Please see below for additional information.

Other Retirement Plans

“Other Retirement Plans” include Retirement Plans investing through brokerage accounts and also include certain Retirement Plans with direct relationships to the fund that are neither Institutional Investors nor investing through omnibus accounts. Other Retirement Plans and individual retirement vehicles, such as IRAs, are treated like individual investors for purposes of determining sales charges and any applicable sales charge reductions or waivers.

Other Retirement Plan investors can generally invest in Class A and Class C shares. Individual retirement vehicles may also choose between these share classes.

Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries

“Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries” are investors who invest in the fund through financial intermediaries that (i) charge such investors an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the distributor to offer Class I shares through a no-load network or platform (“Eligible Investment Programs”). Such investors may include pension and profit sharing plans, other employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations and corporations. Eligible Investment Programs may also include college savings vehicles such as Section 529 plans. The financial intermediary may impose separate investment minimums.

Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries may generally invest in Class A, Class FI or Class I shares.

Institutional Investors

“Institutional Investors” may include corporations, banks, trust companies, insurance companies, investment companies, foundations, endowments, defined benefit plans and other similar entities. The distributor or the financial intermediary may impose additional eligibility requirements or criteria to determine if an investor, including the types of investors listed above, qualifies as an Institutional Investor.

Institutional Investors may invest in Class I shares if they meet the $1,000,000 minimum initial investment requirement. Institutional Investors may also invest in Class A and Class C shares, which have different investment minimums, fees and expenses.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     21   

Class A shares — Retirement Plans

Class A shares are no longer offered through Service Agents to Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund. Certain existing programs for current and prospective Retirement Plan investors sponsored by financial intermediaries also remain eligible to purchase Class A shares. Under these programs, the initial sales charge and contingent deferred sales charge for Class A shares are waived where:

 

  Ÿ  

Such Retirement Plan’s recordkeeper offers only load-waived shares

 

  Ÿ  

Fund shares are held on the books of the fund through an omnibus account, and

 

  Ÿ  

The Retirement Plan has more than 100 participants or has total assets exceeding $1 million

LMIS does not pay Service Agents selling Class A shares to Retirement Plans with a direct omnibus relationship with the fund a commission on the purchase price of Class A shares sold by them. However, for certain Retirement Plans that are permitted to purchase shares at net asset value, LMIS may pay Service Agents commissions of up to 1.00% of the purchase price of the Class A shares that are purchased with regular ongoing plan contributions. Please contact your Service Agent for more information.

Class B shares

The fund no longer offers Class B shares for purchase or by new or existing investors. Institutional Investors and certain Retirement Plans that owned Class B shares on June 30, 2011, may continue to hold those shares, but they may not add to their Class B share positions except through dividend reinvestment. Class B shares are also available for incoming exchanges.

Class C shares — Retirement Plans

Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund may buy Class C shares at net asset value without paying a contingent deferred sales charge. LMIS does not pay Service Agents selling Class C shares to Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund a commission on the purchase price of Class C shares sold by them. Instead, immediately after purchase, LMIS may pay these Service Agents an annual distribution and/or service fee of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class C shares serviced by them.

Certain Retirement Plan programs with exchange features in effect prior to November 20, 2006, as approved by LMIS, will remain eligible for exchange from Class C shares to Class A shares in accordance with the program terms. Please see the SAI for more details.

Class FI shares

Class FI shares are offered only to investors who invest in the fund through certain financial intermediaries and Retirement Plan programs.

Class R shares

Class R shares are offered only to Retirement Plans with accounts held on the books of the fund (either at the plan level or at the level of the financial intermediary).

Class R1 shares

Class R1 shares are offered only to Retirement Plans with accounts held on the books of the fund (either at the plan level or at the level of the financial intermediary).

Class I shares

Class I shares are offered only to Institutional Investors who meet the $1,000,000 minimum initial investment requirement, Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries and other investors authorized by LMIS.


 

22   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Retirement and Institutional Investors —

eligible investors cont’d

 

Certain waivers of these requirements for individuals associated with the fund, Legg Mason or its affiliates are discussed in the SAI.

Other considerations

Plan sponsors, plan fiduciaries and other financial intermediaries may choose to impose qualification requirements that differ from the fund’s share class eligibility standards. In certain cases this could result in the selection of a share class with higher distribution and/or service fees than otherwise would have been charged. The fund is not responsible for, and has no control over, the decision of any plan sponsor, plan fiduciary or financial intermediary to impose such differing requirements. Please consult with your plan sponsor, plan fiduciary or financial intermediary for more information about available share classes.

Your Service Agent may not offer all share classes. Please contact your Service Agent for additional details.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     23   

Buying shares

 

Generally   

You may buy shares at their net asset value next determined after receipt by your Service Agent or the transfer agent of your purchase request in good order, plus any applicable sales charge.

 

You must provide the following information for your order to be processed:

 

Ÿ    Name of fund being bought

 

Ÿ    Class of shares being bought

 

Ÿ    Dollar amount or number of shares being bought

 

Ÿ    Account number (if existing account)

Through a

Service Agent

  

You should contact your Service Agent to open a brokerage account and make arrangements to buy shares.

 

Your Service Agent may charge an annual account maintenance fee.

Through the fund   

Investors should contact the fund at 1-877-721-1926 to open an account and make arrangements to buy shares.

 

For initial purchases, complete and send your account application to the fund at the following address:

 

Legg Mason Funds

P.O. Box 55214

Boston, Massachusetts 02205-8504

 

Subsequent purchases should be sent to the same address. Enclose a check to pay for the shares.

 

For more information, please call the fund between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (Eastern time).

Through a systematic investment plan   

You may authorize your Service Agent or the transfer agent to transfer funds automatically from (i) a regular bank account, (ii) cash held in a brokerage account with a Service Agent or (iii) certain money market funds, in order to buy shares on a regular basis.

 

Ÿ    Amounts transferred must meet the applicable minimums (see “Purchase and sale of fund shares”)

 

Ÿ    Amounts may be transferred monthly, every alternate month, quarterly, semi-annually or annually

 

Ÿ    If you do not have sufficient funds in your account on a transfer date, you may be charged a fee

 

For more information, please contact your Service Agent or the fund or consult the SAI.


 

24   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Exchanging shares

 

Generally   

You may exchange shares of the fund for the same class of shares of other funds sold by the distributor. For investors who qualify as Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries and participate in Eligible Investment Programs made available through their financial intermediaries (such as investors in fee-based advisory or mutual fund “wrap” programs), an exchange may be made from Class A or Class C shares to Class I shares of the same fund under certain limited circumstances. Please refer to the section of this prospectus titled “Retirement and Institutional Investors — eligible investors” or contact your financial intermediary for more information.

 

An exchange of shares of one fund for shares of another fund is considered a sale and generally results in a capital gain or loss for federal income tax purposes, unless you are investing through an IRA, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged account. An exchange of shares of one class directly for shares of another class of the same fund normally should not be taxable for federal income tax purposes. You should talk to your tax advisor before making an exchange.

 

The exchange privilege is not intended as a vehicle for short-term trading. The fund may suspend or terminate your exchange privilege if you engage in a pattern of excessive exchanges.

Legg Mason
offers a distinctive family of funds tailored to help meet the varying needs of large and small investors
  

You may exchange shares at their net asset value next determined after receipt by your Service Agent or the transfer agent of your exchange request in good order.

 

Ÿ     If you bought shares through a Service Agent, contact your Service Agent to learn which funds your Service Agent makes available to you for exchanges

 

Ÿ     If you bought shares directly from the fund, contact the fund at 1-877-721-1926 to learn which funds are available to you for exchanges

 

Ÿ     Exchanges may be made only between accounts that have identical registrations

 

Ÿ     Not all funds offer all classes

 

Ÿ     Funds that offer Class B shares may continue to make them available for incoming exchanges

 

Ÿ     Some funds are offered only in a limited number of states. Your Service Agent or the fund will provide information about the funds offered in your state

 

Always be sure to read the prospectus of the fund into which you are exchanging shares.

Investment minimums, sales charges and other requirements   

Ÿ     In most instances, your shares will not be subject to an initial sales charge or a contingent deferred sales charge at the time of the exchange

 

Ÿ     Your contingent deferred sales charge (if any) will continue to be measured from the date of your original purchase of shares subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and you will be subject to the contingent deferred sales charge of the fund that you originally purchased

 

Ÿ     You will generally be required to meet the minimum investment requirement for the class of shares of the fund or share class into which your exchange is made (except in the case of systematic exchange plans)

 

Ÿ     Your exchange will also be subject to any other requirements of the fund or share class into which you are exchanging shares

 

Ÿ     If you hold share certificates, you must deliver the certificates, endorsed for transfer or with signed stock powers, to the transfer agent or your Service Agent before the exchange is effective

 

Ÿ     The fund may suspend or terminate your exchange privilege if you engage in a pattern of excessive exchanges


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     25   
By telephone    Contact your Service Agent or, if you hold shares directly with the fund, call the fund at 1-877-721-1926 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (Eastern time) for information. Exchanges are priced at the net asset value next determined.
By mail   

Contact your Service Agent or, if you hold shares directly with the fund, write to the fund at the following address:

 

Legg Mason Funds

P.O. Box 55214

Boston, Massachusetts 02205-8504

Through a systematic exchange plan   

You may be permitted to schedule automatic exchanges of shares of the fund for shares of other funds available for exchange. All requirements for exchanging shares described above apply to these exchanges. In addition:

 

Ÿ     Exchanges may be made monthly, every alternate month, quarterly, semi-annually or annually

 

Ÿ     Each exchange must meet the applicable investment minimums for systematic investment plans (see “Purchase and sale of fund shares”)

 

For more information, please contact your Service Agent or the fund or consult the SAI.


 

26   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Redeeming shares

 

Generally   

You may redeem shares at their net asset value next determined after receipt by your Service Agent or the transfer agent of your redemption request in good order, less any applicable contingent deferred sales charge.

 

If you hold share certificates, you must deliver the certificates endorsed for transfer or with signed stock powers with a signature guarantee to the transfer agent or your Service Agent before you may redeem.

 

If the shares are held by a fiduciary or corporation, partnership or similar entity, other documents may be required.

Redemption proceeds   

Your redemption proceeds normally will be sent within 3 business days after your request is received in good order, but in any event within 7 days, except that your proceeds may be delayed for up to 10 days if your share purchase was made by check.

 

Your redemption proceeds may be delayed, or your right to receive redemption proceeds suspended, if the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is closed (other than on weekends or holidays) or trading is restricted, if an emergency exists, or otherwise as permitted by order of the SEC.

 

If you have a brokerage account with a Service Agent, your redemption proceeds will be sent to your Service Agent. Your redemption proceeds can be sent by check to your address of record or by wire or electronic transfer (ACH) to a bank account designated by you. To change the bank account designated to receive wire or electronic transfers, you will be required to deliver a new written authorization and may be asked to provide other documents. You may be charged a fee on a wire or an electronic transfer (ACH).

 

In other cases, unless you direct otherwise, your proceeds will be paid by check mailed to your address of record.

 

The fund reserves the right to pay redemption proceeds by giving you securities. You may pay transaction costs to dispose of the securities, and you may receive less for them than the price at which they were valued for purposes of the redemption.

By mail   

Contact your Service Agent or, if you hold shares directly with the fund, write to the fund at the following address:

 

Legg Mason Funds

P.O. Box 55214

Boston, Massachusetts 02205-8504

 

Your written request must provide the following:

 

Ÿ    The fund name, the class of shares being redeemed and your account number

 

Ÿ    The dollar amount or number of shares being redeemed

 

Ÿ    Signature of each owner exactly as the account is registered

 

Ÿ    Signature guarantees, as applicable (see “Other things to know about transactions”)

By telephone   

If your account application permits, you may be eligible to redeem shares by telephone. Contact your Service Agent or, if you hold shares directly with the fund, call the fund at 1-877-721-1926 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (Eastern time) for more information. Please have the following information ready when you call:

 

Ÿ    Name of fund being redeemed

 

Ÿ    Class of shares being redeemed

 

Ÿ    Account number


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     27   
Automatic cash withdrawal plans   

You may be permitted to schedule automatic redemptions of a portion of your shares. To qualify, you must own shares of the fund with a value of at least $10,000 ($5,000 for Retirement Plan accounts) and each automatic redemption must be at least $50.

 

The following conditions apply:

 

Ÿ     Your shares must not be represented by certificates

 

Ÿ     Redemptions may be made monthly, every alternate month, quarterly, semi-annually or annually

 

Ÿ     If your shares are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, the charge will be required to be paid upon redemption. However, the charge will be waived if your automatic redemptions are equal to or less than 2% per month of your account balance on the date the redemptions commence, up to a maximum of 12% in one year

 

Ÿ     You must elect to have all dividends and distributions reinvested

 

For more information, please contact your Service Agent or the fund or consult the SAI.


 

28   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Other things to know about transactions

 

When you buy, exchange or redeem shares, your request must be in good order. This means you have provided the following information, without which your request may not be processed:

 

Ÿ  

Name of the fund

 

Ÿ  

Your account number

 

Ÿ  

In the case of a purchase (including a purchase as part of an exchange transaction), the class of shares being bought

 

Ÿ  

In the case of an exchange or redemption, the class of shares being exchanged or redeemed (if you own more than one class)

 

Ÿ  

Dollar amount or number of shares being bought, exchanged or redeemed

 

Ÿ  

In certain circumstances, the signature of each owner exactly as the account is registered (see “Redeeming shares”)

The fund generally will not permit non-resident aliens with non-U.S. addresses to establish accounts. U.S. citizens with APO/FPO addresses or addresses in the United States (including its territories) and resident aliens with U.S. addresses are permitted to establish accounts with the fund. Subject to the requirements of local law, U.S. citizens residing in foreign countries are permitted to establish accounts with the fund.

In certain circumstances, such as during periods of market volatility, severe weather and emergencies, shareholders may experience difficulties placing exchange or redemption orders by telephone. In that case, shareholders should consider using the fund’s other exchange and redemption procedures described under “Exchanging shares” and “Redeeming shares.”

The transfer agent or the fund will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that any telephone exchange or redemption request is genuine, which may include recording calls, asking the caller to provide certain personal identification information, sending you a written confirmation or requiring other confirmation procedures from time to time. If these procedures are followed, neither the fund nor its agents will bear any liability for these transactions.

The fund has the right to:

 

Ÿ  

Suspend the offering of shares

 

Ÿ  

Waive or change minimum initial and additional investment amounts

 

Ÿ  

Reject any purchase or exchange order

 

Ÿ  

Change, revoke or suspend the exchange privilege

 

Ÿ  

Suspend telephone transactions

 

Ÿ  

Suspend or postpone redemptions of shares on any day when trading on the NYSE is restricted or as otherwise permitted by the SEC

 

Ÿ  

Close your account after a period of inactivity, as determined by state law, and transfer your shares to the appropriate state

Signature guarantees

To be in good order, your redemption request must include a signature guarantee if you:

 

Ÿ  

Are redeeming shares and sending the proceeds to an address or bank not currently on file

 

Ÿ  

Are sending signed share certificates or stock powers to the transfer agent

 

Ÿ  

Changed your account registration or your address within 30 days

 

Ÿ  

Want the check paid to someone other than the account owner(s)

 

Ÿ  

Are transferring the redemption proceeds to an account with a different registration

You can obtain a signature guarantee from most banks, dealers, brokers, credit unions and federal savings and loan institutions, but not from a notary public.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     29   

Anti-money laundering

Federal anti-money laundering regulations require all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. When you sign your account application, you may be asked to provide additional information in order for the fund to verify your identity in accordance with these regulations. Accounts may be restricted and/or closed, and the monies withheld, pending verification of this information or as otherwise required under these and other federal regulations.

Small account fees/Mandatory redemptions

Small accounts may be subject to a small account fee or to mandatory redemption, as described below, depending on whether the account is held directly with the fund or through a Service Agent.

Direct accounts

Direct accounts generally include accounts held in the name of the individual investor on the fund’s books and records. To offset the relatively higher impact on fund expenses of servicing smaller direct accounts, if your shares are held in a direct account and the value of your account is below $1,000 (if applicable, $250 for retirement plans that are not employer-sponsored) for any reason (including declines in net asset value), the fund may charge you a fee of $3.75 per account that is determined and assessed quarterly on the last business day of the quarter (with an annual maximum of $15.00 per account). The small account fee will be charged effective September 30, 2011 (or as soon as possible thereafter in the fund’s discretion) by redeeming shares in your account. If the value of your account is $3.75 or less, the amount in the account may be exhausted to pay the small account fee. The small account fee will not be assessed on systematic investment plans until the end of the first quarter after the account has been established for 15 months. The small account fee, including a share redemption, also may result in tax consequences to you (see “Taxes” for more information).

The small account fee will not be charged on, if applicable: (i) Retirement Plans (but will be charged on other plans that are not employer-sponsored such as traditional and Roth individual retirement accounts, Coverdell education savings accounts, individual 403(b)(7) custodial accounts, Keogh plans, SEPs, SARSEPs, SIMPLE IRAs or similar accounts); (ii) Legg Mason funds that have been closed to subsequent purchases for all classes; (iii) accounts that do not have a valid address as evidenced by mail being returned to the fund or its agents; and (iv) Class FI, Class R, Class R1, Class I or Class IS shares.

If your share class is no longer offered, you may not be able to bring your account up to the minimum investment amount (although you may exchange into existing accounts at other Legg Mason funds in which you hold the same share class, to the extent otherwise permitted by those funds and subject to any applicable sales charges).

Some shareholders who hold accounts in Classes A and B of the same fund may have those accounts aggregated for the purposes of these calculations. Please contact the fund or your Service Agent for more information.

Non-direct accounts

“Non-direct accounts” include omnibus accounts and accounts jointly maintained by the Service Agent and the fund. Such accounts are not subject to the small account fee that may be charged to direct accounts.

The fund reserves the right to ask you to bring your non-direct account up to a minimum investment amount determined by your Service Agent if the aggregate value of the fund shares in your account is less than $500 for any reason (including solely due to declines in net asset value and/or failure to invest at least $500 within a reasonable period). You will be notified in writing and will have 60 days to make an additional investment to bring your account value up to the required level. If you choose not to do so within this 60-day period, the fund may close your account and send you the redemption proceeds. If your share class is no longer offered, you may not be able to bring your account up to the minimum investment amount. Some shareholders who hold accounts in multiple classes of the same fund may have those accounts aggregated for the purposes of these calculations. If your account is closed, you will not be eligible to have your account reinstated without imposition of any sales charges that may apply to your new purchase. Please contact your Service Agent for more information. Any redemption of fund shares may result in tax consequences to you (see “Taxes” for more information).


 

30   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Other things to know about transactions cont’d

 

All accounts

The fund may, with prior notice, change the minimum size of accounts subject to mandatory redemption, which may vary by class, implement fees for small non-direct accounts or change the amount of the fee for small direct accounts.

Subject to applicable law, the fund may, with prior notice, adopt other policies from time to time requiring mandatory redemption of shares in certain circumstances.

For more information, please contact your Service Agent or the fund or consult the SAI.

Frequent trading of fund shares

Frequent purchases and redemptions of fund shares may interfere with the efficient management of the fund, increase fund transaction costs, and have a negative effect on the fund’s long-term shareholders. For example, in order to handle large flows of cash into and out of the fund, the portfolio managers may need to allocate more assets to cash or other short-term investments or sell securities, rather than maintaining full investment in securities selected to achieve the fund’s investment objective. Frequent trading may cause the fund to sell securities at less favorable prices. Transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions and market spreads, can detract from the fund’s performance. In addition, the return received by long-term shareholders may be reduced when trades by other shareholders are made in an effort to take advantage of certain pricing discrepancies, when, for example, it is believed that the fund’s share price, which is determined at the close of the NYSE on each trading day, does not accurately reflect the value of the fund’s investments. Funds investing in foreign securities have been particularly susceptible to this form of arbitrage, but other funds could also be affected.

Because of the potential harm to funds sold by the fund’s distributor and their long-term shareholders, the Board has approved policies and procedures that are intended to detect and discourage excessive trading and market timing abuses through the use of various surveillance techniques. Under these policies and procedures, the fund may limit additional exchanges or purchases of fund shares by shareholders who are believed by the manager to be engaged in these abusive trading activities in the fund or in other funds sold by the distributor. In the event that an exchange or purchase request is rejected, the shareholder may nonetheless redeem its shares. The intent of the policies and procedures is not to inhibit legitimate strategies, such as asset allocation, dollar cost averaging, or similar activities that may nonetheless result in frequent trading of fund shares.

Under the fund’s policies and procedures, the fund reserves the right to restrict or reject purchases of shares (including exchanges) without prior notice whenever a pattern of excessive trading by a shareholder is detected in funds sold by the distributor. A committee established by the manager administers the policy. The policy provides that the committee may take action, which may include using its best efforts to restrict a shareholder’s trading privileges in funds sold by the distributor, if that shareholder has engaged in one or more “Round Trips” across all funds sold by the distributor. However, the committee has the discretion to determine that action is not necessary if it is determined that the pattern of trading is not abusive or harmful. In making such a determination, the committee will consider, among other things, the nature of the shareholder’s account, the reason for the frequent trading, the amount of trading and the particular funds in which the trading has occurred. Additionally, the committee has the discretion to make inquiries or to take any action against a shareholder whose trading appears inconsistent with the frequent trading policy, regardless of the number of Round Trips. Examples of the types of actions the committee may take include heightened surveillance of a shareholder account, providing a written warning letter to an account holder, restricting the shareholder from purchasing additional shares in the fund altogether or imposing other restrictions (such as requiring purchase orders to be submitted by mail) that would deter the shareholder from trading frequently in the fund. The committee will generally follow a system of progressive deterrence, although it is not required to do so.

A “Round Trip” is defined as a purchase (including subscriptions and exchanges) into a fund sold by the distributor followed by a sale (including redemptions and exchanges) of the same or a similar number of shares out of that fund within 30 days of such purchase. Purchases and sales of the fund’s shares pursuant


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     31   

to an automatic investment plan or similar program for periodic transactions are not considered in determining Round Trips. These policies and procedures do not apply to money market funds sold by the distributor.

The policies apply to any account, whether a direct account or accounts with financial intermediaries such as investment advisers, broker/dealers or retirement plan administrators, commonly called omnibus accounts, where the intermediary holds fund shares for a number of its customers in one account. The fund’s ability to monitor trading in omnibus accounts may, however, be severely limited due to the lack of access to an individual investor’s trading activity when orders are placed through these types of accounts. There may also be operational and technological limitations on the ability of the fund’s service providers to identify or terminate frequent trading activity within the various types of omnibus accounts. The distributor has entered into agreements with intermediaries requiring the intermediaries to, among other things, help identify frequent trading activity and prohibit further purchases or exchanges by a shareholder identified as having engaged in frequent trading.

The fund has also adopted policies and procedures to prevent the selective release of information about the fund’s holdings, as such information may be used for market-timing and similar abusive practices.

The policies provide for ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of current policies and surveillance tools, and the Board reserves the right to modify these or adopt additional policies and restrictions in the future. Shareholders should be aware, however, that any surveillance techniques currently employed by the fund or other techniques that may be adopted in the future may not be effective, particularly where the trading takes place through certain types of omnibus accounts. Furthermore, the fund may not apply its policies consistently or uniformly, resulting in the risk that some shareholders may be able to engage in frequent trading while others will bear the costs and effects of that trading.

Although the fund will attempt to monitor shareholder transactions for certain patterns of frequent trading activity, there can be no assurance that all such trading activity can be identified, prevented or terminated. Monitoring of shareholder transactions may only occur for shareholder transactions that exceed a certain transaction amount threshold, which may change from time to time. The fund reserves the right to refuse any client or reject any purchase order for shares (including exchanges) for any reason.

Share certificates

The fund does not issue share certificates. If you currently hold share certificates of the fund, the certificates will continue to be honored. If you would like to return your share certificates to the fund and hold your shares in uncertificated form, please contact your Service Agent or the fund.

Record ownership

If you hold shares through a Service Agent, your Service Agent may establish and maintain your account and be the shareholder of record. In the event that the fund holds a shareholder meeting, your Service Agent, as record holder, will vote your shares in accordance with your instructions. If you do not give your Service Agent voting instructions, your Service Agent, under certain circumstances, may nonetheless be entitled to vote your shares.


 

32   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Dividends, distributions and taxes

 

Dividends and distributions

The fund generally pays dividends and makes capital gain distributions, if any, typically once or twice a year. The fund may pay additional distributions and dividends at other times if necessary for the fund to avoid a federal tax. The fund expects distributions to be primarily from capital gains. Unless otherwise directed, dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested in additional fund shares of the same class you hold. You do not pay a sales charge on reinvested distributions or dividends. Alternatively, you can instruct your Service Agent or the fund to have your distributions and/or dividends paid in cash. You can change your choice at any time to be effective as of the next distribution or dividend.

If you own Class A or Class C shares and hold your shares directly with the fund, you may instruct the fund to have your distributions and/or dividends invested in Class A or Class C shares, respectively, of another fund sold by the distributor, subject to the following conditions:

 

Ÿ  

You have a minimum account balance of $10,000

 

Ÿ  

The fund is available for sale in your state

To change your election to reinvest your dividends and distributions in shares of another fund, you must notify the fund at least three days before the next distribution is to be paid.

Please contact your Service Agent or the fund to discuss what options are available to you for receiving your dividends and distributions.

Taxes

The following discussion is very general and does not address investors subject to special rules, such as investors who hold shares in the fund through an IRA, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged account. Because each shareholder’s circumstances are different and special tax rules may apply, you should consult your tax adviser about your investment in the fund.

In general, unless your shares are held in a qualified retirement plan, IRA or other tax deferred arrangement, redeeming shares, exchanging shares and receiving dividends and distributions (whether in cash or additional shares) are all taxable events. An exchange between classes of shares of the same fund normally is not taxable for federal income tax purposes.

The following table summarizes the tax status to you of certain transactions related to the fund.

 

Transaction   Federal income tax status
Redemption or exchange of shares   Usually capital gain or loss; long-term only if shares owned more than one year
Long-term capital gain distributions   Long-term capital gain
Dividends   Ordinary income, potentially taxable for individuals at long-term capital gain rates

Distributions attributable to short-term capital gains are treated as dividends, taxable as ordinary income. Taxable dividends and long-term capital gain distributions are taxable whether received in cash or reinvested in fund shares. Although dividends (including dividends from short-term capital gains) are generally taxable as ordinary income, individual shareholders who satisfy certain holding period and other requirements are taxed on such dividends at long-term capital gain rates to the extent the dividends are attributable to “qualified dividend income” received by the fund if the fund satisfies the holding period and other requirements as well. “Qualified dividend income” generally consists of dividends received from U.S. corporations (other than certain dividends from real estate investment trusts) and certain foreign corporations. Long-term capital gain distributions are taxable to you as long-term capital gain regardless of how long you have owned your shares. You may want to avoid buying shares when the fund is about to declare a long-term capital gain distribution or a dividend because it will be taxable to you even though it may actually be a return of a portion of your investment.

A 3.8 percent Medicare contribution tax will be imposed on net investment income, including interest, dividends, and capital gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly), and of estates and trusts.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     33   

The Internal Revenue Code will impose a U.S. withholding tax of 30% on payments (including gross proceeds) that are attributable to certain U.S. investments and made to non-U.S. persons, including non-U.S. investment funds. The fund will withhold at this rate on certain of its distributions and redemptions unless non-U.S. shareholders, including non-U.S. financial institutions, comply with certain reporting requirements to the Internal Revenue Service in respect of direct and indirect U.S. owners effective beginning with payments made after December 31, 2012. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax advisers regarding the possible implications of these requirements on their investments in the fund.

A dividend declared by the fund in October, November or December and paid during January of the following year will, in certain circumstances, be treated as paid in December for tax purposes.

After the end of each year, your Service Agent or the fund will provide you with information about the distributions and dividends you received and any redemptions of shares during the previous year. If you do not provide the fund with your correct taxpayer identification number and any required certifications, you may be subject to back-up withholding on your distributions, dividends and redemption proceeds. Because each shareholder’s circumstances are different and special tax rules may apply, you should consult your tax adviser about your investment in the fund.

The above discussion is applicable to shareholders who are U.S. persons. If you are a non-U.S. person, please consult your own tax adviser with respect to the U.S. tax consequences to you of an investment in the fund.


 

34   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Share price

 

You may buy, exchange or redeem shares at their net asset value next determined after receipt of your request in good order, adjusted for any applicable sales charge. The fund’s net asset value per share is the value of its assets minus its liabilities divided by the number of shares outstanding. Net asset value is calculated separately for each class of shares.

The fund calculates its net asset value every day the NYSE is open. The fund generally values its securities and other assets and calculates its net asset value as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, normally at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time). If the NYSE closes at another time, the fund will calculate its net asset value as of the actual closing time. The NYSE is closed on certain holidays listed in the SAI.

In order to buy, redeem or exchange shares at a certain day’s price, you must place your order with your Service Agent or the transfer agent before the NYSE closes on that day. If the NYSE closes early on that day, you must place your order prior to the actual closing time. It is the responsibility of the Service Agent to transmit all orders to buy, exchange or redeem shares to the transfer agent on a timely basis.

Valuation of the fund’s securities and other assets is performed in accordance with procedures approved by the Board. These procedures delegate most valuation functions to LMPFA, which, in turn, uses independent third party pricing services approved by the fund’s Board. Under the procedures, assets are valued as follows:

 

Ÿ  

Equity securities and certain derivative instruments that are traded on an exchange are valued at the closing price or, if that price is unavailable or deemed by LMPFA not representative of market value, the last sale price. Where a security is traded on more than one exchange (as is often the case overseas), the security is generally valued at the price on the exchange considered by LMPFA to be the primary exchange. In the case of securities not traded on an exchange, or if exchange prices are not otherwise available, the prices are typically determined by independent third party pricing services that use a variety of techniques and methodologies.

 

Ÿ  

The valuations for fixed income securities and certain derivative instruments are typically the prices supplied by independent third party pricing services, which may use market prices or broker/dealer quotations or a variety of fair valuation techniques and methodologies. Short-term fixed income securities that will mature in 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, unless it is determined that using this method would not reflect an investment’s fair value.

 

Ÿ  

The valuations of securities traded on foreign markets and certain fixed income securities will generally be based on prices determined as of the earlier closing time of the markets on which they primarily trade, unless a significant event has occurred. When the fund holds securities or other assets that are denominated in a foreign currency, the fund will normally use the currency exchange rates as of 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time). The fund uses a fair value model developed by an independent third party pricing service to value foreign equity securities on days when a certain percentage change in the value of a domestic equity security index suggests that the closing prices on foreign exchanges may no longer represent the value of those securities at the time of closing of the NYSE. Foreign markets are open for trading on weekends and other days when the fund does not price its shares. Therefore, the value of the fund’s shares may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or redeem the fund’s shares.

 

Ÿ  

For investments in exchange-traded funds, the market price is usually the closing sale or official closing price on that exchange.

 

Ÿ  

If independent third party pricing services are unable to supply prices for a portfolio investment, or if the prices supplied are deemed by LMPFA to be unreliable, the market price may be determined by LMPFA using quotations from one or more broker/dealers. When such prices or quotations are not available, or when LMPFA believes that they are unreliable, LMPFA may price securities using fair value procedures approved by the Board. These procedures permit, among other things, the use of a matrix, formula or other method that takes into consideration market indices, yield curves and other specific adjustments to determine fair value. Fair value of a security is the amount, as determined by LMPFA in good faith, that the fund might reasonably expect to receive upon a current sale of the security. The fund may also use fair value procedures if LMPFA determines that a significant event has occurred between the time at which a market price is determined and the time at which the fund’s net asset value is calculated.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     35   

Many factors may influence the price at which the fund could sell any particular portfolio investment. The sales price may well differ — higher or lower — from the fund’s last valuation, and such differences could be significant, particularly for securities that trade in relatively thin markets and/or markets that experience extreme volatility. Moreover, valuing securities using fair value methodologies involves greater reliance on judgment than valuing securities based on market quotations. A fund that uses fair value methodologies may value those securities higher or lower than another fund using market quotations or its own fair value methodologies to price the same securities. There can be no assurance that the fund could obtain the value assigned to a security if it were to sell the security at approximately the time at which the fund determines its net asset value. Investors who purchase or redeem fund shares on days when the fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive a greater or lesser number of shares, or higher or lower redemption proceeds, than they would have received if the fund had not fair-valued the security or had used a different methodology.


 

36   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Financial highlights

 

The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the performance of each class for the past five years, unless otherwise noted. No financial highlights are presented for Class FI, Class R or Class R1 shares because no Class FI, Class R or Class R1 shares were outstanding for the periods shown. The returns for Class FI, Class R and Class R1 shares will differ from those of the other classes to the extent that their expenses differ. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share. Total return represents the rate that a shareholder would have earned (or lost) on a fund share assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The information in the following tables has been derived from the fund’s and the predecessor fund’s financial statements, which have been audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the fund’s financial statements, is included in the Annual Report (available upon request). The financial information shown below for periods prior to April 16, 2007 is that of the fund’s predecessor.

 

For a share of each class of beneficial interest outstanding throughout each year ended April 30:  
Class A Shares 1      2011        2010      2009        2008        2007  
Net asset value, beginning of year        $7.18           $4.65         $7.49           $10.36           $9.42   
Income (loss) from operations:                       

Net investment income (loss)

       (0.02)           (0.03)         0.01           (0.01)           0.01   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

       1.39           2.56         (2.85)           (2.86)           0.93   

Proceeds from settlement of a regulatory matter

       0.02                                         

Total income (loss) from operations

       1.39           2.53         (2.84)           (2.87)           0.94   
Less distributions from:                       

Net investment income

                 (0.00) 2                              

Total distributions

                 (0.00)                               
Net asset value, end of year        $8.57           $7.18         $4.65           $7.49           $10.36   

Total return 3

       19.36 % 4          54.42 % 5        (37.92)        (27.70)        9.98
Net assets, end of year (000s)        $221,353           $205,900         $144,443           $273,593           $443,226   
Ratios to average net assets:                       

Gross expenses

       1.43        1.47      1.54        1.26        1.20 % 6  

Net expenses

       1.43           1.37 7        1.28 7,8          1.15 7,8          1.18 6,7,8,9  

Net investment income (loss)

       (0.29)           (0.47)         0.18           (0.11)           0.14   
Portfolio turnover rate        23        22      59        25        81

 

1  

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

 

2  

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

3  

Performance figures, exclusive of sales charges, may reflect compensating balance arrangements, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. In the absence of compensating balance arrangements, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would have been lower. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

4  

The total return reflects a payment received due to the settlement of a regulatory matter. Absent this payment, the total return would have been 19.08%.

 

5  

The total return includes gains from settlement of security litigations. Without these gains, the total return would have been 53.56%.

 

6  

Included in the expense ratios are certain non-recurring restructuring (and reorganization, if applicable) fees that were incurred by the Fund during the period. Without these fees, the gross and net expense ratios would have been 1.18% and 1.16%, respectively.

 

7  

Reflects fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

 

8  

As a result of a contractual expense limitation agreement, effective February 5, 2007 until September 1, 2008, the ratio of expenses, other than brokerage, taxes and extraordinary expenses, to average net assets of Class A shares did not exceed 1.16%.

 

9  

As a result of a voluntary expense limitation, prior to February 5, 2007, the ratio of expenses, other than brokerage, interest, taxes, extraordinary expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses, to average net assets of Class A shares did not exceed 1.40%.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     37   
For a share of each class of beneficial interest outstanding throughout each year ended April 30:  
Class B Shares 1      2011      2010      2009        2008        2007  
Net asset value, beginning of year        $6.67         $4.36         $7.06           $9.84           $9.02   
Income (loss) from operations:                     

Net investment loss

       (0.07)         (0.07)         (0.03)           (0.08)           (0.05)   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

       1.30         2.38         (2.67)           (2.70)           0.87   

Proceeds from settlement of a regulatory matter

       0.08                                       

Total income (loss) from operations

       1.31         2.31         (2.70)           (2.78)           0.82   
Net asset value, end of year        $7.98         $6.67         $4.36           $7.06           $9.84   

Total return 2

       19.64 % 3        52.98 % 4        (38.24)        (28.25)        9.09
Net assets, end of year (000s)        $38,933         $43,905         $36,847           $89,574           $218,812   
Ratios to average net assets:                     

Gross expenses

       2.25      2.29      2.25        2.10        1.93 % 5  

Net expenses

       2.25         2.19 6        2.00 6,7          1.92 6,7          1.90 5,6,7,8  

Net investment loss

       (1.10)         (1.28)         (0.55)           (0.90)           (0.53)   
Portfolio turnover rate        23      22      59        25        81

 

1  

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

 

2  

Performance figures, exclusive of CDSC, may reflect compensating balance arrangements, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. In the absence of compensating balance arrangements, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would have been lower. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

3  

The total return reflects a payment received due to the settlement of a regulatory matter. Absent this payment, the total return would have been 18.44%.

 

4  

The total return includes gains from settlement of security litigations. Without these gains, the total return would have been 52.06%.

 

5  

Included in the expense ratios are certain non-recurring restructuring (and reorganization, if applicable) fees that were incurred by the Fund during the period. Without these fees, the gross and net expense ratios would have been 1.91% and 1.88%, respectively.

 

6  

Reflects fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

 

7  

As a result of a contractual expense limitation arrangement, effective February 5, 2007 until September 1, 2008, the ratio of expenses, other than brokerage, interest, taxes, extraordinary expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses, to average net assets of Class B shares did not exceed 1.93%.

 

8  

As a result of a voluntary expense limitation, prior to February 5, 2007, the ratio of expenses, other than brokerage, interest, taxes, extraordinary expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses, to average net assets of Class B shares did not exceed 2.15%.


 

38   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Financial highlights cont’d

 

For a share of each class of beneficial interest outstanding throughout each year ended April 30:  
Class C Shares 1      2011      2010      2009        2008        2007  
Net asset value, beginning of year        $6.74         $4.38         $7.09           $9.86           $9.03   
Income (loss) from operations:                     

Net investment loss

       (0.05)         (0.05)         (0.01)           (0.07)           (0.04)   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

       1.31         2.41         (2.70)           (2.70)           0.87   

Proceeds from settlement of a regulatory matter

       0.08                                       

Total income (loss) from operations

       1.34         2.36         (2.71)           (2.77)           0.83   
Net asset value, end of year        $8.08         $6.74         $4.38           $7.09           $9.86   

Total return 2

       19.88 % 3        53.88 % 4        (38.22)        (28.09)        9.19
Net assets, end of year (000s)        $69,656         $70,336         $55,813           $125,841           $266,870   
Ratios to average net assets:                     

Gross expenses

       1.93      1.90      1.86        1.79        1.85 % 5  

Net expenses

       1.93         1.80 6        1.71 6          1.79           1.85 5,6,7  

Net investment loss

       (0.79)         (0.89)         (0.26)           (0.77)           (0.40)   
Portfolio turnover rate        23      22      59        25        81

 

1  

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

 

2  

Performance figures, exclusive of CDSC, may reflect compensating balance arrangements, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. In the absence of compensating balance arrangements, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would have been lower. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

3  

The total return reflects a payment received due to the settlement of a regulatory matter. Absent this payment, the total return would have been 18.69%.

 

4  

The total return includes gains from settlement of security litigations. Without these gains, the total return would have been 52.97%.

 

5  

Included in the expense ratios are certain non-recurring restructuring (and reorganization, if applicable) fees that were incurred by the Fund during the period. Without these fees, the gross and net expense ratios would have both been 1.83%.

 

6  

Reflects fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

 

7  

As a result of a voluntary expense limitation, prior to February 5, 2007, the ratio of expenses, other than brokerage, interest, taxes, extraordinary expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses, to average net assets of Class C shares did not exceed 2.15%.


 

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund     39   
For a share of each class of beneficial interest outstanding throughout each year ended April 30, unless otherwise noted:  
Class I Shares 1      2011        2010      2009        2008 2  
Net asset value, beginning of year        $7.23           $4.69         $7.51           $10.26   
Income (loss) from operations:                  

Net investment income (loss)

       0.01           (0.01)         0.04           0.02   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

       1.41           2.58         (2.86)           (2.77)   

Total income (loss) from operations

       1.42           2.57         (2.82)           (2.75)   
Less distributions from:                  

Net investment income

                 (0.03)                     

Total distributions

                 (0.03)                     
Net asset value, end of year        $8.65           $7.23         $4.69           $7.51   

Total return 3

       19.64        54.76 % 4        (37.55)        (26.80)
Net assets, end of year (000s)        $876           $589         $210           $99   
Ratios to average net assets:                  

Gross expenses

       1.12        1.17      0.99        0.90 % 5  

Net expenses

       0.99 6,7          1.01 6,7        0.61 6          0.90 5  

Net investment income (loss)

       0.15           (0.14)         0.79           0.49 5  
Portfolio turnover rate        23        22      59        25

 

1  

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

 

2  

For the period October 2, 2007 (inception date) to April 30, 2008.

 

3  

Performance figures may reflect compensating balance arrangements, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. In the absence of compensating balance arrangements, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would have been lower. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

4  

The total return includes gains from settlement of security litigations. Without these gains, the total return would have been 54.33%.

 

5  

Annualized.

 

6  

Reflects fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

 

7  

As a result of an expense limitation arrangement, effective September 18, 2009, the ratio of expenses, other than brokerage, interest, taxes, extraordinary expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses, to average net assets of Class I shares did not exceed 1.00%. This expense limitation arrangement cannot be terminated prior to December 31, 2012 without the Board of Trustees’ consent.


 

40   Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Financial highlights cont’d

 

For a share of each class of beneficial interest outstanding throughout each year ended April 30, unless otherwise noted:  
Class 1 Shares 1      2011        2010      2009        2008        2007 2  
Net asset value, beginning of year        $7.22           $4.68         $7.51           $10.36           $10.41   
Income (loss) from operations:                       

Net investment income (loss)

       0.00 3          (0.01)         0.02           0.01           0.00 3  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

       1.41           2.57         (2.85)           (2.86)           (0.05)   

Total income (loss) from operations

       1.41           2.56         (2.83)           (2.85)           (0.05)   
Less distributions from:                       

Net investment income

                 (0.02)                               

Total distributions

                 (0.02)                               
Net asset value, end of year        $8.63           $7.22         $4.68           $7.51           $10.36   

Total return 4

       19.53        54.78 % 5        (37.68)        (27.51)        (0.48)
Net assets, end of year (000s)        $201,704           $189,945         $138,231           $267,372           $450,886   
Ratios to average net assets:                       

Gross expenses

       1.11        1.16      1.16        0.93        1.06 % 6,7  

Net expenses

       1.11 8,9          1.06 8,9        1.00 8,9          0.90 8,9          1.06 6,7  

Net investment income (loss)

       0.04           (0.16)         0.45           0.14           0.08 6  
Portfolio turnover rate        23        22      59        25        81

 

1  

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

 

2  

For the period February 2, 2007 (inception date) to April 30, 2007.

 

3  

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

4  

Performance figures may reflect compensating balance arrangements, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. In the absence of compensating balance arrangements, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would have been lower. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

5  

The total return includes gains from settlement of security litigations. Without these gains, the total return would have been 53.92%.

 

6  

Annualized.

 

7  

Included in the expense ratios are certain non-recurring restructuring (and reorganization, if applicable) fees that were incurred by the Fund during the period. Without these fees, the gross and net expense ratios would both have been 1.06%.

 

8  

Reflects fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

 

9  

As a result of an expense limitation arrangement, effective July 30, 2007, the ratio of expenses, other than brokerage, interest, taxes, extraordinary expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses, to average net assets of Class 1 shares did not exceed Class A shares’ total net annual operating expenses less the 12b-1 fee differential of 0.25%. This expense limitation arrangement cannot be terminated prior to December 31, 2012 without the Board of Trustees’ consent.


Legg Mason Funds Privacy and Security Notice

 

Your Privacy and the Security of Your Personal Information is Very Important to the Legg Mason Funds

This Privacy and Security Notice (the “Privacy Notice”) addresses the Legg Mason Funds’ privacy and data protection practices with respect to nonpublic personal information the Funds receive. The Legg Mason Funds include any funds sold by the Funds’ distributor, Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC, as well as Legg Mason-sponsored closed-end funds. The provisions of this Privacy Notice apply to your information both while you are a shareholder and after you are no longer invested with the Funds.

The Type of Nonpublic Personal Information the Funds Collect About You

The Funds collect and maintain nonpublic personal information about you in connection with your shareholder account. Such information may include, but is not limited to:

 

Ÿ  

Personal information included on applications or other forms;

 

Ÿ  

Account balances, transactions, and mutual fund holdings and positions;

 

Ÿ  

Online account access user IDs, passwords, security challenge question responses; and

 

Ÿ  

Information received from consumer reporting agencies regarding credit history and creditworthiness (such as the amount of an individual’s total debt, payment history, etc.).

How the Funds Use Nonpublic Personal Information About You

The Funds do not sell or share your nonpublic personal information with third parties or with affiliates for their marketing purposes, or with other financial institutions or affiliates for joint marketing purposes, unless you have authorized the Funds to do so. The Funds do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about you except as may be required to perform transactions or services you have authorized or as permitted or required by law. The Funds may disclose information about you to:

 

Ÿ  

Employees, agents, and affiliates on a “need to know” basis to enable the Funds to conduct ordinary business or comply with obligations to government regulators;

 

Ÿ  

Service providers, including the Funds’ affiliates, who assist the Funds as part of the ordinary course of business (such as printing, mailing services, or processing or servicing your account with us) or otherwise perform services on the Funds’ behalf, including companies that may perform marketing services solely for the Funds;

 

Ÿ  

The Funds’ representatives such as legal counsel, accountants and auditors; and

 

Ÿ  

Fiduciaries or representatives acting on your behalf, such as an IRA custodian or trustee of a grantor trust.

Except as otherwise permitted by applicable law, companies acting on the Funds’ behalf are contractually obligated to keep nonpublic personal information the Funds provide to them confidential and to use the information the Funds share only to provide the services the Funds ask them to perform.

The Funds may disclose nonpublic personal information about you when necessary to enforce their rights or protect against fraud, or as permitted or required by applicable law, such as in connection with a law enforcement or regulatory request, subpoena, or similar legal process. In the event of a corporate action or in the event a Fund service provider changes, the Funds may be required to disclose your nonpublic personal information to third parties. While it is the Funds’ practice to obtain protections for disclosed information in these types of transactions, the Funds cannot guarantee their privacy policy will remain unchanged.

Keeping you Informed of the Funds’ Privacy and Security Practices

The Funds will notify you annually of their privacy policy as required by federal law. While the Funds reserve the right to modify this policy at any time they will notify you promptly if this privacy policy changes.


Legg Mason Funds Privacy and Security Notice cont’d

 

The Funds’ Security Practices

The Funds maintain appropriate physical, electronic and procedural safeguards designed to guard your nonpublic personal information. The Funds’ internal data security policies restrict access to your nonpublic personal information to authorized employees, who may use your nonpublic personal information for Fund business purposes only.

Although the Funds strive to protect your nonpublic personal information, they cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you provide or transmit to them, and you do so at your own risk. In the event of a breach of the confidentiality or security of your nonpublic personal information, the Funds will attempt to notify you as necessary so you can take appropriate protective steps. If you have consented to the Funds using electronic communications or electronic delivery of statements, they may notify you under such circumstances using the most current email address you have on record with them.

In order for the Funds to provide effective service to you, keeping your account information accurate is very important. If you believe that your account information is incomplete, not accurate or not current, or if you have questions about the Funds’ privacy practices, write the Funds using the contact information on your account statements, email the Funds by clicking on the Contact Us section of the Funds’ website at www.leggmason.com, or contact the Funds at 1-877-721-1926.

[These pages are not part of the Prospectus.]


Legg Mason Capital Management

All Cap Fund

 

You may visit the fund’s website, http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors/prospectuses, for a free copy of a Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) or an Annual or Semi-Annual Report.

Shareholder reports Additional information about the fund’s investments is available in the fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. In the fund’s Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.

The fund sends only one report to a household if more than one account has the same last name and same address. Contact your Service Agent or the fund if you do not want this policy to apply to you.

Statement of additional information The SAI provides more detailed information about the fund and is incorporated by reference into (is legally a part of) this Prospectus.

You can make inquiries about the fund or obtain shareholder reports or the SAI (without charge) by contacting your Service Agent, by calling the fund at 1-877-721-1926, or by writing to the fund at 55 Water Street, New York, New York 10041.

Information about the fund (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained for a duplicating fee by electronic request at the following E-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549.

If someone makes a statement about the fund that is not in this Prospectus, you should not rely upon that information. Neither the fund nor the distributor is offering to sell shares of the fund to any person to whom the fund may not lawfully sell its shares.

 

 

(Investment Company Act

file no. 811-06444)

FD01889ST 08/11


August 31, 2011

Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust

Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

Class A (SPAAX), Class B (SPBBX), Class C (SPBLX),

Class FI, Class R, Class R1, Class I (LACIX) and Class 1 (LMGOX)

55 Water Street

New York, New York 10041

1-877-721-1926

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) is not a prospectus and is meant to be read in conjunction with the current Prospectus of Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund (the “fund”), dated August 31, 2011, as amended or supplemented from time to time, and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into the Prospectus.

The fund is a series of Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust (the “Trust”), a Maryland statutory trust. Effective April 16, 2007, the fund assumed the assets and liabilities of a predecessor fund. Certain historical information for periods prior to April 16, 2007 is that of the fund’s predecessor. Prior to October 5, 2009, the fund was named “Legg Mason Partners All Cap Fund.”

Additional information about the fund’s investments is available in the fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. The annual report contains financial statements that are incorporated herein by reference. The fund’s Prospectus and copies of the annual and semi-annual reports may be obtained free of charge by contacting banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies, investment advisers, financial consultants or advisers, mutual fund supermarkets and other financial intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the fund’s distributor to sell shares of the fund (each called a “Service Agent”), by writing or calling the Trust at the address or telephone number set forth above, by sending an e-mail request to prospectus@leggmason.com, or by visiting the fund’s website at http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors. Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC (“LMIS” or the “distributor”), a wholly-owned broker/dealer subsidiary of Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”), serves as the fund’s sole and exclusive distributor.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Investment Objective and Management Policies

     3   

Investment Practices and Risk Factors

     3   

Investment Policies

     24   

Management

     28   

Investment Management and Other Services

     37   

Purchase of Shares

     47   

Redemption of Shares

     53   

Exchange Privilege

     55   

Valuation of Shares

     56   

Portfolio Transactions

     56   

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

     58   

The Trust

     60   

Taxes

     63   

Legal Matters

     72   

Financial Statements

     73   

Appendix A—Proxy Voting Policies and Procedure

     A-1   

THIS SAI IS NOT A PROSPECTUS AND IS AUTHORIZED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS ONLY IF PRECEDED OR ACCOMPANIED BY AN EFFECTIVE PROSPECTUS.

No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations not contained in the Prospectus or this SAI in connection with the offerings made by the Prospectus and, if given or made, such information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the fund or its distributor. The Prospectus and this SAI do not constitute offerings by the fund or by the distributor in any jurisdiction in which such offerings may not lawfully be made.


INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND MANAGEMENT POLICIES

The fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) as an open-end, non-diversified management investment company.

The fund’s Prospectus discusses the fund’s investment objective and policies. The following discussion supplements the description of the fund’s investment policies in its Prospectus.

Investment Objective and Principal Investment Strategies

The fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term capital growth.

The fund invests primarily in equity securities that, in the portfolio managers’ opinion, offer the potential for capital growth. The fund may invest in issuers of any size, allowing the portfolio managers flexibility to identify investment opportunities that are expected to help the fund achieve its investment objective.

The portfolio managers follow an intrinsic value discipline in selecting securities, which means that the portfolio managers seek to purchase securities trading at large discounts to their assessment of the companies’ estimated value. The portfolio managers determine intrinsic value by measuring the company’s value on such factors as the discounted value of its projected future free cash flows, the capability to earn returns on capital in excess of its cost of capital, private market values of similar companies and the costs to replicate the business. These and other factors may be more or less significant depending on the type of company. The portfolio managers may also consider qualitative factors in selecting stocks, including an assessment of the company’s products, competitive positioning, strategy, industry economics and dynamics, and regulatory frameworks, among others. Securities may be undervalued due to, among other things, uncertainty arising from the limited availability of accurate information, economic growth and changes, changes in competitive conditions, technological change, investor overreaction to negative news or events, and changes in governmental policy or geopolitical dynamics.

The fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in foreign securities.

The fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a small number of issuers than a diversified fund.

There is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its investment objective.

INVESTMENT PRACTICES AND RISK FACTORS

The fund’s principal investment strategies are described above. The following provides additional information about these principal strategies and describes other investment strategies and practices that may be used by the fund, which all involve risks of varying degrees.

Non-diversification.

The fund is non-diversified, which means that the fund may invest a greater proportion of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers. To the extent the fund concentrates its assets in fewer issuers, the fund will be more susceptible to negative events affecting those issuers than a diversified fund.

Equity Securities.

General . Investors should realize that risk of loss is inherent in the ownership of any securities and that the net asset value (“NAV”) of the fund will fluctuate, reflecting fluctuations in the market value of its portfolio positions.

 

3


Common Stocks. The fund may purchase common stocks. Common stocks are shares of a corporation or other entity that entitle the holder to a pro rata share of the profits of the corporation, if any, without preference over any other shareholder or class of shareholders, including holders of the entity’s preferred stock and other senior equity. Common stock usually carries with it the right to vote and frequently an exclusive right to do so.

Convertible Securities. The fund may invest in convertible securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion or exchange, convertible securities ordinarily provide a stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower than the yield of nonconvertible debt. Convertible securities are usually subordinated to comparable-tier nonconvertible securities but rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure.

The value of a convertible security is a function of (1) its yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege and (2) its worth, at market value, if converted or exchanged into the underlying common stock. A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument, which may be less than the ultimate conversion or exchange value.

Convertible securities are subject both to the stock market risk associated with equity securities and to the credit and interest rate risks associated with fixed income securities. As the market price of the equity security underlying a convertible security falls, the convertible security tends to trade on the basis of its yield and other fixed income characteristics. As the market price of such equity security rises, the convertible security tends to trade on the basis of its equity conversion features.

Warrants. The fund may invest in warrants. The fund’s investment in warrants will not entitle it to receive dividends or exercise voting rights and will become worthless if the warrants cannot be profitably exercised before the expiration dates.

Preferred Stock. The fund may purchase preferred stock. Preferred stock pays dividends at a specified rate and generally has preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of the issuer’s assets, but is junior to the debt securities of the issuer in those same respects. Unlike interest payments on debt securities, dividends on preferred stock are generally payable at the discretion of the issuer’s board of directors. Holders of preferred stock may suffer a loss of value if dividends are not paid. The market prices of preferred stocks are subject to changes in interest rates and are more sensitive to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness than are the prices of debt securities. Generally, under normal circumstances, preferred stock does not carry voting rights.

Real Estate Investment Trusts. The fund may invest in shares of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), which are pooled investment vehicles that invest in real estate or real estate loans or interests. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or a combination of equity and mortgage (hybrid) REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. A mortgage REIT can make construction, development or long-term mortgage loans, which are sensitive to the credit quality of the borrower. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both equity and mortgage trusts, generally by holding both ownership interests and mortgage interests in real estate. REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with the applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Debt securities issued by REITs, for the most part, are general and unsecured obligations and are subject to risks associated with REITs. Like

 

4


mutual funds, REITs have expenses, including advisory and administration fees paid by REIT shareholders, and, as a result, an investor is subject to a duplicate level of fees if the fund invests in REITs.

Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. An equity REIT may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT. A mortgage REIT may be affected by changes in interest rates and the ability of the issuers of its portfolio mortgages to repay their obligations. REITs are dependent upon the skills of their managers and are not diversified. REITs are generally dependent upon maintaining cash flows to repay borrowings and to make distributions to shareholders and are subject to the risk of default by lessees and borrowers. REITs whose underlying assets are concentrated in properties used by a particular industry, such as health care, are also subject to industry related risks.

REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks. When interest rates decline, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed income obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. If the REIT invests in adjustable rate mortgage loans (the interest rates on which are reset periodically), yields on a REIT’s investments in such loans will gradually align themselves to reflect changes in market interest rates. This causes the value of such investments to fluctuate less dramatically in response to interest rate fluctuations than would investments in fixed rate obligations. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in a limited volume and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than larger company securities. Historically, REITs have been more volatile in price than the larger capitalization stocks included in the S&P 500 Index.

Foreign Securities . The fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets (at the time of investment) in foreign securities. The fund may invest directly in foreign issuers or invest in depositary receipts. The returns of the fund may be adversely affected by fluctuations in value of one or more currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. Investing in the securities of foreign companies involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. These include risks resulting from revaluation of currencies; future adverse political and economic developments; possible imposition of currency exchange blockages or other foreign governmental laws or restrictions; reduced availability of public information concerning issuers; differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; possible expropriation, nationalization or confiscatory taxation; possible withholding taxes and limitations on the use or removal of funds or other assets, including the withholding of dividends; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; political instability, which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries; and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. Additionally, foreign securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and, therefore, may exhibit greater price volatility and be less liquid. Foreign securities may not be registered with, nor the issuers thereof be subject to the reporting requirements of, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Accordingly, there may be less publicly available information about the securities and about the foreign company issuing them than is available about a U.S. company and its securities. Moreover, individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. The fund may invest in securities of foreign governments (or agencies or subdivisions thereof) and many, if not all, of the foregoing considerations apply to such investments as well.

The costs associated with investment in the securities of foreign issuers, including withholding taxes, brokerage commissions and custodial fees, may be higher than those associated with investment in domestic issuers. In addition, foreign investment transactions may be subject to difficulties associated with the settlement of such transactions. Transactions in securities of foreign issuers may be subject to less efficient settlement practices, including extended clearance and settlement periods. Delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when assets of the fund are uninvested and no return can be earned on them. The inability of the fund to make intended investments due to settlement problems could cause the fund to miss attractive investment

 

5


opportunities. The inability to dispose of a portfolio security due to settlement problems could result in losses to the fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio security or, if the fund has entered into a contract to sell the security, could result in liability to the purchaser.

Since the fund may invest in securities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, it may be affected favorably or unfavorably by exchange control regulations or changes in the exchange rates between such currencies and the U.S. dollar. Changes in currency exchange rates may influence the value of the fund’s shares and may also affect the value of dividends and interest earned by the fund and gains and losses realized by the fund. Exchange rates are determined by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets. These forces are affected by the international balance of payments, other economic and financial conditions, government intervention, speculation and other factors.

Generally, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), in registered form, are denominated in U.S. dollars and are designed for use in the domestic market. Usually issued by a U.S. bank or trust company, ADRs are receipts that demonstrate ownership of underlying foreign securities. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies and limitations, ADRs are considered to have the same characteristics as the securities underlying them. ADRs may be sponsored or unsponsored; issuers of securities underlying unsponsored ADRs are not contractually obligated to disclose material information in the United States. Accordingly, there may be less information available about such issuers than there is with respect to domestic companies and issuers of securities underlying sponsored ADRs. The fund may also invest in Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and other similar instruments, which are receipts that are often denominated in U.S. dollars and are issued by either a U.S. or non-U.S. bank evidencing ownership of underlying foreign securities. Even where they are denominated in U.S. dollars, depositary receipts are subject to currency risk if the underlying security is denominated in a foreign currency. EDRs are issued in bearer form and are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and Europe and are designed for use throughout the world.

Investment in Other Investment Companies. The fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, which can include open-end funds, closed-end funds and unregistered investment companies, subject to the limits set forth in the 1940 Act that apply to these types of investments. Investments in other investment companies are subject to the risks of the securities in which those investment companies invest. In addition, to the extent the fund invests in securities of other investment companies, fund shareholders would indirectly pay a portion of the operating costs of such companies in addition to the expenses of the fund’s own operation. These costs include management, brokerage, shareholder servicing and other operational expenses.

The fund may invest in shares of mutual funds or unit investment trusts that are traded on a stock exchange, called exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). Typically an ETF seeks to track the performance of an index, such as the S&P 500 Index, the NASDAQ-100 Index, the Barclays Capital Treasury Bond Index or more narrow sector or foreign indexes, by holding in its portfolio either the same securities that comprise the index or a representative sample of the index. Investing in an ETF will give the fund exposure to the securities comprising the index on which the ETF is based.

Unlike shares of typical mutual funds or unit investment trusts, shares of ETFs are designed to be traded throughout the trading day, bought and sold based on market prices rather than NAV. Shares can trade at either a premium or discount to NAV. However, the portfolios held by index-based ETFs are publicly disclosed on each trading day and an approximation of actual NAV is disseminated throughout the trading day. Because of this transparency, the trading prices of index-based ETFs tend to closely track the actual NAV of the underlying portfolios and the fund will generally gain or lose value depending on the performance of the index. However, gains or losses on the fund’s investment in ETFs will ultimately depend on the purchase and sale price of the ETF. In the future, as new products become available, the fund may invest in ETFs that are actively managed. Actively managed ETFs will likely not have the transparency of index-based ETFs and, therefore, may be more likely to trade at a larger discount or premium to actual NAVs.

 

6


The fund may invest in closed-end funds, which hold securities of U.S. and/or non-U.S. issuers. Because shares of closed-end funds trade on an exchange, investments in closed-end funds may entail the additional risk that the discount from NAV could increase while the fund holds the shares.

Investments by Funds of Funds. Certain investment companies, including those that are affiliated with the fund because they are managed by an affiliate of the manager, may invest in the fund as part of an asset allocation strategy. These investment companies are referred to as “funds of funds” because they invest primarily in other investment companies.

From time to time, the fund may experience relatively large redemptions or investments due to rebalancings of the assets of a fund of funds invested in the fund. In the event of such redemptions or investments, the fund could be required to sell securities or to invest cash at a time when it is not advantageous to do so. If this were to occur, the effects of the rebalancing trades could adversely affect the fund’s performance. Redemptions of fund shares due to rebalancings could also accelerate the realization of taxable capital gains in the fund and might increase brokerage and/or other transaction costs.

The fund’s manager may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in connection with investments by affiliated funds of funds. For example, the manager may have an incentive to permit an affiliated fund of funds to become a more significant shareholder (with the potential to cause greater disruption to the funds) than would be permitted for an unaffiliated investor. The manager has committed to the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) that it will resolve any potential conflict in the best interests of the shareholders of the fund in accordance with its fiduciary duty to the fund. As necessary, the manager will take such actions as it deems appropriate to minimize potential adverse impacts, including redemption of shares in-kind, rather than in cash. Similar issues may result from investment in the fund by Section 529 plans.

Short Sales. The fund may sell securities short “against the box.” While a short sale is the sale of a security the fund does not own, it is “against the box” if at all times when the short position is open, the fund owns an equal amount of the securities or securities convertible into, or exchangeable without further consideration for, securities of the same issue as the securities sold short.

Securities Lending . Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements, the fund may lend portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial organizations meeting capital and other credit requirements or other criteria established by the Board. The fund will not lend portfolio securities to affiliates of Legg Mason unless it has applied for and received specific authority to do so from the SEC. From time to time, the fund may pay to the borrower and/or a third party which is unaffiliated with the fund or Legg Mason and is acting as a “finder” a part of the interest earned from the investment of collateral received for securities loaned. Although the borrower will generally be required to make payments to the fund in lieu of any dividends the fund would have otherwise received had it not loaned the shares to the borrower, such payments will not be treated as “qualified dividend income” for purposes of determining what portion of the fund’s regular dividends (as defined below) received by individuals may be taxed at the rates generally applicable to long-term capital gains (see “Taxes” below).

Requirements of the SEC, which may be subject to future modification, currently provide that the following conditions must be met whenever the fund lends its portfolio securities: (a) the fund must receive at least 100% cash collateral or equivalent securities from the borrower; (b) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (c) the fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (d) the fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions on the loaned securities, and any increase in market value; (e) the fund may pay only reasonable custodian fees in connection with the loan; and (f) voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower. However, if a material event adversely affecting the investment in the loaned securities occurs, the fund must terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities.

 

7


The risks in lending portfolio securities, as with other extensions of secured credit, consist of possible delay in receiving additional collateral or in the recovery of the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. The fund could also lose money if its short-term investment of the cash collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Loans will be made to firms deemed by the manager to be of good standing and will not be made unless, in the judgment of the manager, the consideration to be earned from such loans would justify the risk.

Repurchase Agreements. The fund may agree to purchase securities from a bank or recognized securities dealer and simultaneously commit to resell the securities to the bank or dealer at an agreed-upon date and price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased securities (“repurchase agreements”). Under the terms of a typical repurchase agreement, the fund would acquire an underlying debt obligation for a relatively short period (usually not more than one week) subject to an obligation of the seller to repurchase, and the fund to resell, the obligation at an agreed-upon price and time, thereby determining the yield during the fund’s holding period. If the value of such securities were less than the repurchase price, plus interest, the other party to the agreement would be required to provide additional collateral so that at all times the collateral is at least 102% of the repurchase price plus accrued interest. The financial institutions with which the fund may enter into repurchase agreements will be banks and non-bank dealers of U.S. government securities that are on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s list of reporting dealers, if such banks and non-bank dealers are deemed creditworthy by the fund’s manager. Repurchase agreements could involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the other party, including possible delays or restrictions upon the fund’s ability to dispose of the underlying securities, the risk of a possible decline in the value of the underlying securities during the period in which the fund seeks to assert its right to them, the risk of incurring expenses associated with asserting those rights and the risk of losing all or part of the income from the agreement. The manager, acting under the supervision of the Board, reviews on an ongoing basis the value of the collateral and creditworthiness of those banks and dealers with which the fund enters into repurchase agreements to evaluate potential risks.

Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, the fund, along with other affiliated entities managed by the manager or its affiliates, may transfer uninvested cash balances into one or more joint repurchase accounts. These balances are invested in one or more repurchase agreements, secured by U.S. government securities. Each joint repurchase arrangement requires that the market value of the collateral be sufficient to cover payments of interest and principal; however, in the event of default by the other party to the agreement, retention or sale of the collateral may be subject to legal proceedings.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of fund securities with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and have the characteristics of borrowings. Since the proceeds of borrowings under reverse repurchase agreements are invested, this would introduce the speculative factor known as “leverage.” The securities purchased with the funds obtained from the agreement and securities collateralizing the agreement will have maturity dates no later than the repayment date. Generally the effect of such a transaction is that the fund can recover all or most of the cash invested in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase agreement, while in many cases it will be able to keep some of the interest income associated with those securities. Such transactions are advantageous only if the fund has an opportunity to earn a greater rate of interest on the cash derived from the transaction than the interest cost of obtaining that cash. Opportunities to realize earnings from the use of the proceeds equal to or greater than the interest required to be paid may not always be available, and the fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when the manager believes it will be advantageous to the fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any interim increase or decrease in the value of the fund’s assets. The fund’s custodian bank will maintain a separate account for the fund with securities having a value equal to or greater than such commitment of the fund.

When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions. The fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis. Delivery of the securities in such cases occurs beyond the normal settlement periods

 

8


but no payment or delivery is made by the fund prior to the reciprocal delivery or payment by the other party to the transaction. In entering into a when-issued or delayed delivery transaction, the fund relies on the other party to consummate the transaction and may be disadvantaged if the other party fails to do so.

The fund will maintain in a segregated account cash or liquid securities equal to the amount of the fund’s when-issued or delayed delivery commitments. For the purpose of determining the adequacy of the securities in the account, the deposited securities will be valued at market or fair value. If the market or fair value of such securities declines, additional cash or securities will be placed in the account on a daily basis so the value of the account will equal the amount of such commitments by the fund. Placing securities rather than cash in the account may have a leveraging effect on the fund’s assets. That is, to the extent the fund remains substantially fully invested in securities at the time that it has committed to purchase securities on a when-issued basis, there will be greater fluctuation in its NAV than if it had set aside cash to satisfy its purchase commitments. On the settlement date, the fund will meet its obligations from then-available cash flow, the sale of securities held in the separate account, the sale of other securities or, although it normally would not expect to do so, from the sale of the when-issued or delayed delivery securities themselves (which may have a greater or lesser value than the fund’s payment obligations).

Money Market Instruments. The fund may invest in any type of money market instruments, short-term debt securities or cash for temporary defensive purposes, to pay expenses and/or meet redemption requests. Money market instruments in which the fund may invest include: U.S. government securities; certificates of deposit (“CDs”), time deposits (“TDs”) and bankers’ acceptances issued by domestic banks (including their branches located outside the United States and subsidiaries located in Canada), domestic branches of foreign banks, savings and loan associations and similar institutions; high grade commercial paper; and repurchase agreements with respect to the foregoing types of instruments. The following is a more detailed description of such money market instruments.

CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. TDs are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers usually in connection with international transactions.

Commercial paper consists of short-term (usually from 1 to 270 days) unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations in order to finance their current operations. A variable amount master demand note (which is a type of commercial paper) represents a direct borrowing arrangement involving periodically fluctuating rates of interest under a letter agreement between a commercial paper issuer and an institutional lender, such as the fund, pursuant to which the lender may determine to invest varying amounts. Transfer of such notes is usually restricted by the issuer, and there is no secondary trading market for such notes.

Recently enacted legislation will affect virtually every area of banking and financial regulation. The impact of the regulation is not yet known and may not be known for some time. In addition, new regulations to be promulgated pursuant to the legislation could adversely affect the fund’s investments in money market instruments.

Domestic commercial banks organized under federal law are supervised and examined by the Comptroller of the Currency (the “COTC”) and are required to be members of the Federal Reserve System and to be insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”). Domestic banks organized under state law are supervised and examined by state banking authorities but are members of the Federal Reserve System only if they elect to join. Most state banks are insured by the FDIC (although such insurance may not be of material benefit to the fund, depending upon the principal amount of CDs of each bank held by the fund) and are subject to federal examination and to a substantial body of federal law and regulation. As a result of governmental regulations, domestic branches of domestic banks are, among other things, generally required to maintain specified levels of reserves, and are subject to other supervision and regulation.

 

9


Obligations of foreign branches of domestic banks, such as CDs and TDs, may be general obligations of the parent bank in addition to the issuing branch or may be limited by the terms of a specific obligation and government regulation. Such obligations are subject to different risks than are those of domestic banks or domestic branches of foreign banks. These risks include foreign economic and political developments, foreign governmental restrictions that may adversely affect payment of principal and interest on the obligations, foreign exchange controls and foreign withholding and other taxes on interest income. Foreign branches of domestic banks are not necessarily subject to the same or similar regulatory requirements that apply to domestic banks, such as mandatory reserve requirements, loan limitations, and accounting, auditing and financial recordkeeping requirements. In addition, less information may be publicly available about a foreign branch of a domestic bank than about a domestic bank.

Obligations of domestic branches of foreign banks may be general obligations of the parent bank in addition to the issuing branch or may be limited by the terms of a specific obligation and by governmental regulation as well as governmental action in the country in which the foreign bank has its head office. A domestic branch of a foreign bank with assets in excess of $1 billion may or may not be subject to reserve requirements imposed by the Federal Reserve System or by the state in which the branch is located if the branch is licensed in that state. In addition, branches licensed by the COTC and branches licensed by certain states (“State Branches”) may or may not be required to: (a) pledge to the regulator by depositing assets with a designated bank within the state, an amount of its assets equal to 5% of its total liabilities; and (b) maintain assets within the state in an amount equal to a specified percentage of the aggregate amount of liabilities of the foreign bank payable at or through all of its agencies or branches within the state. The deposits of State Branches may not necessarily be insured by the FDIC. In addition, there may be less publicly available information about a domestic branch of a foreign bank than about a domestic bank.

In view of the foregoing factors associated with the purchase of CDs and TDs issued by foreign branches of domestic banks or by domestic branches of foreign banks, the manager will carefully evaluate such investments on a case-by-case basis.

Fixed Income Securities. The prices of debt securities fluctuate in response to perceptions of the issuer’s creditworthiness and also tend to vary inversely with market interest rates. The value of such securities is likely to decline in times of rising interest rates. Conversely, when rates fall, the value of these investments is likely to rise. The longer the time to maturity the greater are variations in value.

U.S. Government Securities. U.S. government securities include debt obligations of varying maturities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. government securities include not only direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury, but also securities issued or guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration, Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Small Business Administration, Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), General Services Administration, Central Bank for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Federal Land Banks, Fannie Mae, Maritime Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority, District of Columbia Armory Board, Student Loan Marketing Association and Resolution Trust Corporation. Certain U.S. government securities, such as those issued or guaranteed by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are mortgage-related securities. Because the U.S. government is not obligated by law to provide support to an instrumentality that it sponsors, the fund will invest in obligations issued by such an instrumentality only if the manager determines that the credit risk with respect to the instrumentality does not make its securities unsuitable for investment by the fund.

Ginnie Mae is a wholly owned U.S. government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Ginnie Mae are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are stockholder-owned companies chartered by Congress. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee the securities they issue as to timely payment of principal and interest, but such guarantee is not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

 

10


In September 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were placed into conservatorship by their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency. It is unclear what effect this conservatorship will have on the securities issued or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Although the U.S. government has provided financial support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, there can be no assurance that it will support these or other government-sponsored enterprises in the future.

Restricted and Illiquid Securities. Up to 15% of the net assets of the fund may be invested in illiquid securities. An illiquid security is any security which may not be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value at which the fund has valued the security. Illiquid securities may include (a) repurchase agreements with maturities greater than seven days; (b) futures contracts and options thereon for which a liquid secondary market does not exist; (c) TDs maturing in more than seven calendar days; (d) securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets; and (e) securities of new and early stage companies whose securities are not publicly traded.

Under SEC regulations, certain securities acquired through private placements can be traded freely among qualified purchasers. The SEC has stated that an investment company’s board of directors, or its investment adviser acting under authority delegated by the board, may determine that a security eligible for trading under these regulations is “liquid.” The fund intends to rely on these regulations, to the extent appropriate, to deem specific securities acquired through private placements as “liquid.” The Board has delegated to the manager the responsibility for determining whether a particular security eligible for trading under these regulations is “liquid.” Investing in these restricted securities could have the effect of increasing the fund’s illiquidity if qualified purchasers become, for a time, uninterested in buying these securities.

Restricted securities are securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on their resale, such as private placements. Such restrictions might prevent the sale of restricted securities at a time when the sale would otherwise be desirable. Restricted securities may be sold only (1) pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) (such securities are referred to herein as “Rule 144A securities”), or another exemption; (2) in privately negotiated transactions; or (3) in public offerings with respect to which a registration statement is in effect under the 1933 Act. Rule 144A securities, although not registered in the United States, may be sold to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. As noted above, the manager, acting pursuant to guidelines established by the Board, may determine that some Rule 144A securities are liquid for purposes of limitations on the amount of illiquid investments the fund may own. Where registration is required, the fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses and a considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the fund is able to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the fund might obtain a less favorable price than expected when it decided to sell.

Illiquid securities may be difficult to value and the fund may have difficulty disposing of such securities promptly. Judgment plays a greater role in valuing illiquid investments than those securities for which a more active market exists. The fund does not consider non-U.S. securities to be restricted if they can be freely sold in the principal markets in which they are traded, even if they are not registered for sale in the United States.

To the extent required by applicable law and SEC guidance, no securities for which there is not a readily available market will be acquired by the fund if such acquisition would cause the aggregate value of illiquid securities to exceed 15% of the fund’s net assets.

Borrowing. The fund may from time to time leverage its investments by purchasing securities with borrowed money. The fund may borrow money only from banks and in an amount not to exceed 33  1 / 3 % of the total value of its assets less liabilities. The amount of borrowings by the fund may also be limited by availability, cost of credit and restrictions imposed by the Federal Reserve Board. The fund is required under the 1940 Act to maintain at all times an asset coverage of 300% of the amount of its borrowings. If, as a result of market

 

11


fluctuations or for any other reason, asset coverage of the fund drops below 300%, the fund must reduce its outstanding bank debt within three business days so as to restore its asset coverage to the 300% level.

Any gain in the value of securities purchased with borrowed money that exceeds the interest paid on the amount borrowed would cause the NAV of the shares of the fund to increase more rapidly than otherwise would be the case. Conversely, any decline in the value of securities purchased would cause the NAV of the shares of the fund to decrease more rapidly than otherwise would be the case. Borrowed money thus creates an opportunity for greater capital gain but at the same time increases exposure to capital risk. The net cost of any borrowed money would be an expense that otherwise would not be incurred and this expense could restrict or eliminate the net investment income of the fund in any given period.

Derivatives.

General. The fund may invest in certain derivative instruments (also called “Financial Instruments”), discussed below, to attempt to hedge its investments, among other things, as described in the Prospectus. The use of Financial Instruments is subject to applicable regulations of the SEC, the several exchanges upon which they are traded and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”). In addition, the fund’s ability to use Financial Instruments may be limited by tax considerations. In addition to the instruments, strategies and risks described below, the manager expects that additional opportunities in connection with Financial Instruments and other similar or related techniques may become available. These new opportunities may become available as the manager develops new techniques, as regulatory authorities broaden the range of permitted transactions and as new Financial Instruments or other techniques are developed. The manager may utilize these opportunities to the extent that they are consistent with the fund’s investment objective and are permitted by its investment limitations and applicable regulatory authorities. The fund might not use any of these strategies, and there can be no assurance that any strategy used will succeed.

Recent legislation calls for new regulation of the derivatives markets. The extent and impact of the regulation is not yet known and may not be known for some time. Any new regulations could adversely affect the value, availability and performance of Financial Instruments, may make them more costly, and may limit or restrict their use by the fund.

Each Financial Instrument purchased for the fund is reviewed and analyzed by the portfolio managers to assess the risk and reward of each such instrument in relation to the fund’s investment strategy. The decision to invest in Financial Instruments or conventional securities is made by measuring the respective instrument’s ability to provide value to the fund.

Hedging strategies can be broadly categorized as “short hedges” and “long hedges.” A short hedge is a purchase or sale of a Financial Instrument intended partially or fully to offset potential declines in the value of one or more investments held in the fund’s portfolio. In a short hedge, the fund takes a position in a Financial Instrument whose price is expected to move in the opposite direction of the price of the investment being hedged.

Conversely, a long hedge is a purchase or sale of a Financial Instrument intended partially or fully to offset potential increases in the acquisition cost of one or more investments that the fund intends to acquire. In a long hedge, the fund takes a position in a Financial Instrument whose price is expected to move in the same direction as the price of the prospective investment being hedged. A long hedge is sometimes referred to as an anticipatory hedge. In an anticipatory hedge transaction, the fund does not own a corresponding security and, therefore, the transaction does not relate to a security the fund owns. Rather, it relates to a security that the fund intends to acquire. If the fund does not complete the hedge by purchasing the security as anticipated, the effect on the fund’s portfolio is the same as if the transaction were entered into for speculative purposes.

Financial Instruments on securities may be used to attempt to hedge against price movements in one or more particular securities positions that the fund owns or intends to acquire. Financial Instruments on indexes, in

 

12


contrast, may be used to attempt to hedge against price movements in market sectors in which the fund has invested or expects to invest. Financial Instruments on debt securities may be used to hedge either individual securities or broad debt market sectors.

Special Risks. The use of Financial Instruments involves special considerations and risks, certain of which are described below. In general, these techniques may increase the volatility of the fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.

 

  (1) Successful use of most Financial Instruments depends upon the manager’s ability to predict movements of the overall securities, currency and interest rate markets, which requires different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. There can be no assurance that any particular strategy will succeed, and use of Financial Instruments could result in a loss, regardless of whether the intent was to enhance returns or manage risk.

 

  (2) When Financial Instruments are used for hedging purposes, the historical correlation between price movements of a Financial Instrument and price movements of the investments being hedged might change so as to make the hedge less effective or unsuccessful. For example, if the value of a Financial Instrument used in a short hedge increased by less than the decline in value of the hedged investment, the hedge would not be fully successful. Such a change in correlation might occur due to factors unrelated to the value of the investments being hedged, such as speculative or other pressures on the markets in which Financial Instruments are traded. The effectiveness of hedges using Financial Instruments on indexes will depend on the degree to which correlation between price movements in the index and price movements in the securities being hedged can be accurately predicted.

Because there are a limited number of types of exchange-traded options and futures contracts, it is likely that the standardized contracts available will not match the fund’s current or anticipated investments exactly. The fund may invest in options and futures contracts based on securities with different issuers, maturities or other characteristics from the securities in which it typically invests, which involves the risk that the options or futures position will not track the performance of the fund’s other investments.

Options and futures prices can also diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the underlying instruments match the fund’s investments well. Options and futures prices are affected by factors that may not affect security prices the same way, such as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument and the time remaining until expiration of the contract.

Imperfect correlation may also result from differing levels of demand in the options and futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how options and futures are traded as compared to securities or from the imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts. The fund may purchase or sell options and futures contracts with a greater or lesser value than the securities it wishes to hedge or intends to purchase in order to attempt to compensate for differences in volatility between the contract and the securities, although this may not be successful in all cases. If price changes in the fund’s options or futures positions have a low correlation with its other investments, the positions may fail to produce anticipated gains or result in losses that are not offset by gains in other investments.

 

  (3) If successful, the hedging strategies discussed above can reduce the risk of loss by wholly or partially offsetting the negative effect of unfavorable price movements. However, such strategies can also reduce opportunity for gain by offsetting the positive effect of favorable price movements. For example, if the fund entered into a short hedge because its manager projected a decline in the price of a security in the fund’s portfolio, and the price of that security increased instead, the gain from that increase might be wholly or partially offset by a decline in the price of the Financial Instrument. Moreover, if the price of the Financial Instrument declined by more than the increase in the price of the security, the fund could suffer a loss. In either such case, the fund would have been in a better position had it not attempted to hedge at all.

 

13


  (4) The fund might be required to maintain segregated assets as “cover” or make margin payments when it takes positions in Financial Instruments involving obligations to third parties (i.e., Financial Instruments other than purchased options). If the fund were unable to close out its positions in such Financial Instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expired or matured. These requirements might impair the fund’s ability to sell a portfolio security or make an investment at a time when it would otherwise be favorable to do so or require that the fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time.

 

  (5) The fund may be subject to the risk that the other party to a Financial Instrument (the “counterparty”) will not be able to honor its financial obligation to the fund.

 

  (6) Many Financial Instruments are traded in institutional markets rather than on an exchange. Nevertheless, many Financial Instruments are actively traded and can be priced with as much accuracy as conventional securities. Financial Instruments that are custom designed to meet the specialized investment needs of a relatively narrow group of institutional investors such as the fund are not readily marketable and are subject to the fund’s restrictions on illiquid investments.

The fund’s ability to close out a position in a Financial Instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends on the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the counterparty to enter into a transaction closing out the position. Therefore, there is no assurance that any position can be closed out at a time and price that is favorable to the fund.

Writing Covered Call Options. The fund may write (sell) covered call options. Covered call options will generally be written on securities and currencies which, in the opinion of the manager, are not expected to make any major price moves in the near future but which, over the long term, are deemed to be attractive investments for the fund.

The manager and the fund believe that writing of covered call options is less risky than writing uncovered or “naked” options, which the fund will not do. A call option written by the fund is “covered” if the fund owns the securities or currency underlying the option or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security or currency without additional cash consideration (or for additional cash consideration held in a segregated account by the fund’s custodian) upon conversion or exchange of other securities or currencies held in its portfolio. A written call option is also covered if the fund holds on a share-for-share basis a purchased call on the same security, or holds a call on the same currency as the call written where the exercise price of the call held is equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written or greater than the exercise price of the call written if the difference is maintained by the fund in cash or other liquid assets. Portfolio securities or currencies on which call options may be written will be purchased solely on the basis of investment considerations consistent with the fund’s investment objective. When writing a covered call option, the fund, in return for the premium, gives up the opportunity for profit from a price increase in the underlying security or currency above the exercise price and retains the risk of loss should the price of the security or currency decline. Unlike one who owns securities or currencies not subject to an option, the fund has no control over when it may be required to sell the underlying securities or currencies, since the option may be exercised at any time prior to the option’s expiration. If a call option which the fund has written expires, the fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium; however, such gain may be offset by a decline in the market value of the underlying security or currency during the option period. If the call option is exercised, the fund will realize a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying security or currency. The security or currency covering the call option will be maintained in a segregated account with the fund’s custodian.

The premium the fund receives for writing a call option is deemed to constitute the market value of an option. The premium the fund will receive from writing a call option will reflect, among other things, the current market price of the underlying security or currency, the relationship of the exercise price to such market price, the implied price volatility of the underlying security or currency, and the length of the option period. In determining whether a particular call option should be written on a particular security or currency, the manager

 

14


will consider the reasonableness of the anticipated premium and the likelihood that a liquid secondary market will exist for those options. The premium received by the fund for writing covered call options will be recorded as a liability in the fund’s statement of assets and liabilities. This liability will be adjusted daily to the option’s current market value. The liability will be extinguished upon expiration of the option or delivery of the underlying security or currency upon the exercise of the option. The liability with respect to a listed option will also be extinguished upon the purchase of an identical option in a closing transaction.

Closing transactions will be effected in order to realize a profit or to limit losses on an outstanding call option, to prevent an underlying security or currency from being called, or to permit the sale of the underlying security or currency. Furthermore, effecting a closing transaction will permit the fund to write another call option on the underlying security or currency with either a different exercise price, expiration date or both. If the fund desires to sell a particular security or currency from its portfolio on which it has written a call option or purchases a put option, it will seek to effect a closing transaction prior to, or concurrently with, the sale of the security or currency. There is no assurance that the fund will be able to effect such closing transactions at a favorable price. If the fund cannot enter into such a transaction, it may be required to hold a security or currency that it might otherwise have sold, in which case it would continue to be at market risk with respect to the security or currency.

The fund will pay transaction costs in connection with the writing of options and in entering into closing purchase contracts. Transaction costs relating to options activity are normally higher than those applicable to purchases and sales of portfolio securities.

Options written by the fund will normally have expiration dates between one and six months from the date written. The exercise price of the options may be below, equal to or above the current market values of the underlying securities at the times the options are written. In the case of call options, these exercise prices are referred to as “in-the-money,” “at-the-money” and “out-of-the-money,” respectively.

The fund may write (a) in-the-money call options when the manager expects the price of the underlying security to remain flat or decline moderately during the option period, (b) at-the-money call options when the manager expects the price of the underlying security to remain flat or advance moderately during the option period and (c) out-of-the-money call options when the manager expects that the price of the security may increase but not above a price equal to the sum of the exercise price plus the premiums received from writing the call option. In any of the preceding situations, if the market price of the underlying security declines and the security is sold at this lower price, the amount of any realized loss will be offset wholly or in part by the premium received. Writing out-of-the-money, at-the-money and in-the-money put options (the reverse of call options as to the relation of exercise price to market price) may be utilized in the same market environments as such call options are used in equivalent transactions.

So long as the obligation of the fund as the writer of an option continues, the fund may be assigned an exercise notice by the broker/dealer through which the option was sold, requiring it to deliver, in the case of a call, or take delivery of, in the case of a put, the underlying security against payment of the exercise price. This obligation terminates when the option expires or the fund effects a closing purchase transaction. The fund can no longer effect a closing purchase transaction with respect to an option once it has been assigned an exercise notice. To secure its obligation to deliver the underlying security when it writes a call option, or to pay for the underlying security when it writes a put option, the fund will be required to deposit in escrow the underlying security or other assets in accordance with the rules of the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”) or similar clearing corporation and the securities exchange on which the option is written.

An option position may be closed out only where there exists a secondary market for an option of the same series on a recognized securities exchange or in the over-the-counter market. From time to time, the fund may purchase an underlying security or currency for delivery in accordance with the exercise of an option, rather than delivering such security or currency from its portfolio. In such cases, additional costs will be incurred.

 

15


The fund may realize a profit or loss upon entering into a closing transaction. In cases in which the fund has written an option, it will realize a profit if the cost of the closing purchase transaction is less than the premium received upon writing the original option and will incur a loss if the cost of the closing purchase transaction exceeds the premium received upon writing the original option. Similarly, when the fund has purchased an option and engages in a closing sale transaction, whether it recognizes a profit or loss will depend upon whether the amount received in the closing sale transaction is more or less than the premium the fund initially paid for the original option plus the related transaction costs.

Although the fund generally will purchase or write only those options for which the manager believes there is an active secondary market so as to facilitate closing transactions, there is no assurance that sufficient trading interest to create a liquid secondary market on a securities exchange will exist for any particular option or at any particular time, and for some options no such secondary market may exist or may cease to exist. In the past, for example, higher than anticipated trading activity or order flow, or other unforeseen events, have at times rendered certain of the facilities of the OCC and national securities exchanges inadequate and resulted in the institution of special procedures, such as trading rotations, restrictions on certain types of orders or trading halts or suspensions in one or more options. There can be no assurance that similar events, or events that may otherwise interfere with the timely execution of customers’ orders, will not recur. In such event, it might not be possible to effect closing transactions in particular options. If, as a covered call option writer, the fund is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction in a secondary market, it will not be able to sell the underlying security until the option expires or it delivers the underlying security upon exercise.

Securities exchanges generally have established limitations governing the maximum number of calls and puts of each class which may be held or written, or exercised within certain periods, by an investor or group of investors acting in concert (regardless of whether the options are written on the same or different securities exchanges or are held, written or exercised in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). It is possible that the fund and other clients of the manager and certain of their affiliates may be considered to be such a group. A securities exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in violation of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.

In the case of options written by the fund that are deemed covered by virtue of the fund’s holding convertible or exchangeable preferred stock or debt securities, the time required to convert or exchange and obtain physical delivery of the underlying common stock with respect to which the fund has written options may exceed the time within which the fund must make delivery in accordance with an exercise notice. In these instances, the fund may purchase or temporarily borrow the underlying securities for purposes of physical delivery. By so doing, the fund will not bear any market risk because the fund will have the absolute right to receive from the issuer of the underlying security an equal number of shares to replace the borrowed stock, but the fund may incur additional transaction costs or interest expenses in connection with any such purchase or borrowing.

Purchasing Put Options. The fund may purchase put options. As the holder of a put option, the fund has the right to sell the underlying security or currency at the exercise price at any time during the option period. The fund may enter into closing sale transactions with respect to such options, exercise them or permit them to expire.

The fund may purchase a put option on an underlying security or currency (a “protective put”) owned by the fund as a hedging technique in order to protect against an anticipated decline in the value of the security or currency. Such hedge protection is provided only during the life of the put option when the fund, as the holder of the put option, is able to sell the underlying security or currency at the put exercise price regardless of any decline in the underlying security’s market price or currency’s exchange value. The premium paid for the put option and any transaction costs may reduce any capital gain or, in the case of currency, ordinary income otherwise available for distribution when the security is eventually sold.

 

16


The fund may also purchase put options at a time when the fund does not own the underlying security or currency. By purchasing put options on a security or currency it does not own, the fund seeks to benefit from a decline in the market price of the underlying security or currency. If the put option is not sold when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying security or currency remains equal to or greater than the exercise price during the life of the put option, the fund will lose its entire investment in the put option. In order for the purchase of a put option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security or currency must decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs, unless the put option is sold in a closing sale transaction.

The premium paid by the fund when purchasing a put option will be recorded as an asset in the fund’s statement of assets and liabilities. This asset will be adjusted daily to the option’s current market value, as calculated by the fund. The asset will be extinguished upon expiration of the option or the delivery of the underlying security or currency upon the exercise of the option. The asset with respect to a listed option will also be extinguished upon the writing of an identical option in a closing transaction.

Purchasing Call Options. The fund may purchase call options. As the holder of a call option, the fund has the right to purchase the underlying security or currency at the exercise price at any time during the option period. The fund may enter into closing sale transactions with respect to such options, exercise them or permit them to expire. Call options may be purchased by the fund for the purpose of acquiring the underlying security or currency for its portfolio. Utilized in this fashion, the purchase of call options enables the fund to acquire the security or currency at the exercise price of the call option plus the premium paid. At times the net cost of acquiring the security in this manner may be less than the cost of acquiring the security or currency directly. This technique may also be useful to the fund in purchasing a large block of securities that would be more difficult to acquire by direct market purchases. So long as it holds such a call option rather than the underlying security or currency itself, the fund is partially protected from any unexpected decline in the market price of the underlying security or currency and in such event could allow the call option to expire, incurring a loss only to the extent of the premium paid for the option.

The fund may also purchase call options on underlying securities or currencies it owns in order to protect unrealized gains on call options previously written by it. Call options may also be purchased at times to avoid realizing losses that would result in a reduction of the fund’s current return.

Stock Index Options. The fund may purchase and write put and call options on U.S. stock indexes listed on U.S. exchanges for the purpose of hedging its portfolio holdings. A stock index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the stocks included in the index. Some stock index options are based on a broad market index such as the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) Composite Index or the Canadian Market Portfolio Index, or a narrower market or industry index such as the S&P 100 Index, the NYSE Arca Oil Index or the NYSE Arca Computer Technology Index.

Options on stock indexes are generally similar to options on stock except for the delivery requirements. Instead of giving the right to take or make delivery of stock at a specified price, an option on a stock index gives the holder the right to receive a cash “exercise settlement amount” equal to (a) the amount, if any, by which the fixed exercise price of the option exceeds (in the case of a put) or is less than (in the case of a call) the closing value of the underlying index on the date of exercise, multiplied by (b) a fixed “index multiplier.” Receipt of this cash amount will depend upon the closing level of the stock index upon which the option is based being greater than, in the case of a call, or less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option. The amount of cash received will be equal to such difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the option expressed in dollars or a foreign currency, as the case may be, times a specified multiple. The writer of the option is obligated, in return for the premium received, to make delivery of this amount. The writer may offset its position in stock index options prior to expiration by entering into a closing transaction on an exchange or it may let the option expire unexercised.

 

17


The effectiveness of purchasing or writing stock index options as a hedging technique will depend upon the extent to which price movements in the portion of the securities portfolio of the fund being hedged correlate with price movements of the stock index selected. Because the value of an index option depends upon movements in the level of the index rather than the price of a particular stock, whether the fund will realize a gain or loss from the purchase or writing of options on an index depends upon movements in the level of stock prices in the stock market generally or, in the case of certain indexes, in an industry or market segment, rather than movements in the price of a particular stock. Accordingly, successful use by the fund of options on stock indexes will be subject to the manager’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the stock market generally or of a particular industry. This requires different skills and techniques than predicting changes in the price of individual stocks.

The fund will engage in stock index options transactions only when determined by the manager to be consistent with the fund’s efforts to control risk. There can be no assurance that such judgment will be accurate or that the use of these portfolio strategies will be successful. When the fund writes an option on a stock index, the fund will establish a segregated account with its custodian in an amount equal to the market value of the option and will maintain the account while the option is open.

Stock Index, Interest Rate and Currency Futures Contracts. The fund may enter into stock index, interest rate or currency futures contracts as a hedge against changes in prevailing levels of market values, interest rates or currency exchange rates in order to establish more definitely the effective return on securities or currencies held or committed to be acquired by the fund. The fund’s hedging may include holding futures as an offset against anticipated changes in market values, interest or currency exchange rates. The fund may also enter into futures contracts based on financial indices including any index of U.S. government securities, foreign government securities or corporate debt securities.

A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific financial instrument or currency for a specified price at a designated date, time and place. The purchaser of a futures contract on an index agrees to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to the difference between a specified dollar multiple of the value of the index on the expiration date of the contract (“current contract value”) and the price at which the contract was originally struck. No physical delivery of the securities underlying the index is made. Brokerage fees are incurred when a futures contract is bought or sold, and margin deposits must be maintained at all times that the futures contract is outstanding.

The purpose of entering into a futures contract is to protect the fund from fluctuations in the value of securities without actually buying or selling the securities. For example, in the case of stock index futures contracts, if the fund anticipates an increase in the price of stocks that it intends to purchase at a later time, the fund could enter into contracts to purchase the stock index (known as taking a “long” position) as a temporary substitute for the purchase of stocks. If an increase in the market occurs that influences the stock index as anticipated, the value of the futures contracts increases and thereby serves as a hedge against the fund’s not participating in a market advance. The fund then may close out the futures contracts by entering into offsetting futures contracts to sell the stock index (known as taking a “short” position) as it purchases individual stocks.

Although techniques other than sales and purchases of futures contracts could be used to reduce the fund’s exposure to market value, interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations, the fund may be able to hedge its exposure more effectively and at a lower cost through using futures contracts.

Although futures contracts typically require future delivery of and payment for financial instruments or currencies, futures contracts are usually closed out before the delivery date. Closing out an open futures contract sale or purchase is effected by entering into an offsetting futures contract purchase or sale, respectively, for the same aggregate amount of the identical financial instrument or currency and the same delivery date. If the offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the fund realizes a gain; if it is more, the fund realizes a loss. Conversely, if the offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the fund realizes a gain; if

 

18


it is less, the fund realizes a loss. The transaction costs must also be included in these calculations. There can be no assurance, however, that the fund will be able to enter into an offsetting transaction with respect to a particular futures contract at a particular time. If the fund is not able to enter into an offsetting transaction, the fund will continue to be required to maintain the margin deposits of the underlying financial instrument or currency on the relevant delivery date. The fund intends to enter into futures transactions only on exchanges or boards of trade where there appears to be a liquid secondary market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time.

As an example of an offsetting transaction, the contractual obligations arising from the sale of one futures contract of September Treasury Bills on an exchange may be fulfilled at any time before delivery under the futures contract is required ( i.e ., on a specific date in September, the “delivery month”) by the purchase of another futures contract of September Treasury Bills on the same exchange. In such instance the difference between the price at which the futures contract was sold and the price paid for the offsetting purchase, after allowance for transaction costs, represents the profit or loss to the fund.

Persons who trade in futures contracts may be broadly classified as “hedgers” and “speculators.” Hedgers, whose business activity involves investment or other commitment in securities or other obligations, use the futures markets to offset unfavorable changes in value that may occur because of fluctuations in the value of the securities and obligations held or committed to be acquired by them or fluctuations in the value of the currency in which the securities or obligations are denominated. Debtors and other obligors may also hedge the interest cost of their obligations. The speculator, like the hedger, generally expects neither to deliver nor to receive the financial instrument underlying the futures contract, but, unlike the hedger, hopes to profit from fluctuations in prevailing interest rates or currency exchange rates.

The fund may enter into futures transactions for traditional hedging purposes; that is, futures contracts will be sold to protect against a decline in the price of securities or currencies that the fund owns, or futures contracts will be purchased to protect the fund against an increase in the price of securities or currencies it has committed to purchase or expects to purchase. The fund may also enter into futures transactions as a substitute for buying or selling securities or as a cash flow management technique.

No consideration will be paid or received by the fund upon the purchase or sale of a futures contract. Initially, the fund will be required to deposit with the broker an amount of cash or cash equivalents equal to approximately 1% to 10% of the contract amount (this amount is subject to change by the exchange or board of trade on which the contract is traded and brokers or members of such board of trade may charge a higher amount). This amount is known as “initial margin” and is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract, which is returned to the fund upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent payments, known as “variation margin,” to and from the broker, will be made daily as the price of the index or securities underlying the futures contract fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as “marking-to-market.” In addition, when the fund enters into a long position in a futures contract or an option on a futures contract, it must maintain an amount of cash or cash equivalents equal to the total market value of the underlying futures contract, less amounts held in the fund’s commodity brokerage account at its broker. At any time prior to the expiration of a futures contract, the fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position, which will operate to terminate the fund’s existing position in the contract.

Positions in futures contracts may be closed out only on the exchange on which they were entered into (or through a linked exchange) and no secondary market exists for those contracts. In addition, although the fund intends to enter into futures contracts only if there is an active market for the contracts, there is no assurance that an active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time. Most futures exchanges and boards of trade limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular contract, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond that limit. It is possible that futures contract prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little

 

19


or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses. In such event, and in the event of adverse price movements, the fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin; in such circumstances, an increase in the value of the portion of the portfolio being hedged, if any, may partially or completely offset losses on the futures contract. As described above, however, no assurance can be given that the price of the securities being hedged will correlate with the price movements in a futures contract and thus provide an offset to losses on the futures contract.

The CFTC has eliminated limitations on futures transactions and options thereon by registered investment companies, provided that the registered investment company claims an exclusion from regulation as a commodity pool operator. The fund has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act. As a result of these CFTC rule changes, the fund is no longer restricted in its ability to enter into futures transactions and options thereon under CFTC regulations. The fund, however, continues to have policies with respect to futures and options thereon. The current view of the staff of the SEC is that the fund’s long and short positions in futures contracts as well as put and call options on futures written by it must be collateralized with cash or other liquid assets and segregated with the fund’s custodian or a designated sub-custodian or “covered” in a manner similar to that for covered options on securities and designed to eliminate any potential leveraging.

Options on Futures Contracts. Options on futures contracts are similar to options on securities or currencies except that options on futures contracts give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put), rather than to purchase or sell the futures contract, at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s futures margin account, which represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract, at exercise, exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract. If an option is exercised on the last trading day prior to the expiration date of the option, the settlement will be made entirely in cash equal to the difference between the exercise price of the option and the closing level of the securities or currencies upon which the futures contracts are based on the expiration date. Purchasers of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.

As an alternative to purchasing call and put options on futures, the fund may purchase call and put options on the underlying securities or currencies themselves (see “Purchasing Put Options” and “Purchasing Call Options” above). Such options would be used in a manner identical to the use of options on futures contracts.

To reduce or eliminate the leverage then employed by the fund or to reduce or eliminate the hedge position then currently held by the fund, the fund may seek to close out an option position by selling an option covering the same securities or currency and having the same exercise price and expiration date. The ability to establish and close out positions on options on futures contracts is subject to the existence of a liquid market. It is not certain that this market will exist at any specific time.

Special Risks of Using Futures Contracts. The prices of futures contracts are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in stock market prices or interest rates, which in turn are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and national and international political and economic events. At best, the correlation between changes in prices of futures contracts and of the securities or currencies being hedged can be only approximate. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends upon circumstances such as: variations in speculative market demand for futures and for equity securities, debt securities or currencies, including technical influences in futures trading; and differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard futures contracts available for trading, with respect to market values, interest rate levels, maturities and creditworthiness of issuers. A decision of whether, when, and how to hedge involves skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of unexpected market behavior or interest rate trends.

 

20


Because of the low margin deposits required, futures trading involves an extremely high degree of leverage. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss, as well as gain, to the investor.

Furthermore, in the case of a futures contract purchase, in order to be certain that the fund has sufficient assets to satisfy its obligations under a futures contract, the fund segregates and commits to back the futures contract with an amount of cash and liquid securities from the fund equal in value to the current value of the underlying instrument less the margin deposit.

Most U.S. futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of futures contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses.

Forward Currency Contracts, Options on Currency and Currency Swaps. A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a currency against another currency at a future date and price as agreed upon by the parties. The fund may either accept or make delivery of the currency at the maturity of the forward contract or, prior to maturity, enter into a closing transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting contract. The fund may engage in forward currency transactions in anticipation of, or to protect itself against, fluctuations in exchange rates. To attempt to hedge against adverse movements in exchange rates between currencies, the fund may enter into forward currency contracts for the purchase or sale of a specified currency at a specified future date. Such contracts may involve the purchase or sale of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar or may involve two foreign currencies. The fund may enter into forward currency contracts either with respect to specific transactions or with respect to its portfolio positions. For example, when the manager anticipates making a purchase or sale of a security, it may enter into a forward currency contract in order to set the rate (either relative to the U.S. dollar or another currency) at which the currency exchange transaction related to the purchase or sale will be made (“transaction hedging”). Further, when the manager believes that a particular currency may decline compared to the U.S. dollar or another currency, the fund may enter into a forward currency contract to sell the currency the manager expects to decline in an amount approximating the value of some or all of the fund’s securities denominated in that currency. When the manager believes that one currency may decline against a currency in which some or all of the portfolio securities held by the fund are denominated, it may enter into a forward contract to buy the currency expected to appreciate for a fixed amount (“position hedging”). In this situation, the fund may, in the alternative, enter into a forward currency contract to sell a different currency for a fixed amount of the currency expected to decline where the manager believes that the value of the currency to be sold pursuant to the forward currency contract will fall whenever there is a decline in the value of the currency in which portfolio securities of the fund are denominated (“cross hedging”). The fund’s custodian places cash or other liquid assets in a separate account of the fund having a value equal to the aggregate amount of the fund’s commitments under forward currency contracts entered into with respect to position hedges and cross-hedges. If the value of the securities placed in a separate account declines, additional cash or securities are placed in the account on a daily basis so that the value of the account will equal the amount of the fund’s commitments with respect to such contracts.

The matching of the increase in value of a forward contract and the decline in the U.S. dollar equivalent value of the foreign currency denominated asset that is the subject of the hedge generally will not be precise. In addition, the fund may not always be able to enter into foreign currency forward contracts at attractive prices and this will limit the fund’s ability to use such contract to hedge or cross-hedge its assets. Also, with regard to the use of cross-hedges by the fund, there can be no assurance that historical correlations between the movement of certain foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar will continue. Thus, at any time poor correlation may exist

 

21


between movements in the exchange rates of the foreign currencies underlying the cross-hedges of the fund and the movements in the exchange rates of the foreign currencies in which the assets of the fund that are the subject of such cross-hedges are denominated.

Forward contracts are traded in an interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement and is consummated without payment of any commission. The fund, however, may enter into forward contracts with deposit requirements or commissions.

A put option gives the fund, as purchaser, the right (but not the obligation) to sell a specified amount of currency at the exercise price until the expiration of the option. A call option gives the fund, as purchaser, the right (but not the obligation) to purchase a specified amount of currency at the exercise price until its expiration. The fund might purchase a currency put option, for example, to protect itself during the contract period against a decline in the value of a currency in which it holds or anticipates holding securities. If the currency’s value should decline, the loss in currency value should be offset, in whole or in part, by an increase in the value of the put. If the value of the currency instead should rise, any gain to the fund would be reduced by the premium it had paid for the put option. A currency call option might be purchased, for example, in anticipation of, or to protect against, a rise in the value of a currency in which the fund anticipates purchasing securities.

The ability of the fund to establish and close out positions in foreign currency options is subject to the existence of a liquid market. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist for a particular option at any specific time. In addition, options on foreign currencies are affected by all of those factors that influence foreign exchange rates and investments generally.

A position in an exchange-listed option may be closed out only on an exchange that provides a secondary market for identical options. Exchange markets for options on foreign currencies exist but are relatively new, and the ability to establish and close out positions on the exchanges is subject to maintenance of a liquid secondary market. Closing transactions may be effected with respect to options traded in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) markets (currently the primary markets for options on foreign currencies) only by negotiating directly with the other party to the option contract or in a secondary market for the option if such market exists. Although the fund intends to purchase only those options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option at any specific time. In such event, it may not be possible to effect closing transactions with respect to certain options, with the result that the fund would have to exercise those options which it has purchased in order to realize any profit. The staff of the SEC has taken the position that, in general, purchased OTC options and the underlying securities used to cover written OTC options are illiquid securities. However, the fund may treat as liquid the underlying securities used to cover written OTC options, provided it has arrangements with certain qualified dealers who agree that the fund may repurchase any option it writes for a maximum price to be calculated by a predetermined formula. In these cases, the OTC option itself would only be considered illiquid to the extent that the maximum repurchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option.

The fund may also enter into currency swaps. A currency swap is an agreement to exchange cash flows on a notional amount of two or more currencies based on the relative value differential among them and an index swap is an agreement to swap cash flows on a notional amount based on changes in the values of the reference indexes. If a swap agreement provides for payment in different currencies, the parties might agree to exchange the notional principal amount as well. Forward foreign currency contracts and currency swaps are established in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks or other financial institutions) on behalf of their customers.

Interest Rate Swaps, Caps and Floors. Among the hedging transactions into which the fund may enter are interest rate swaps and the purchase or sale of interest rate caps and floors. The fund expects to enter into these transactions primarily to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or segment of its portfolio or to

 

22


protect against any increase in the price of securities the fund anticipates purchasing at a later date. The fund intends to use these transactions as a hedge and not as a speculative investment. The fund will not sell interest rate caps or floors that it does not own. In a typical interest rate swap, the fund and a counterparty exchange their right to receive or their obligation to pay interest on a security. For example, one party may agree to make regular payments equal to a floating interest rate times a “notional principal amount,” in return for payments equal to a fixed rate times the same notional amount, for a specified period of time. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate floor.

The fund may enter into interest rate swaps, caps and floors on either an asset-based or liability-based basis, depending on whether it is hedging its assets or its liabilities, and will usually enter into interest rate swaps on a net basis, i.e. , the two payment streams are netted, with the fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Inasmuch as these hedging transactions are entered into for good faith hedging purposes, the manager and the fund believe such obligations do not constitute senior securities and, accordingly will not treat them as being subject to the fund’s borrowing restrictions. The net amount of the excess, if any, of the obligations of the fund over its entitlements with respect to each interest rate swap will be accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or liquid securities having an aggregate NAV at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in a segregated account by a custodian that satisfies the requirements of the 1940 Act. The fund will not enter into any interest rate swap, cap or floor transaction unless the unsecured senior debt or the claims-paying ability of the other party thereto is rated in the highest rating category of at least one nationally recognized rating organization at the time of entering into such transaction. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, the fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. Swap agreements will tend to shift the fund’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another. For example, if the fund agreed to exchange payments in U.S. dollars for payments in a foreign currency, the swap agreement would tend to decrease the fund’s exposure to U.S. interest rates and increase its exposure to foreign currency and interest rates. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the fund’s investments and its share price and yield. Caps and floors have an effect similar to buying or writing options.

Swap agreements are sophisticated risk management instruments that typically require a small cash investment relative to the magnitude of risks assumed. As a result, swaps can be highly volatile and may have a considerable impact on the fund’s performance. Swap agreements entail both interest rate risk and credit risk. There is a risk that, based on movements of interest rates in the future, the payments made by the fund under a swap agreement will be greater than the payments it received. Swap agreements are subject to credit risks related to the counterparty’s ability to perform, and may decline in value if the counterparty’s creditworthiness deteriorates.

Swap contracts involve special risks. Swaps may in some cases be illiquid. In the absence of a central exchange or market for swap transactions, they may be difficult to trade or value, especially in the event of market disruptions. The swap market is a relatively new market and is largely unregulated. It is possible that developments in the swap market, including potential government regulation, could adversely affect a fund’s ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.

New options and futures contracts and various combinations thereof continue to be developed and the fund may invest in any such options and contracts as may be developed to the extent consistent with its investment objective and regulatory requirements applicable to investment companies.

 

23


INVESTMENT POLICIES

The fund has adopted the fundamental and non-fundamental investment policies below for the protection of shareholders. Fundamental investment policies of the fund may not be changed without the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the fund, defined under the 1940 Act as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the voting power of the fund present at a shareholder meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the voting power of the fund are present in person or represented by proxy, or (b) more than 50% of the voting power of the fund. The Board may change non-fundamental investment policies at any time.

If any percentage restriction described below is complied with at the time of an investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage resulting from a change in values or assets will not constitute a violation of such restriction.

Fundamental Investment Policies

The fund’s fundamental investment policies are as follows:

 

  (1) The fund may not borrow money except as permitted by (i) the 1940 Act or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

 

  (2) The fund may not engage in the business of underwriting the securities of other issuers except as permitted by (i) the 1940 Act or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

 

  (3) The fund may lend money or other assets to the extent permitted by (i) the 1940 Act or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

 

  (4) The fund may not issue senior securities except as permitted by (i) the 1940 Act or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

 

  (5) The fund may not purchase or sell real estate except as permitted by (i) the 1940 Act or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

 

  (6) The fund may purchase or sell commodities or contracts related to commodities to the extent permitted by (i) the 1940 Act or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

 

  (7) Except as permitted by exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, the fund may not make any investment if, as a result, the fund’s investments will be concentrated in any one industry.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (1) above, the 1940 Act permits the fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose, and to borrow up to 5% of the fund’s total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes. (The fund’s total assets include the amounts being borrowed.) To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the 1940 Act requires the fund to maintain at all times an “asset coverage” of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings. Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the fund’s total assets (including amount borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings. Certain trading practices and investments, such as reverse repurchase agreements, may be considered to be borrowings and thus subject to

 

24


the 1940 Act restrictions. Borrowing money to increase portfolio holdings is known as “leveraging.” Borrowing, especially when used for leverage, may cause the value of the fund’s shares to be more volatile than if the fund did not borrow. This is because borrowing tends to magnify the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the fund’s portfolio holdings. Borrowed money thus creates an opportunity for greater gains, but also greater losses. To repay borrowings, the fund may have to sell securities at a time and at a price that is unfavorable to the fund. There also are costs associated with borrowing money, and these costs would offset and could eliminate the fund’s net investment income in any given period. Currently, the fund does not contemplate borrowing money for leverage, but if the fund does so, it will not likely do so to a substantial degree. The policy in (1) above will be interpreted to permit the fund to engage in trading practices and investments that may be considered to be borrowing to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to securities lending will not be considered to be borrowings under the policy. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the policy.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to underwriting set forth in (2) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit the fund from engaging in the underwriting business or from underwriting the securities of other issuers; in fact, the 1940 Act permits the fund to have underwriting commitments of up to 25% of its assets under certain circumstances. Those circumstances currently are that the amount of the fund’s underwriting commitments, when added to the value of the fund’s investments in issuers where the fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of those issuers, cannot exceed the 25% cap. A fund engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act. Under the 1933 Act, an underwriter may be liable for material omissions or misstatements in an issuer’s registration statement or prospectus. Securities purchased from an issuer and not registered for sale under the 1933 Act are considered restricted securities. There may be a limited market for these securities. If these securities are registered under the 1933 Act, they may then be eligible for sale but participating in the sale may subject the seller to underwriter liability. These risks could apply to a fund investing in restricted securities. Although it is not believed that the application of the 1933 Act provisions described above would cause the fund to be engaged in the business of underwriting, the policy in (2) above will be interpreted not to prevent the fund from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities, regardless of whether the fund may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to lending set forth in (3) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit the fund from making loans; however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets, except through the purchase of debt obligations or the use of repurchase agreements. (A repurchase agreement is an agreement to purchase a security, coupled with an agreement to sell that security back to the original seller on an agreed-upon date at a price that reflects current interest rates. The SEC frequently treats repurchase agreements as loans.) While lending securities may be a source of income to the fund, as with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery or even loss of rights in the underlying securities should the borrower fail financially. However, loans would be made only when the fund’s manager believes the income justifies the attendant risks. The fund also will be permitted by this policy to make loans of money, including to other funds. The fund would have to obtain exemptive relief from the SEC to make loans to other funds. The policy in (3) above will be interpreted not to prevent the fund from purchasing or investing in debt obligations and loans. In addition, collateral arrangements with respect to options, forward currency and futures transactions and other derivative instruments, as well as delays in the settlement of securities transactions, will not be considered loans.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to issuing senior securities set forth in (4) above, “senior securities” are defined as fund obligations that have a priority over the fund’s shares with respect to the payment of dividends or the distribution of fund assets. The 1940 Act prohibits the fund from issuing senior securities except that the fund may borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose. The fund may also borrow up to 5% of the fund’s total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes, and these borrowings are not considered senior securities. The issuance of senior securities

 

25


by the fund can increase the speculative character of the fund’s outstanding shares through leveraging. Leveraging of the fund’s portfolio through the issuance of senior securities magnifies the potential for gain or loss on monies, because even though the fund’s net assets remain the same, the total risk to investors is increased to the extent of the fund’s gross assets. The policy in (4) above will be interpreted not to prevent collateral arrangements with respect to swaps, options, forward or futures contracts or other derivatives, or the posting of initial or variation margin.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to real estate set forth in (5) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit the fund from owning real estate; however, the fund is limited in the amount of illiquid assets it may purchase. Investing in real estate may involve risks, including that real estate is generally considered illiquid and may be difficult to value and sell. Owners of real estate may be subject to various liabilities, including environmental liabilities. To the extent that investments in real estate are considered illiquid, the current SEC staff position generally limits the fund’s purchases of illiquid securities to 15% of net assets. The policy in (5) above will be interpreted not to prevent the fund from investing in real estate-related companies, companies whose businesses consist in whole or in part of investing in real estate, instruments (like mortgages) that are secured by real estate or interests therein, or real estate investment trust securities.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to commodities set forth in (6) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit the fund from owning commodities, whether physical commodities and contracts related to physical commodities (such as oil or grains and related futures contracts), or financial commodities and contracts related to financial commodities (such as currencies and, possibly, currency futures). However, the fund is limited in the amount of illiquid assets it may purchase. To the extent that investments in commodities are considered illiquid, the current SEC staff position generally limits the fund’s purchases of illiquid securities to 15% of net assets. If the fund were to invest in a physical commodity or a physical commodity-related instrument, the fund would be subject to the additional risks of the particular physical commodity and its related market. The value of commodities and commodity-related instruments may be extremely volatile and may be affected either directly or indirectly by a variety of factors. There may also be storage charges and risks of loss associated with physical commodities. The policy in (6) above will be interpreted to permit investments in ETFs that invest in physical and/or financial commodities.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to concentration set forth in (7) above, the 1940 Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund’s total assets in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could change in the future. A fund that invests a significant percentage of its total assets in a single industry may be particularly susceptible to adverse events affecting that industry and may be more risky than a fund that does not concentrate in an industry. The policy in (7) above will be interpreted to refer to concentration as that term may be interpreted from time to time. The policy also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities; securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; securities of foreign governments; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. Accordingly, issuers of the foregoing securities will not be considered to be members of any industry. There also will be no limit on investment in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction or country. The policy also will be interpreted to give broad authority to the fund as to how to classify issuers within or among industries.

The fund’s fundamental policies will be interpreted broadly. For example, the policies will be interpreted to refer to the 1940 Act and the related rules as they are in effect from time to time, and to interpretations and modifications of or relating to the 1940 Act by the SEC and others as they are given from time to time. When a policy provides that an investment practice may be conducted as permitted by the 1940 Act, the policy will be interpreted to mean either that the 1940 Act expressly permits the practice or that the 1940 Act does not prohibit the practice.

 

26


Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

The fund’s non-fundamental investment policies are as follows:

 

  (1) The fund may not invest in other registered open-end management investment companies and registered unit investment trusts in reliance upon the provisions of subparagraphs (G) or (F) of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act. The foregoing investment policy does not restrict the fund from (i) acquiring securities of other registered investment companies in connection with a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or acquisition of assets, or (ii) purchasing the securities of registered investment companies, to the extent otherwise permissible under Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act.

 

  (2) The fund may not purchase or otherwise acquire any security if, as a result, more than 15% of its net assets would be invested in securities that are illiquid.

Diversification

The fund is currently classified as a non-diversified fund under the 1940 Act, which means the fund is not limited by the 1940 Act in the proportion of its assets it may invest in the securities of a single issuer. A diversified fund may not purchase securities of an issuer (other than obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities) if, with respect to 75% of its total assets, (a) more than 5% of the fund’s total assets would be invested in securities of that issuer or (b) the fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer. A non-diversified fund is not subject to these limitations. Therefore, a non-diversified fund can invest a greater portion of its assets in a single issuer or a limited number of issuers than a diversified fund. In this regard, the fund is subject to a greater risk than a diversified fund because the fund may be subject to greater volatility with respect to its portfolio securities than funds that are more broadly diversified. The fund intends to conduct its operations, however, so as to qualify as a “regulated investment company” (“RIC”) for purposes of the Code, which will relieve the fund of any liability for federal income tax to the extent its earnings are distributed to shareholders. To qualify as a RIC, the fund will, among other things, limit its investments so that, at the close of each quarter of the taxable year (a) not more than 25% of the market value of the fund’s total assets will be invested in the securities of a single issuer and (b) with respect to 50% of the market value of its total assets, not more than 5% of the market value of its total assets will be invested in the securities of a single issuer and the fund will not own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of a single issuer.

Portfolio Turnover

For reporting purposes, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by the monthly average of the value of the portfolio securities owned by the fund during the fiscal year. In determining such portfolio turnover, all securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less are excluded. A 100% portfolio turnover rate would occur, for example, if all of the securities in the fund’s investment portfolio (other than short-term money market securities) were replaced once during the fiscal year.

In the event that portfolio turnover increases, this increase necessarily results in correspondingly greater transaction costs which must be paid by the fund. To the extent the portfolio trading results in realization of net short-term capital gains, shareholders will be taxed on such gains at ordinary tax rates (except shareholders who invest through individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) and other retirement plans which are not taxed currently on accumulations in their accounts).

Portfolio turnover will not be a limiting factor should the manager deem it advisable to purchase or sell securities.

For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2010 and April 30, 2011, the fund’s portfolio turnover rates were as follows:

 

2010

 

2011

22%

  23%

 

27


MANAGEMENT

The business and affairs of the fund are conducted by management under the supervision and subject to the direction of its Board. The business address of each Trustee is c/o R. Jay Gerken, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10018. Information pertaining to the Trustees and officers of the fund is set forth below.

 

Name and Year of Birth

   Position(s)
with Trust
   Term of
Office*
and
Length of
Time
Served**
  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

   Number of
Funds in
Fund
Complex
Overseen
by Trustee
  

Other Board
Memberships
Held by Trustee
During

Past 5 Years

Independent Trustees#:

              

Paul R. Ades

Born 1940

   Trustee    Since 1983    Paul R. Ades, PLLC (law firm) (since 2000)    48    None

Andrew L. Breech

Born 1952

   Trustee    Since 1991    President, Dealer Operating Control Service, Inc. (automotive retail management) (since 1985)    48    None

Dwight B. Crane

Born 1937

   Trustee    Since 1981    Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School (since 2007); formerly, Professor, Harvard Business School (1969 to 2007); Independent Consultant (since 1969)    48    None

Frank G. Hubbard

Born 1937

   Trustee    Since 1993    President, Avatar International Inc. (business development) (since 1998)    48    None

Howard J. Johnson

Born 1938

   Trustee    From 1981
to 1998
and since
2000
   Chief Executive Officer, Genesis Imaging LLC (technology company) (since 2003)    48    None

David E. Maryatt

Born 1936

   Trustee    Since 1983    Private Investor; President and Director, ALS Co. (real estate management and development firm) (since 1992)    48    None

Jerome H. Miller

Born 1938

   Trustee    Since 1995    Retired    48    None

Ken Miller

Born 1942

   Trustee    Since 1983    President, Young Stuff Apparel Group, Inc. (apparel manufacturer), division of Li & Fung (since 1963)    48    None

 

28


Name and Year of Birth

   Position(s)
with Trust
   Term of
Office*
and
Length of
Time
Served**
  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

   Number of
Funds in
Fund
Complex
Overseen
by Trustee
  

Other Board
Memberships
Held by Trustee
During

Past 5 Years

John J. Murphy

Born 1944

   Trustee    Since
2002
   Founder and Senior Principal, Murphy Capital Management (investment management) (since 1983)    48    Trustee, UBS Funds (52 funds) (since 2008); Director, Nicholas Applegate Institutional Funds (12 funds) (since 2005); Trustee, Consulting Group Capital Markets Funds (11 funds) (since 2002); formerly, Director, Atlantic Stewardship Bank (2004 to 2005); formerly, Director, Barclays International Funds Group Ltd. and affiliated companies (1983 to 2003)

Thomas F. Schlafly

Born 1948

   Trustee    Since
1983
   President, The Saint Louis Brewery, Inc. (brewery) (since 1989); Partner, Thompson Coburn LLP (law firm) (since 2009); formerly, Of Counsel, Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP (law firm) and its predecessor firms (1984 to 2009)    48   

Director, Citizens National Bank of Greater St. Louis

(since 2006)

Jerry A. Viscione

Born 1944

   Trustee    Since
1993
   Retired    48    None

 

29


Name and Year of Birth

   Position(s)
with Trust
   Term of
Office*
and
Length of
Time
Served**
  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

   Number of
Funds in
Fund
Complex
Overseen
by Trustee
  

Other Board
Memberships
Held by Trustee
During

Past 5 Years

Interested Trustee and Officer:

           

R. Jay Gerken, CFA†

Born 1951

   Trustee,

President,
Chairman
and Chief
Executive
Officer

   Since
2002
   Managing Director, Legg Mason & Co., LLC (“Legg Mason & Co.”); Chairman of the Board and Trustee/Director of 159 funds associated with Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA” or the “sub-administrator”) and its affiliates; President of LMPFA (since 2006); Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason or its affiliates; formerly, President and CEO, Smith Barney Fund Management LLC (“SBFM”) and Chairman, President and CEO, Citi Fund Management, Inc. (“CFM”) (formerly registered investment advisers) (since 2002); formerly, Managing Director of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“CGMI”) (1989 to 2006); formerly, Chairman, President and CEO, Travelers Investment Adviser Inc. (2002 to 2005)    159    Former Trustee, Consulting Group Capital Markets Funds (11 funds) (2002 to 2006)

 

# Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the fund within the meaning of Section 2(a) (19) of the 1940 Act.
* Each Trustee serves until his respective successor has been duly elected and qualified or until his earlier death, resignation, retirement or removal.
** Indicates the earliest year in which the Trustee became a board member for a fund in the Legg Mason fund complex.
Mr. Gerken is an “interested person” of the fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, because of his position with LMPFA and/or certain of its affiliates.

 

30


Name, Year of Birth

and Address

   Position(s)

with Trust
   Term of Office*
and Length of
Time Served**
  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

Additional Officers:

        

Ted P. Becker

Born 1951

Legg Mason

620 Eighth Avenue

New York, NY 10018

   Chief
Compliance
Officer
   Since
2006
   Director of Global Compliance at Legg Mason (since 2006); Chief Compliance Officer of LMPFA (since 2006); Managing Director of Compliance at Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005); Chief Compliance Officer with certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co., LMPFA and certain affiliates (since 2006); formerly, Managing Director of Compliance at Citigroup Asset Management (“CAM”) or its predecessors (2002 to 2005)

Vanessa Williams

Born 1979

Legg Mason

100 First Stamford Place

Stamford, CT 06902

   Chief Anti-
Money
Laundering

Compliance
Officer

 

Identity
Theft

Prevention
Officer

   Since
2011

 

Since
2011

   Identity Theft Prevention Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (since 2011); Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (since 2011); formerly, Assistant Vice President and Senior Compliance Officer of Legg Mason & Co. or its predecessor (2008 to 2011); formerly, Compliance Analyst of Legg Mason & Co. or its predecessor (2004 to 2008)
        

Robert I. Frenkel

Born 1954

Legg Mason

100 First Stamford Place

Stamford, CT 06902

   Secretary
and Chief

Legal
Officer

   Since

2003

   Vice President of Legg Mason (since 2006); Managing Director and General Counsel of Global Mutual Funds for Legg Mason & Co. and its predecessors (since 1994); Secretary and Chief Legal Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. and its predecessors (since 2003)

Thomas C. Mandia

Born 1962

Legg Mason

100 First Stamford Place

Stamford, CT 06902

   Assistant
Secretary
   Since

2000

   Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005); Secretary of LMPFA (since 2006); Assistant Secretary of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. and its predecessors (since 2006); formerly, Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel for CAM (1992 to 2005)

Kaprel Ozsolak

Born 1965

Legg Mason

55 Water Street

New York, NY 10041

   Chief
Financial
Officer
   Since

2004

   Director of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005); Chief Financial Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005); formerly, Treasurer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. (2005 to 2010); formerly, Vice President at CAM (1996 to 2005); formerly, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of certain mutual funds associated with certain predecessor firms of Legg Mason & Co. (2004 to 2005); formerly, Controller of certain mutual funds associated with certain predecessor firms of Legg Mason & Co. (2002 to 2004)

 

31


Name, Year of Birth

and Address

   Position(s)

with Trust
   Term of Office*
and Length of
Time Served**
  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

Albert Laskaj

Born 1977

Legg Mason

55 Water Street

New York, NY 10041

   Treasurer    Since

2010

   Treasurer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. (since 2010); Vice President of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2008); formerly, Controller of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. (2007 to 2010); formerly, Assistant Controller of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. (2005 to 2007); formerly, Accounting Manager of certain mutual funds associated with certain predecessor firms of Legg Mason & Co. (2003 to 2005)

Jeanne M. Kelly

Born 1951

Legg Mason

620 Eighth Avenue

New York, NY 10018

   Senior
Vice

President

   Since

2007

   Senior Vice President of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (since 2007); Senior Vice President of LMPFA (since 2006); Managing Director of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005); formerly, Director of Global Fund Administration, CAM (1996 to 2005)

 

*

Each officer serves until his or her respective successor has been duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation, retirement or removal.

**

Indicates the earliest year in which the officer took such office for a fund in the Legg Mason fund complex.

Each Trustee previously served as a trustee or director of certain predecessor funds in the fund complex, and each Trustee was thus initially selected by the board of the applicable predecessor funds. In connection with a restructuring of the fund complex completed in 2007, the Board was established to oversee mutual funds in the fund complex that invest primarily in equity securities, including the fund, with a view to ensuring continuity of representation by board members of predecessor funds on the Board and in order to establish a Board with experience in and focused on overseeing equity mutual funds, which experience would be further developed and enhanced over time.

In connection with the restructuring, the Trustees were selected to join the Board based upon the following as to each Trustee: character and integrity; service as a board member of predecessor funds; willingness to serve and willingness and ability to commit the time necessary to perform the duties of a Trustee; the fact that service as a Trustee would be consistent with the requirements of the Trust’s retirement policies; as to each Trustee other than Mr. Gerken, the Trustee’s status as not being an “interested person” of the fund, as defined in the 1940 Act; and, as to Mr. Gerken, his status as a representative of Legg Mason. Independent Trustees constitute more than 75% of the Board. Mr. Gerken serves as Chairman of the Board and is an interested person of the fund.

The Board believes that each Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that the Board possesses the requisite attributes and skills. The Board believes that the Trustees’ ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the manager, other service providers, counsel and the independent registered public accounting firm, and to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties support this conclusion. In addition, the following specific experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills apply to each Trustee.

Each Trustee has served as a board member of the fund and other funds (or predecessor funds) in the fund complex for at least eight years. Mr. Ades has substantial experience practicing law and advising clients with

 

32


respect to various business transactions. Mr. Breech has substantial experience as the chief executive of a private corporation. Mr. Crane has substantial experience as an economist, academic and business consultant. Mr. Hubbard has substantial experience in business development and was a senior executive of an operating company. Mr. Johnson has substantial experience as the chief executive of an operating company and in the financial services industry, including as an actuary and pension consultant. Mr. Maryatt has substantial experience in business focusing on real estate development. Mr. Jerome Miller had substantial experience as an executive in the asset management group of a major broker/dealer. Mr. Ken Miller has substantial experience as a senior executive of an operating company. Mr. Murphy has substantial experience in the asset management business and has current and prior service on the boards of other mutual funds and corporations. Mr. Schlafly has substantial experience practicing law and also serves as the president of a private corporation and as director of a bank. Mr. Viscione has substantial experience as an academic and senior executive of a major university. Mr. Gerken has been the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Trust and other funds in the fund complex since 2002 and has substantial experience as an executive and portfolio manager and in leadership roles with Legg Mason and affiliated entities. References to the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of Trustees are pursuant to requirements of the SEC, do not constitute holding out of the Board or any Trustee as having any special expertise, and shall not impose any greater responsibility or liability on any such person or on the Board.

The Board has five standing Committees: the Audit Committee, the Contract Committee, the Performance Committee, the Governance Committee, and the Compensation and Nominating Committee (which is a sub-committee of the Governance Committee). Each Committee is chaired by an Independent Trustee. The Audit Committee and the Governance Committee are composed of all of the Independent Trustees. The Contract Committee is composed of four Independent Trustees. The Performance Committee is composed of three Independent Trustees and the Chairman of the Board. The Compensation and Nominating Committee is composed of four Independent Trustees. The Lead Independent Trustee (the “Lead Trustee”) serves as the Chair of the Governance Committee. Where deemed appropriate, the Board may constitute ad hoc committees.

The Lead Trustee and the chairs of the Audit and Performance Committees work with the Chairman of the Board to set the agendas for Board and committee meetings. The Lead Trustee also serves as a key point person for interaction between management and the Independent Trustees. Through the committees the Independent Trustees consider and address important matters involving the fund, including those presenting conflicts or potential conflicts of interest for management. The Independent Trustees also regularly meet outside the presence of management and are advised by independent legal counsel. The Board has determined that its committees help ensure that the fund has effective and independent governance and oversight. The Board also has determined that its leadership structure is appropriate, given Legg Mason’s sponsorship of the fund and that investors have selected Legg Mason to provide overall management to the fund. The Board also believes that its leadership structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information between the Independent Trustees and management.

The Audit Committee oversees the scope of the fund’s audit, the fund’s accounting and financial reporting policies and practices and its internal controls. The Audit Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for oversight of the integrity of the fund’s accounting, auditing and financial reporting practices, the qualifications and independence of the fund’s independent registered public accounting firm and the fund’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee approves, and recommends to the Board for ratification, the selection, appointment, retention or termination of the fund’s independent registered public accounting firm and approves the compensation of the independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee also approves all audit and permissible non-audit services provided to the fund by the independent registered public accounting firm and all permissible non-audit services provided by the fund’s independent registered public accounting firm to its manager and any affiliated service providers if the engagement relates directly to the fund’s operations and financial reporting. The Audit Committee also assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for the review and negotiation of the fund’s investment management arrangements.

 

33


The Contract Committee is charged with assisting the Board in requesting and evaluating such information from the manager as may reasonably be necessary to evaluate the terms of the fund’s investment management agreement and distribution arrangements.

The Performance Committee is charged with assisting the Board in carrying out its oversight responsibilities over the fund and fund management with respect to investment management, objectives, strategies, policies and procedures, performance and performance benchmarks, and the applicable risk management process.

The Governance Committee is charged with overseeing Board governance and related Trustee practices, including selecting and nominating persons for election or appointment by the Board as Trustees of the Trust. The Governance Committee has formed the Compensation and Nominating Committee, the function of which is to recommend to the Board the appropriate compensation for serving as a Trustee on the Board. In addition, the Compensation and Nominating Committee is responsible for, among other things, selecting and recommending candidates to fill vacancies on the Board. The Committee may consider nominees recommended by a shareholder. In evaluating potential nominees, including any nominees recommended by shareholders, the Committee takes into consideration various factors, including, among any others it may deem relevant, character and integrity, business and professional experience, and whether the committee believes the person has the ability to apply sound and independent business judgment and would act in the interest of the fund and its shareholders. Shareholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send recommendations to the Trust’s Secretary that include all information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for the election of Trustees. A recommendation must be accompanied by a written consent of the individual to stand for election if nominated by the Board and to serve if elected by the shareholders.

Service providers to the fund, primarily the fund’s manager and, as appropriate, its affiliates, have responsibility for the day-to-day management of the fund, which includes responsibility for risk management. As an integral part of its responsibility for oversight of the fund, the Board oversees risk management of the fund’s investment program and business affairs. Oversight of the risk management process is part of the Board’s general oversight of the fund and its service providers. The Board has emphasized to the fund’s manager the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management. The Board exercises oversight of the risk management process primarily through the Audit Committee and the Performance Committee, and through oversight by the Board itself.

The fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment risk, counterparty risk, valuation risk, reputational risk, risk of operational failure or lack of business continuity, and legal, compliance and regulatory risk. Risk management seeks to identify and address risks, i.e. , events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the fund. The fund’s manager, the affiliates of the manager or various service providers to the fund employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify various of those possible events or circumstances, to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks. Various personnel, including the fund’s and the manager’s Chief Compliance Officer and the manager’s chief risk officer, as well as personnel of other service providers, such as the fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, make periodic reports to the Audit Committee, the Performance Committee or to the Board with respect to various aspects of risk management, as well as events and circumstances that have arisen and responses thereto. The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the fund can be identified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the fund’s goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Trustees as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to inherent limitations.

 

34


The Board met 6 times during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011. The Audit Committee, the Contract Committee, the Performance Committee, the Governance Committee and the Compensation and Nominating Committee met 4, 2, 4, 4 and 1 time(s), respectively, during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011.

The following table shows the amount of equity securities owned by the Trustees in the fund and other investment companies in the fund complex overseen by the Trustees as of December 31, 2010.

 

Name of Trustee

   Dollar Range of
Equity
Securities in
the Fund ($)
   Aggregate Dollar Range
of Equity Securities in
Registered Investment
Companies Overseen by
Trustee ($)

Independent Trustees

     

Paul R. Ades

   None    Over 100,000

Andrew L. Breech

   None    Over 100,000

Dwight B. Crane

   None    Over 100,000

Frank G. Hubbard

   10,001-50,000    Over 100,000

Howard J. Johnson

   None    Over 100,000

David E. Maryatt

   None    None ( 1 )

Jerome H. Miller

   None    Over 100,000

Ken Miller

   None    50,001-100,000

John J. Murphy

   None    Over 100,000

Thomas F. Schlafly

   None    Over 100,000

Jerry A. Viscione

   10,001-50,000    Over 100,000

Interested Trustee

     

R. Jay Gerken

   1-10,000    Over 100,000

 

(1)  

As of December 31, 2010, Mr. Maryatt had between $10,001-$50,000 invested in Legg Mason funds not overseen by him as a Trustee.

As of December 31, 2010, none of the Independent Trustees or their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of the manager, sub-administrator, or distributor of the fund, or of a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with the manager, sub-administrator, or distributor of the fund.

The Independent Trustees receive a fee for each meeting of the Board and committee meetings attended and are reimbursed for all out-of-pocket expenses relating to attendance at such meetings. Mr. Gerken, an “interested person” of the fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, does not receive compensation from the fund for his service as Trustee, but may be reimbursed for all out-of-pocket expenses relating to attendance at such meetings.

The fund pays a pro rata share of the Trustees’ fees based upon asset size. The fund currently pays each of the Independent Trustees its pro rata share of: an annual fee of $120,000, plus $20,000 for each regularly scheduled Board meeting attended in person, and $1,000 for each telephonic Board meeting in which that Trustee participates. The Lead Trustee receives an additional $25,000 per year, the Chair of the Audit Committee receives an additional $15,000 per year and the Chairs of the Contract Committee, the Performance Committee, and the Compensation and Nominating Committee receive an additional $12,500 per year. Other members of the Contract Committee, the Performance Committee, and the Compensation and Nominating Committee receive an additional $10,000 per year.

Officers of the Trust receive no compensation from the fund, although they may be reimbursed by the fund for reasonable out-of-pocket travel expenses for attending Board meetings.

 

35


Information regarding compensation paid to the Trustees is shown below.

 

Name of Trustee

   Aggregate Compensation
from the Fund (3)  ($)
     Total Pension
or Retirement
Benefits Paid
as Part  of
Fund
Expenses (4)  ($)
     Total
Compensation
from the Fund
Complex Paid to
Trustee ( 2 )  ($)
     Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee (2)
 

Independent Trustees:

           

Paul R. Ades

     3,852         None         212,000         48   

Andrew L. Breech

     3,852         None         212,000         48   

Dwight B. Crane

     4,304         None         237,000         48   

Frank G. Hubbard

     3,852         None         212,000         48   

Howard J. Johnson

     4,105         None         226,625         48   

David E. Maryatt

     3,852         None         212,000         48   

Jerome H. Miller

     3,879         None         213,500         48   

Ken Miller

     3,852         None         212,000         48   

John J. Murphy

     3,897         None         217,000         48   

Thomas F. Schlafly

     3,897         None         213,875         48   

Jerry A. Viscione

     3,852         None         212,000         48   

Interested Trustee:

           

R. Jay Gerken (1)

     None         None         None         159   

 

(1)

Mr. Gerken was not compensated for his services as a Trustee because of his affiliation with the manager.

(2)

Information is for the calendar year ended December 31, 2010. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2010, Robert M. Frayn, Jr., former Trustee of the fund, received $247,388 in deferred compensation from the fund complex.

(3)  

Information is for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011.

(4)

Pursuant to prior retirement plans, the fund made no payments to former Trustees for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011.

As of August 9, 2011, the Trustees and officers of the Trust, as a group, owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the fund.

As of August 9, 2011, to the knowledge of the fund, the following shareholders or “groups” (as the term is used in Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) owned beneficially or of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the following classes of the fund:

 

Class

  

Name and Address

   Percent of Ownership (%)  

Class 1

  

BNY MELLON INVESTMENT SERVICING

(US) INC

FBO PRIMERICA FINANCIAL SERVICES

760 MOORE RD

KING OF PRUSSIA PA 19406-1212

     100.00

Class A

  

CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS

HOUSE ACCOUNT

700 RED BROOK BLVD

OWINGS MILLS MD 21117-5184

     26.93

Class A

  

BNY MELLON INVESTMENT SERVICING

(US) INC

FBO PRIMERICA FINANCIAL SERVICES

760 MOORE RD

KING OF PRUSSIA PA 19406-1212

     57.82

 

36


Class

  

Name and Address

   Percent of Ownership (%)  

Class B

  

CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS

HOUSE ACCOUNT

700 RED BROOK BLVD

OWINGS MILLS MD 21117-5184

     13.46

Class B

  

PERSHING LLC

1 PERSHING PLZ

JERSEY CITY NJ 07399-0001

     14.93

Class B

  

BNY MELLON INVESTMENT SERVICING (US) INC

FBO PRIMERICA FINANCIAL SERVICES

760 MOORE RD

KING OF PRUSSIA PA 19406-1212

     62.57

Class C

  

CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS

HOUSE ACCOUNT

700 RED BROOK BLVD

OWINGS MILLS MD 21117-5184

     76.25

Class I

  

FIRST CLEARING, LLC

SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE

EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER

2801 MARKET STREET

ST LOUIS MO 63103-2523

     7.84

Class I

  

WILLIAM H MILLER III

RUXTON MD 21204-3606

     11.22

Class I

  

DAVID E NELSON &

BETSY S NELSON JTWROS

BALTIMORE MD 21218-1022

     11.55

Class I

  

CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS

HOUSE ACCOUNT

700 RED BROOK BLVD

OWINGS MILLS MD 21117-5184

     18.59

Class I

  

MLPF&S FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS

ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION

4800 DEER LAKE DRIVE EAST

3RD FLOOR

JACKSONVILLE FL 32246-6484

     39.67

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AND OTHER SERVICES

Manager and Sub-administrator

Legg Mason Capital Management, LLC (“LMCM” or the “manager”) serves as the investment manager to the fund pursuant to an investment management agreement (the “Management Agreement”) with the Trust on behalf of the fund. LMCM selects the fund’s investments, oversees its operations and provides administrative services. LMCM, with offices at 100 International Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, manages assets for clients around the globe including corporations, public funds, government entities, endowments, foundations and

 

37


individual investors. Clients invest with LMCM through separately managed accounts, sub-advised funds and Legg Mason-sponsored mutual funds. Since 1982, with the introduction of Legg Mason Value Trust, LMCM has distinguished itself by applying its distinct value investment process. As of June 30, 2011, LMCM’s investment personnel managed approximately $11.6 billion in separate accounts and pooled assets.

LMPFA, with offices at 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10018, serves as the sub-administrator for the fund, providing certain administrative services for the fund pursuant to a sub-administration agreement between LMCM and LMPFA. LMCM, not the fund, pays LMPFA for its services as sub-administrator.

LMCM and LMPFA are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Legg Mason. Legg Mason, whose principal executive offices are at 100 International Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, is a global asset management company. As of June 30, 2011, Legg Mason’s asset management operations had aggregate assets under management of approximately $662.5 billion.

Under the Management Agreement, LMCM, subject to the supervision of the Board, regularly provides the fund with investment research, advice, management and supervision, furnishes a continuous investment program for the fund’s portfolio of securities and other investments consistent with the fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions, determines from time to time what securities and other investments will be purchased, retained or sold by the fund and implements those decisions subject to the provisions of the fund’s governing documents, the 1940 Act, the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and other applicable federal and state law, as well as any specific policies adopted by the Board and disclosed to the manager. The Management Agreement further provides that the manager provides advice and recommendations with respect to any other aspects of the business and affairs of the fund, and exercises voting rights, rights to consent to corporate action and any other rights pertaining to the fund’s portfolio securities subject to such direction as the Board may provide, and performs such other functions of investment management and supervision as may be directed by the Board.

The Management Agreement will continue in effect for its initial term and thereafter from year to year, provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (a) by the Board or by a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the fund (as defined in the 1940 Act), and (b) in either event, by a majority of the Independent Trustees with such Independent Trustees casting votes in person at a meeting called for such purpose.

The Management Agreement provides that the manager may render services to others. The Management Agreement is terminable without penalty on not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice by the fund when authorized either by a vote of holders of shares representing a majority of the voting power of the outstanding voting securities of the fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) or by a vote of a majority of the Trustees, or by the manager on not less than 90 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Management Agreement is not assignable by the Trust except with the consent of the manager. The Management Agreement provides that neither the manager nor its personnel shall be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission in the execution of security transactions for the fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence or reckless disregard of its or their obligations and duties.

The Management Agreement provides for the payment of a fee computed daily at an annual rate based on the fund’s average daily net assets in accordance with the following schedule:

 

Average Daily Net Assets

   Investment
Management
Fee Rate (%)
 

First $2 billion

     0.700   

Over $2 billion

     0.650   

 

38


For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2011, 2010 and 2009, the fund paid management fees as follows:

 

For the fiscal year ended April 30

   Gross
Management
Fees ($)
     Management Fees
Waived/Expense
Reimbursements ($)
     Net
Management
Fees (After
Waivers/Expense
Reimbursements) ($)
 

2011

     3,391,079         3,647         3,387,432   

2010

     3,280,744         469,183         2,811,561   

2009

     3,416,770         1,022,025         2,394,745   

The Management Agreement provides that LMCM will perform such administrative and management services as may from time to time reasonably be requested by the fund as necessary for the operation of the fund, subject to the direction and control of the Board. Such administrative services include (a) supervising the overall administration of the fund, including negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billings of, the fund’s transfer agent, shareholder servicing agents, custodians and other independent contractors or agents; (b) providing certain compliance, fund accounting, regulatory reporting and tax reporting services; (c) preparing or participating in the preparation of Board materials, registration statements, proxy statements and reports and other communications to shareholders; (d) maintaining the fund’s existence; and (e) during such times as shares are publicly offered, maintaining the registration and qualification of the fund’s shares under federal and state laws. LMCM has entered into a sub-administration agreement pursuant to which LMPFA provides such administrative services to the fund. LMCM, not the fund, pays LMPFA for its services as sub-administrator.

For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2009, April 30, 2010 and April 30, 2011, LMPFA received the following for its services as sub-administrator:

 

For the fiscal year ended April 30

   Sub-administrator Fee ($)  

2009

     188,004   

2010

     200,843   

2011

     242,220   

Portfolio Managers

The following tables set forth certain additional information with respect to the portfolio managers for the fund. Unless noted otherwise, all information is provided as of April 30, 2011.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

The table below identifies the portfolio managers, the number of accounts (other than the fund) for which each portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, other accounts and, if applicable, the number of accounts and total assets in the accounts where fees are based on performance.

 

     

Type of Account

  Number of
Accounts Managed
  Total Assets
Managed ($)
  Number of Accounts
Managed for which
Advisory Fee is
Performance-Based
  Assets Managed for
which Advisory Fee is
Performance-Based  ($)

Jay Leopold

  Registered investment companies   0   0   0   0
  Other pooled investment vehicles   0   0   0   0
  Other accounts   0   0   0   0

 

39


     

Type of Account

  Number of
Accounts Managed
  Total Assets
Managed ($)
  Number of Accounts
Managed for which
Advisory Fee is
Performance-Based
  Assets Managed for
which Advisory Fee is
Performance-Based  ($)

Bill Miller

  Registered investment companies   2   5.7 billion   0   0
  Other pooled investment vehicles   1   29.9 million   0   0
  Other accounts   1   271 million   0   0

Portfolio Manager Compensation

Mr. Leopold is paid a fixed base salary and a bonus. Bonus compensation is reviewed annually and is determined by a number of factors, including the annual performance of the portfolio manager’s accounts relative to the benchmark, the consistency of the portfolio manager’s performance, the total value of the assets managed by the portfolio manager, the portfolio manager’s contribution to the manager’s research process, the profitability of the manager, the portfolio manager’s contribution to profitability and trends in industry compensation levels and practices.

Mr. Miller serves as Chairman and Chief Investment Officer for LMCM and as Managing Member for LMM, LLC. Mr. Miller has an ownership interest in LMM, LLC and, therefore, receives a portion of its profits. He also has an employment contract with Legg Mason that is designed to compensate him in a similar manner based on the financial results of LMCM.

Each of the portfolio managers is also eligible to receive stock options from Legg Mason based upon an assessment of the portfolio manager’s contribution to the success of the company, as well as employee benefits, including, but not limited to, health care and other insurance benefits, participation in the Legg Mason 401(k) program, and participation in other Legg Mason deferred compensation plans.

Potential Conflicts of Interest.

LMCM realizes the fact that a portfolio manager having day-to-day management responsibility for more than one account may create the potential for conflicts to arise.

The manager and the fund have adopted compliance policies and procedures that are designed to address various conflicts of interest that may arise for the manager and the individuals that it employs. The manager has also adopted trade allocation procedures that are designed to facilitate the fair allocation of limited investment opportunities among multiple funds and accounts. There is no guarantee, however, that the policies and procedures adopted by the manager and the fund will be able to detect and/or prevent every situation in which an actual or potential conflict may appear. These potential conflicts include:

Allocation of Limited Time and Attention. A portfolio manager who is responsible for managing multiple funds and/or accounts may devote unequal time and attention to the management of those funds and/or accounts. As a result, the portfolio manager may not be able to formulate as complete a strategy or identify equally attractive investment opportunities for each of those accounts as might be the case if he or she were to devote substantially more attention to the management of a single fund. The effects of this potential conflict may be more pronounced where funds and/or accounts overseen by a particular portfolio manager have different investment strategies.

Allocation of Limited Investment Opportunities. A portfolio manager may have an opportunity to purchase investments of limited availability. In this circumstance, the portfolio manager will review each account’s investment guidelines, restrictions, tax considerations, cash balances, liquidity needs and other factors to determine the suitability of the investment for each account and LMCM’s Compliance Department will review

 

40


all allocations to ensure that accounts are treated equitably. The portfolio manager may also decide to purchase or sell the same security for multiple accounts at approximately the same time. To address any conflicts that this situation might create, LMCM will generally combine client orders ( i.e., enter a “bunched” order) in an effort to obtain best execution or to negotiate a more favorable commission rate. In addition, if orders to buy or sell a security for multiple accounts at approximately the same time are executed at different prices or commissions, the transactions will generally be allocated to each account at the average execution price and commission. In circumstances where a bunched order is not completely filled, each account will normally receive a pro-rated portion of the securities based upon the account’s level of participation in the order. LMCM may under certain circumstances allocate securities in a manner other than pro-rata if it determines that the allocation is fair and equitable under the circumstances and does not discriminate against any account.

Pursuit of Differing Strategies. At times, a portfolio manager may determine that an investment opportunity may be appropriate for only some of the funds and/or accounts for which he or she exercises investment responsibility, or may decide that certain of the funds and/or accounts should take differing positions with respect to a particular security. In these cases, the portfolio manager may place separate transactions for one or more funds or accounts which may affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transaction, or both, to the detriment or benefit of one or more other funds and/or accounts.

Selection of Broker/Dealers. Portfolio managers may be able to select or influence the selection of the brokers and dealers that are used to execute securities transactions for the funds and/or accounts that they supervise. In addition to executing trades, some brokers and dealers provide brokerage and research services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act), which may result in the payment of higher brokerage fees than might have otherwise been available. These services may be more beneficial to certain funds or accounts than to others. Although the payment of brokerage commissions is subject to the requirement that the manager determine in good faith that the commissions are reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided to the fund, a decision as to the selection of brokers and dealers could yield disproportionate costs and benefits among the funds and/or accounts managed.

Variation in Compensation. A conflict of interest may arise where the financial or other benefits available to the portfolio manager differ among the funds and/or accounts that he or she manages. If the structure of the manager’s management fee and/or the portfolio manager’s compensation differs among funds and/or accounts (such as where certain funds or accounts pay higher management fees or performance-based management fees), the portfolio manager might be motivated to help certain funds and/or accounts over others. The portfolio manager might be motivated to favor funds and/or accounts in which he or she has an interest or in which the manager and/or its affiliates have interests. Similarly, the desire to maintain assets under management or to enhance the portfolio manager’s performance record or to derive other rewards, financial or otherwise, could influence the portfolio manager in affording preferential treatment to those funds and/or accounts that could most significantly benefit the portfolio manager.

Some of the accounts managed by LMCM’s portfolio managers pay performance fees, and thus may pay higher fees to LMCM than other accounts if certain performance objectives and other requirements are met. Since the compensation of each of LMCM’s portfolio managers is impacted by firm profitability, it is possible under certain circumstances that a portfolio manager’s compensation could be more positively impacted if an account that pays a performance fee performs better than accounts that do not. LMCM realizes that this could create a possible conflict of interest. However, in accordance with LMCM’s written policies and procedures, investment ideas are generally implemented in all similarly managed accounts at the same time, subject to considerations of each account’s investment guidelines, restrictions, tax considerations, cash balances, liquidity needs, trading costs and other factors. These policies and procedures are designed to ensure that all accounts are treated equitably, regardless of the fees, including any performance fees, that these accounts generate for LMCM.

Related Business Opportunities . The manager or its affiliates may provide more services (such as distribution or recordkeeping) for some types of funds or accounts than for others. In such cases, a portfolio

 

41


manager may benefit, either directly or indirectly, by devoting disproportionate attention to the management of funds and/or accounts that provide greater overall returns to the manager and its affiliates.

In the opinion of LMCM, a portfolio manager’s simultaneous management of the fund and the accounts included in the tables above, all of which are subject to LMCM’s procedures, does not create any material conflicts of interest.

Portfolio Manager Securities Ownership

The table below identifies ownership of the fund’s securities by the portfolio managers as of April 30, 2011.

 

Portfolio Manager

   Dollar Range of
Ownership of Securities ($)
 

Jay Leopold

     500,001-1,000,000   

Bill Miller

     100,001-500,000   

Expenses

In addition to amounts payable under the Management Agreement and the 12b-1 Plan (as discussed below), the fund is responsible for its own expenses, including, among other things: interest; taxes; governmental fees; voluntary assessments and other expenses incurred in connection with membership in investment company organizations; organization costs of the fund; the cost (including brokerage commissions, transaction fees or charges, if any) in connection with the purchase or sale of the fund’s securities and other investments and any losses in connection therewith; fees and expenses of custodians, transfer agents, registrars, independent pricing vendors or other agents; legal expenses; loan commitment fees; expenses relating to share certificates; expenses relating to the issuance and redemption or repurchase of the fund’s shares and servicing shareholder accounts; expenses of registering and qualifying the fund’s shares for sale under applicable federal and state law; expenses of preparing, setting in print, printing and distributing prospectuses and statements of additional information and any supplements thereto, reports, proxy statements, notices and dividends to the fund’s shareholders; costs of stationery; website costs; costs of meetings of the Board or any committee thereof, meetings of shareholders and other meetings of the fund; Board fees; audit fees; travel expenses of officers, Trustees and employees of the fund, if any; the fund’s pro rata portion of premiums on any fidelity bond and other insurance covering the fund and its officers, Trustees and employees; and litigation expenses and any non-recurring or extraordinary expenses as may arise, including, without limitation, those relating to actions, suits or proceedings to which the fund is a party and any legal obligation which the fund may have to indemnify the fund’s Trustees and officers with respect thereto.

Management may agree to implement an expense cap, waive fees and/or reimburse operating expenses for one or more classes of shares. Any such waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses are described in the fund’s Prospectus. The expense caps and waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses do not cover extraordinary expenses, such as (a) any expenses or charges related to litigation, derivative actions, demand related to litigation, regulatory or other government investigations and proceedings, “for cause” regulatory inspections and indemnification or advancement of related expenses or costs, to the extent any such expenses are considered extraordinary expenses for the purposes of fee disclosure in Form N-1A as the same may be amended from time to time; (b) transaction costs (such as brokerage commissions and dealer and underwriter spreads) and taxes; and (c) other extraordinary expenses as determined for the purposes of fee disclosure in Form N-1A, as the same may be amended from time to time. Without limiting the foregoing, extraordinary expenses are generally those that are unusual or expected to recur only infrequently, and may include such expenses, by way of illustration, as (i) expenses of the reorganization, restructuring, redomiciling or merger of the fund or class or the acquisition of all or substantially all of the assets of another fund or class; (ii) expenses of holding, and soliciting proxies for, a meeting of shareholders of the fund or class (except to the extent relating to routine items such as the election of Trustees or the approval of the independent registered public accounting firm); and (iii) expenses of converting to

 

42


a new custodian, transfer agent or other service provider, in each case to the extent any such expenses are considered extraordinary expenses for the purposes of fee disclosure in Form N-1A as the same may be amended from time to time.

In order to implement an expense cap, the manager will, as necessary, waive management fees or reimburse operating expenses. However, the manager is permitted to recapture amounts previously waived or reimbursed by the manager to the fund during the same fiscal year if the fund’s total annual operating expenses have fallen to a level below the expense cap shown in the fund’s Prospectus. In no case will the manager recapture any amount that would result, on any particular fund business day, in the fund’s total annual operating expenses exceeding the expense cap.

Distributor

LMIS, a wholly-owned broker/dealer subsidiary of Legg Mason, located at 100 International Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, serves as the fund’s sole and exclusive distributor pursuant to a written agreement dated December 1, 2005 (the “distribution agreement”).

LMIS may be deemed to be an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act. The distributor’s obligation is an agency or “best efforts” arrangement under which the distributor is required to take and pay only for such shares of the fund as may be sold to the public. The distributor is not obligated to sell any stated number of shares.

The distribution agreement is renewable from year to year if approved (a) by the Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the fund’s outstanding voting securities, and (b) by the affirmative vote of a majority of Independent Trustees who are not parties to such agreement or interested persons of any such party by votes cast in person at a meeting called for such purpose. The distribution agreement provides that it will terminate if assigned, and that it may be terminated without penalty by either party on 60 days’ written notice.

Initial Sales Charge

The aggregate dollar amounts of initial sales charges on Class A shares received by LMIS were as follows:

Class A Shares

 

For the fiscal year ended April 30

   LMIS ($)  

2011

     59,624   

2010

     69,025   

2009

     86,486   

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges

The aggregate dollar amount of contingent deferred sales charges on Class A, Class B and Class C shares received by LMIS were as follows:

Class A Shares

 

For the fiscal year ended April 30

   LMIS ($)  

2011

     227   

2010

     0

2009

     0

 

* Amount represents less than $1,000.

 

43


Class B Shares

 

For the fiscal year ended April 30

   LMIS ($)  

2011

     57,848   

2010

     39,796   

2009

     62,315   

Class C Shares

 

For the fiscal year ended April 30

   LMIS ($)  

2011

     949   

2010

     3,189   

2009

     3,156   

LMIS received no sales charges for Class 1 shares during the fiscal years ended April 30, 2011, April 30, 2010 and April 30, 2009. Class 1 shares were closed to new purchases and incoming exchanges effective July 27, 2007.

Shareholder Services and Distribution Plan

The Trust, on behalf of the fund, has adopted an amended shareholder services and distribution plan (the “12b-1 Plan”) pursuant to Rule l2b-1 under the 1940 Act with respect to its Class A, Class B, Class C, Class FI, Class R and Class R1 shares. Under the 12b-1 Plan, the fund pays distribution fees to LMIS for the services it provides and expenses it bears with respect to the distribution of Class B, Class C, Class R and Class R1 shares and service fees for Class A, Class B, Class C, Class FI, Class R and Class R1 shares. The distributor will provide the Board with periodic reports of amounts expended under the 12b-1 Plan and the purposes for which such expenditures were made. The fund pays service fees, accrued daily and payable monthly, calculated at the annual rate of 0.25% of the value of the fund’s average daily net assets attributable to the fund’s Class A, Class B, Class C, Class FI, Class R and Class R1 shares. In addition, the fund pays distribution fees with respect to the Class B, Class C and Class R1 shares at the annual rate of 0.75% of the fund’s average daily net assets attributable to each such class and with respect to the Class R shares at the annual rate of 0.25% of the fund’s average daily net assets attributable to such class.

Fees under the 12b-1 Plan may be used to make payments to the distributor for distribution services, Service Agents and other parties in respect of the sale of shares of the fund, and to make payments for advertising, marketing or other promotional activity, and payments for preparation, printing and distribution of prospectuses, statements of additional information and reports for recipients other than regulators and existing shareholders. The fund may also make payments to the distributor, Service Agents and others for providing personal service or the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The amounts paid to each recipient may vary based upon certain factors, including, among other things, the levels of sales of fund shares and/or shareholder services provided.

The 12b-1 Plan also provides that the distributor and Service Agents may receive all or a portion of the sales charges paid by Class A, Class B and Class C investors.

The 12b-1 Plan permits the fund to pay fees to the distributor, Service Agents and others as compensation for their services, not as reimbursement for specific expenses incurred. Thus, even if their expenses exceed the fees provided for by the 12b-1 Plan, the fund will not be obligated to pay more than those fees and, if their expenses are less than the fees paid to them, they will realize a profit. The fund may pay the fees to the distributor and others until the 12b-1 Plan or distribution agreement is terminated or not renewed. In that event, the distributor’s or other recipient’s expenses in excess of fees received or accrued through the termination date will be the distributor’s or other recipient’s sole responsibility and not obligations of the fund. In their annual consideration of the continuation of the 12b-1 Plan for the fund, the Trustees will review the 12b-1 Plan and the expenses for each class within the fund separately.

 

44


The 12b-1 Plan also recognizes that various service providers to the fund, such as the manager, may make payments for distribution-related expenses out of their own resources, including past profits, or payments received from the fund for other purposes, such as management fees, and that the fund’s distributor or Service Agents may from time to time use their own resources for distribution-related services, in addition to the fees paid under the 12b-1 Plan. The 12b-1 Plan specifically provides that, to the extent that such payments might be deemed to be indirect financing of any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of the fund within the context of Rule 12b-1, then the payments are deemed to be authorized by the 12b-1 Plan, if permitted under applicable law.

The 12b-1 Plan continues in effect if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a vote of both a majority of the Trustees and a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Trust who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the 12b-1 Plan or in any agreement related to the 12b-1 Plan (for purposes of this paragraph “Qualified Trustees”). The Qualified Trustees, in the exercise of their business judgment in the best interests of the shareholders of the fund and each class, have approved the continuation of the 12b-1 Plan. The 12b-1 Plan requires that the fund and the distributor provide to the Board and the Board review, at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts expended (and the purposes therefor) under the 12b-1 Plan. The 12b-1 Plan further provides that the selection and nomination of the Qualified Trustees is committed to the discretion of the Qualified Trustees then in office. The 12b-1 Plan may be terminated with respect to any class of the fund at any time by a vote of a majority of the fund’s Qualified Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of that class. The 12b-1 Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of permitted expenses of the class thereunder without the approval of a majority of the outstanding securities of that class and may not be materially amended in any case without a vote of a majority of both the Trustees and Qualified Trustees. The fund will preserve copies of any plan, agreement or report made pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan for a period of not less than six years, and for the first two years the fund will preserve such copies in an easily accessible place.

As contemplated by the 12b-1 Plan, the distributor acts as an agent of the fund in connection with the offering of shares of the fund pursuant to the distribution agreement. Dealer reallowances, if any, are described in the fund’s Prospectus.

The following service and distribution fees were incurred by the fund pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011:

 

     Fiscal Year Ended
April 30, 2011 ($)
 

Class A

     495,498   

Class B

     387,336   

Class C

     652,753   

Distribution expenses incurred by LMIS during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011 for compensation to Service Agents, printing costs of prospectuses and marketing materials are expressed in the following table.

 

     Third Party
Fees ($)
     Financial
Consultant
Compensation
(Amortized) ($)
     Marketing ($)      Printing ($)      Total
Current
Expenses ($)
 

Class A

     497,365         0         0         N/A         497,365   

Class B

     277,359         32,448         12,384         245         322,436   

Class C

     632,659         14,136         3,596         517         650,908   

No information is presented for Class FI, Class R or Class R1 shares because no shares of those classes were outstanding during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011.

 

45


Custodian and Transfer Agents

State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, serves as the custodian of the fund. State Street, among other things, maintains a custody account or accounts in the name of the fund, receives and delivers all assets for the fund upon purchase and upon sale or maturity, collects and receives all income and other payments and distributions on account of the assets of the fund and makes disbursements on behalf of the fund. State Street neither determines the fund’s investment policies nor decides which securities the fund will buy or sell. For its services, State Street receives a monthly fee based upon the daily average market value of securities held in custody and also receives securities transaction charges, including out-of-pocket expenses. The fund may also periodically enter into arrangements with other qualified custodians with respect to certain types of securities or other transactions such as repurchase agreements or derivatives transactions. State Street may also act as the fund’s securities lending agent and in that case would receive a share of the income generated by such activities.

Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. (“BFDS” or the “transfer agent”), located at 2000 Crown Colony Drive, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169, serves as the fund’s transfer agent. Under the transfer agency agreement with BFDS, BFDS maintains the shareholder account records for the fund, handles certain communications between shareholders and the fund and distributes dividends and distributions payable by the fund. For these services, BFDS receives a monthly fee computed on the basis of the number of shareholder accounts it maintains for the fund during the month and is reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses.

BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (“BNY”), located at 4400 Computer Drive, Westborough, Massachusetts 01581, serves as co-transfer agent with BFDS with respect to shares purchased by clients of certain service providers. Under the co-transfer agency agreement with BNY, BNY maintains the shareholder account records for the fund, handles certain communications between shareholders and the fund and distributes dividends and distributions payable by the fund. For these services, BNY receives a monthly fee computed on the basis of the number of shareholder accounts it maintains for the fund during the month and is reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses.

Counsel

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019, serves as counsel to the Trust and the fund.

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, 180 Maiden Lane, New York, New York 10038, serves as counsel to the Independent Trustees.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, located at 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154, has been selected to audit and report upon the fund’s financial statements and financial highlights for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2012.

Code of Ethics

Pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, the fund, the manager and the distributor have adopted codes of ethics that permit personnel to invest in securities for their own accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by the fund. All personnel must place the interests of clients first and avoid activities, interests and relationships that might interfere with the duty to make decisions in the best interests of the clients. All personal securities transactions by employees must adhere to the requirements of the codes and must be conducted in such a manner as to avoid any actual or potential conflict of interest, the appearance of such a conflict or the abuse of an employee’s position of trust and responsibility. Copies of the codes of ethics of the fund, the manager and the distributor are on file with the SEC.

 

46


Proxy Voting Guidelines and Procedures

Although individual Trustees may not agree with particular policies or votes by the manager, the Board has delegated proxy voting discretion to the manager, believing that the manager should be responsible for voting because it is a matter relating to the investment decision making process.

The manager’s proxy voting policies and procedures govern in determining how proxies relating to the fund’s portfolio securities are voted, a copy of which is attached as Appendix A to this SAI. Information regarding how the fund voted proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available without charge (1) by calling 1-877-721-1926, (2) on the fund’s website at http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors and (3)  on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

PURCHASE OF SHARES

General

Investors may purchase shares from a Service Agent. In addition, certain investors, including retirement plans purchasing through certain Service Agents, may purchase shares directly from the fund. When purchasing shares of the fund, investors must specify whether the purchase is for Class A, Class C, Class FI, Class R, Class R1 or Class I shares. Service Agents may charge their customers an annual account maintenance fee in connection with a brokerage account through which an investor purchases or holds shares. Accounts held directly at the transfer agent are not subject to a maintenance fee. Effective July 27, 2007, the fund’s Class 1 shares were closed to all purchases and incoming exchanges. Investors owning Class 1 shares on that date may continue to maintain their then-current Class 1 shares, but are no longer permitted to add to their Class 1 positions (excluding reinvestments of dividends and distributions).

For additional information regarding applicable investment minimums and eligibility requirements, please see the fund’s Prospectus.

There are minimum investment requirements of $1,000 for initial investments and $50 for subsequent investments for purchases of Class A shares by: (i) current and retired board members of Legg Mason, (ii) current and retired board members of any fund advised by LMPFA or its affiliates (such board members, together with board members of Legg Mason, are referred to herein as “Board Members”), (iii) current employees of Legg Mason and its affiliates, (iv) the “immediate families” of such persons (“immediate families” are such person’s spouse, including the surviving spouse of a deceased Board Member, and children under the age of 21) and (v) a pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for the benefit of such persons. The fund reserves the right to waive or change minimums, to decline any order to purchase its shares and to suspend the offering of shares from time to time.

Purchase orders received by the fund prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE on any day the fund calculates its NAV are priced according to the NAV determined on that day (the “trade date”). Orders received by a Service Agent prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE on any day the fund calculates its NAV are priced according to the NAV determined on that day, provided the order is transmitted by the Service Agent to the fund’s transfer agent in accordance with their agreed-upon procedures. Payment must be made with the purchase order.

Class B Shares . The fund no longer offers Class B shares for new purchases by new and existing investors. Individual Investors who owned Class B shares on June 30, 2011, may continue to hold those shares, but they may not add to their Class B share positions except through dividend reinvestment. Class B shares are available for incoming exchanges and for reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions.

 

47


Class I Shares. The following persons are eligible to purchase Class I shares: (i) current employees of the fund’s manager and its affiliates; (ii) current and former board members of investment companies managed by affiliates of Legg Mason; (iii) current and former board members of Legg Mason; and (iv) the immediate families of such persons. Immediate families are such person’s spouse, including the surviving spouse of a deceased board member, and children under the age of 21. For such investors, the minimum initial investment is $1,000 and the minimum for each purchase of additional shares is $50. Current employees may purchase additional Class I shares through a systematic investment plan.

Under certain circumstances, an investor who purchases fund shares pursuant to a fee-based advisory account program of an Eligible Financial Intermediary as authorized by LMIS may be afforded an opportunity to make a conversion between one or more share classes owned by the investor in the same fund to Class I shares of that fund. Such a conversion in these particular circumstances does not cause the investor to realize taxable gain or loss.

Systematic Investment Plan. Shareholders may make additions to their accounts at any time by purchasing shares through a service known as the Systematic Investment Plan. Under the Systematic Investment Plan, the distributor or the transfer agent is authorized through preauthorized transfers of at least $50 on a monthly, quarterly, every alternate month, semi-annual or annual basis to charge the shareholder’s account held with a bank or other financial institution as indicated by the shareholder, to provide for systematic additions to the shareholder’s fund account. A shareholder who has insufficient funds to complete the transfer will be charged a fee of up to $25 by the distributor or the transfer agent. The Systematic Investment Plan authorizes the distributor to apply cash held in the shareholder’s brokerage account to make additions to the account. Additional information is available from the fund or a Service Agent.

Sales Charge Alternatives

The following classes of shares are available for purchase. See the Prospectus for a discussion of who is eligible to purchase certain classes and of factors to consider in selecting which class of shares to purchase.

Class A Shares. Class A shares are sold to investors at the public offering price, which is the NAV plus an initial sales charge, as described in the fund’s Prospectus.

Members of the selling group may receive a portion of the sales charge as described in the Prospectus and may be deemed to be underwriters of the fund as defined in the 1933 Act. Sales charges are calculated based on the aggregate of purchases of Class A shares of the fund made at one time by any “person,” which includes an individual and his or her spouse and children under the age of 21, or a trustee or other fiduciary of a single trust estate or single fiduciary account. For additional information regarding sales charge reductions, see “Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions” below.

Purchases of Class A shares of $1,000,000 or more will be made at NAV without any initial sales charge, but will be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% on redemptions made within 12 months of purchase. The contingent deferred sales charge is waived in the same circumstances in which the contingent deferred sales charge applicable to Class B and C shares is waived. See “Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Provisions” and “Waivers of Contingent Deferred Sales Charge” below.

Class C Shares. Class C shares are sold without an initial sales charge but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge payable upon certain redemptions. See “Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Provisions” below.

Class FI, Class R, Class R1 and Class I Shares. Class FI, Class R, Class R1 and Class I shares are sold at NAV with no initial sales charge and no contingent deferred sales charge upon redemption.

 

48


Class 1 Shares. Effective July 27, 2007, the fund’s Class 1 shares were closed to all purchases and incoming exchanges.

Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions

Initial Sales Charge Waivers. Purchases of Class A shares may be made at NAV without an initial sales charge in the following circumstances:

 

  (a) sales to (i) current and retired Board Members, (ii) current employees of Legg Mason and its subsidiaries, (iii) the “immediate families” of such persons (“immediate families” are such person’s spouse, including the surviving spouse of a deceased Board Member, and children under the age of 21) and (iv) a pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for the benefit of such persons;

 

  (b) sales to any employees of Service Agents having dealer, service or other selling agreements with the fund’s distributor or otherwise having an arrangement with any such Service Agent with respect to sales of fund shares, and by the immediate families of such persons or by a pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for the benefit of such persons (providing the purchase is made for investment purposes and such securities will not be resold except through redemption or repurchase);

 

  (c) offers of Class A shares to any other investment company to effect the combination of such company with the fund by merger, acquisition of assets or otherwise;

 

  (d) purchases by shareholders who have redeemed Class A shares in the fund (or Class A shares of another fund sold by the distributor that is offered with a sales charge) and who wish to reinvest their redemption proceeds in the fund, provided the reinvestment is made within 60 calendar days of the redemption;

 

  (e) purchases by accounts managed by registered investment advisory subsidiaries of Citigroup Inc. (“Citigroup”);

 

  (f) purchases by certain separate accounts used to fund unregistered variable annuity contracts; and

 

  (g) purchases by investors participating in “wrap fee” or asset allocation programs or other fee-based arrangements sponsored by broker/dealers and other financial institutions that have entered into agreements with LMIS.

In order to obtain such discounts, the purchaser must provide sufficient information at the time of purchase to permit verification that the purchase qualifies for the elimination of the sales charge.

All existing retirement plan shareholders who purchased Class A shares at NAV prior to November 20, 2006, are permitted to purchase additional Class A shares at NAV. Certain existing programs for current and prospective retirement plan investors sponsored by financial intermediaries approved by LMIS prior to November 20, 2006 will also remain eligible to purchase Class A shares at NAV.

Accumulation Privilege —Please see the fund’s Prospectus for information regarding accumulation privileges.

Letter of Intent —Helps you take advantage of breakpoints in Class A sales charges. You may purchase Class A shares of funds sold by the distributor over a 13-month period and pay the same sales charge, if any, as if all shares had been purchased at once. You have a choice of seven Asset Level Goal amounts, as follows:

 

(1)  $ 25,000

   (5)  $ 500,000

(2)  $ 50,000

   (6)  $ 750,000

(3)  $ 100,000

   (7)  $ 1,000,000

(4)  $ 250,000

  

 

49


Each time you make a Class A purchase under a Letter of Intent, you will be entitled to pay the sales charge that is applicable to the amount of your Asset Level Goal. For example, if your Asset Level Goal is $100,000, any Class A investments you make under a Letter of Intent would be subject to the sales charge of the specific fund you are investing in for purchases of $100,000. Sales charges and breakpoints vary among the funds sold by the distributor.

When you enter into a Letter of Intent, you agree to purchase in Eligible Accounts over a thirteen (13) month period Eligible Fund Purchases in an amount equal to the Asset Level Goal you have selected, less any Eligible Prior Purchases. For this purpose, shares are valued at the public offering price (including any sales charge paid) calculated as of the date of purchase, plus any appreciation in the value of the shares as of the date of calculation, except for Eligible Prior Purchases, which are valued at current value as of the date of calculation. Your commitment will be met if at any time during the 13-month period the value, as so determined, of eligible holdings is at least equal to your Asset Level Goal. All reinvested dividends and distributions on shares acquired under the Letter will be credited towards your Asset Level Goal. You may include any Eligible Fund Purchases towards the Letter, including shares of classes other than Class A shares. However, a Letter of Intent will not entitle you to a reduction in the sales charge payable on any shares other than Class A shares, and if the shares are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, you will still be subject to that contingent deferred sales charge with respect to those shares. You must make reference to the Letter of Intent each time you make a purchase under the Letter.

Eligible Fund Purchases. Generally, any shares of a fund sold by the distributor may be credited towards your Asset Level Goal. Shares of money market funds sold by the distributor acquired by exchange from other funds offered with a sales charge may be credited toward your Asset Level Goal.

The eligible funds may change from time to time. Investors should check with their Service Agent to see which funds may be eligible.

Eligible Accounts. Purchases may be made through any account in your name, or in the name of your spouse or your children under the age of 21. You may need to provide certain records, such as account statements, in order to verify your eligibility for reduced sales charges. Contact your Service Agent to see which accounts may be credited toward your Asset Level Goal.

Eligible Prior Purchases. You may also credit towards your Asset Level Goal any Eligible Fund Purchases made in Eligible Accounts at any time prior to entering into the Letter of Intent that have not been sold or redeemed, based on the current price of those shares as of the date of calculation.

Increasing the Amount of the Letter of Intent. You may at any time increase your Asset Level Goal. You must, however, contact your Service Agent, or if you purchase your shares directly through the transfer agent, contact the transfer agent, prior to making any purchases in an amount in excess of your current Asset Level Goal. Upon such an increase, you will be credited by way of additional shares at the then-current offering price for the difference between: (a) the aggregate sales charges actually paid for shares already purchased under the Letter of Intent and (b) the aggregate applicable sales charges for the increased Asset Level Goal. The 13-month period during which the Asset Level Goal must be achieved will remain unchanged.

Sales and Exchanges. Shares acquired pursuant to a Letter of Intent, other than Escrowed Shares as defined below, may be redeemed or exchanged at any time, although any shares that are redeemed prior to meeting your Asset Level Goal will no longer count towards meeting your Asset Level Goal. However, complete liquidation of purchases made under a Letter of Intent prior to meeting the Asset Level Goal will result in the cancellation of the Letter. See “Failure to Meet Asset Level Goal” below. Exchanges in accordance with the fund’s Prospectus are permitted, and shares so exchanged will continue to count towards your Asset Level Goal, as long as the exchange results in an Eligible Fund Purchase.

 

50


Cancellation of Letter of Intent. You may cancel a Letter of Intent by notifying your Service Agent in writing, or if you purchase your shares directly through the transfer agent, by notifying the transfer agent in writing. The Letter will be automatically cancelled if all shares are sold or redeemed as set forth above. See “Failure to Meet Asset Level Goal” below.

Escrowed Shares. Shares equal in value to five percent (5%) of your Asset Level Goal as of the date your Letter of Intent (or the date of any increase in the amount of the Letter) is accepted will be held in escrow during the term of your Letter. The Escrowed Shares will be included in the total shares owned as reflected in your account statement and any dividends and capital gains distributions applicable to the Escrowed Shares will be credited to your account and counted towards your Asset Level Goal or paid in cash upon request. The Escrowed Shares will be released from escrow if all the terms of your Letter are met.

Failure to Meet Asset Level Goal. If the total assets under your Letter of Intent within its 13-month term are less than your Asset Level Goal whether because you made insufficient Eligible Fund Purchases, redeemed all of your holdings or cancelled the Letter before reaching your Asset Level Goal, you will be liable for the difference between: (a) the sales charge actually paid and (b) the sales charge that would have applied if you had not entered into the Letter. You may, however, be entitled to any breakpoints that would have been available to you under the accumulation privilege. An appropriate number of shares in your account will be redeemed to realize the amount due. For these purposes, by entering into a Letter of Intent, you irrevocably appoint your Service Agent, or if you purchase your shares directly through the transfer agent, the transfer agent, as your attorney-in-fact for the purposes of holding the Escrowed Shares and surrendering shares in your account for redemption. If there are insufficient assets in your account, you will be liable for the difference. Any Escrowed Shares remaining after such redemption will be released to your account.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Provisions

“Contingent deferred sales charge shares” are: (a) Class B shares, (b) Class C shares and (c) Class A shares that were purchased without an initial sales charge but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge. A contingent deferred sales charge may be imposed on certain redemptions of these shares.

Any applicable contingent deferred sales charge will be assessed on the NAV at the time of purchase or redemption, whichever is less.

Class C shares and Class A shares that are contingent deferred sales charge shares are subject to a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge if redeemed within 12 months of purchase. In circumstances in which the contingent deferred sales charge is imposed on Class B shares, the amount of the charge will depend on the number of years since the shareholder made the purchase payment from which the amount is being redeemed, as further described in the Prospectus. Solely for purposes of determining the number of years since a purchase payment, all purchase payments made during a month will be aggregated and deemed to have been made on the last day of the preceding statement month. The following table sets forth the rates of the charge for redemptions of Class B shares by shareholders.

 

Year Since Purchase Was Made

   Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (%)  

First

     5.00   

Second

     4.00   

Third

     3.00   

Fourth

     2.00   

Fifth

     1.00   

Sixth and thereafter

     0.00   

Class B shares will convert automatically to Class A shares approximately eight years after the date on which they were purchased and thereafter will no longer be subject to any distribution fees. There will also be

 

51


converted at that time such proportion of Class B dividend shares (Class B shares that were acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions) owned by the shareholder as the total number of his or her Class B shares converting at the time bears to the total number of outstanding Class B shares (other than Class B dividend shares) owned by the shareholder.

In determining the applicability of any contingent deferred sales charge, it will be assumed that a redemption is made first of shares representing capital appreciation, next of shares representing the reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions, next of shares that are not subject to the contingent deferred sales charge and finally of other shares held by the shareholder for the longest period of time. The length of time that contingent deferred sales charge shares acquired through an exchange have been held will be calculated from the date the shares exchanged were initially acquired in one of the other funds sold by the distributor. For federal income tax purposes, the amount of the contingent deferred sales charge will reduce the gain or increase the loss, as the case may be, on the amount realized on redemption. The fund’s distributor receives contingent deferred sales charges in partial consideration for its expenses in selling shares.

Waivers of Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

The contingent deferred sales charge will be waived on: (a) exchanges (see “Exchange Privilege”); (b) automatic cash withdrawals in amounts equal to or less than 2.00% per month of the shareholder’s account balance at the time the withdrawals commence, up to a maximum of 12.00% in one year (see “Automatic Cash Withdrawal Plan”); (c) redemptions of shares within 12 months following the death or disability (as defined in the Code) of the shareholder; (d) mandatory post-retirement distributions from retirement plans or IRAs commencing on or after attainment of age 70  1 / 2 (except that shareholders who purchased shares subject to a contingent deferred sales charge prior to May 23, 2005 will be “grandfathered” and will be eligible to obtain the waiver at age 59   1 / 2 by demonstrating such eligibility at the time of redemption); (e) involuntary redemptions; (f) redemptions of shares to effect a combination of the fund with any investment company by merger, acquisition of assets or otherwise; (g) tax-free returns of an excess contribution to any retirement plan; and (h) certain redemptions of shares of the fund in connection with lump-sum or other distributions made by eligible retirement plans or redemption of shares by participants in certain “wrap fee” or asset allocation programs sponsored by broker/dealers and other financial institutions that have entered into agreements with the distributor or the manager.

The contingent deferred sales charge is waived on Class C shares purchased by retirement plan omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund.

A shareholder who has redeemed shares from other funds sold by the distributor may, under certain circumstances, reinvest all or part of the redemption proceeds within 60 days and receive pro rata credit for any contingent deferred sales charge imposed on the prior redemption.

Contingent deferred sales charge waivers will be granted subject to confirmation by the distributor or the transfer agent of the shareholder’s status or holdings, as the case may be.

Grandfathered Retirement Program with Exchange Features

Certain retirement plan programs authorized prior to November 20, 2006 (collectively, the “Grandfathered Retirement Program”) to offer eligible retirement plan investors the opportunity to exchange all of their Class C shares for Class A shares of an applicable fund sold by the distributor are permitted to maintain such share class exchange feature for current and prospective retirement plan investors.

Under the Grandfathered Retirement Program Class C shares may be purchased by plans investing less than $3,000,000. Class C shares are eligible for exchange into Class A shares not later than eight years after the plan joins the program. They are eligible for exchange in the following circumstances:

 

52


If a participating plan’s total Class C holdings in all non-money market funds sold by the distributor equal at least $3,000,000, at the end of the fifth year after the date the participating plan enrolled in the Grandfathered Retirement Program, the participating plan will be offered the opportunity to exchange all of its Class C shares for Class A shares of the fund. Such participating plans will be notified of the pending exchange in writing within 30 days after the fifth anniversary of the enrollment date and, unless the exchange offer has been rejected in writing, the exchange will occur on or about the 90th day after the fifth anniversary date. If the participating plan does not qualify for the five-year exchange to Class A shares, a review of the participating plan’s holdings will be performed each quarter until either the participating plan qualifies or the end of the eighth year.

Any participating plan that has not previously qualified for an exchange into Class A shares will be offered the opportunity to exchange all of its Class C shares for Class A shares of the same fund regardless of asset size at the end of the eighth year after the date the participating plan enrolled in the Grandfathered Retirement Program. Such plans will be notified of the pending exchange in writing approximately 60 days before the eighth anniversary of the enrollment date and, unless the exchange has been rejected in writing, the exchange will occur on or about the eighth anniversary date. Once an exchange has occurred, a participating plan will not be eligible to acquire additional Class C shares, but instead may acquire Class A shares of the same fund. Any Class C shares not converted will continue to be subject to the distribution fee.

For further information regarding this Program, contact your Service Agent or the transfer agent. Participating plans that enrolled in the Grandfathered Retirement Program prior to June 2, 2003 should contact the transfer agent for information regarding Class C exchange privileges applicable to their plan.

Determination of Public Offering Price

The fund offers its shares on a continuous basis. The public offering price for each class of shares of the fund is equal to the NAV per share at the time of purchase, plus for Class A shares an initial sales charge based on the aggregate amount of the investment. The public offering price for Class B, Class C, Class FI, Class R, Class R1 and Class I shares (and Class A share purchases, including applicable rights of accumulation, equaling or exceeding $1,000,000) is equal to the NAV per share at the time of purchase and no sales charge is imposed at the time of purchase. A contingent deferred sales charge, however, is imposed on certain redemptions of Class B and Class C shares, and on Class A shares when purchased in amounts equaling or exceeding $1,000,000.

Set forth below is an example of the method of computing the offering price of the Class A shares of the fund based on the NAV of a share of the fund as of April 30, 2011.

 

Class A (based on a NAV of $8.57 and a maximum initial sales charge of 5.75%)

   $ 9.09   

Effective July 27, 2007, Class 1 shares were closed to new purchases.

REDEMPTION OF SHARES

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed (a) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than for customary weekend and holiday closings), (b) when trading in the markets the fund normally utilizes is restricted, or an emergency exists, as determined by the SEC, so that disposal of the fund’s investments or determination of NAV is not reasonably practicable or (c) for such other periods as the SEC by order may permit for protection of the fund’s shareholders.

If the shares to be redeemed were issued in certificate form, the certificates must be endorsed for transfer (or be accompanied by an endorsed stock power) and must be submitted to the transfer agent together with the redemption request.

Redemption proceeds will be mailed to an investor’s address of record. The transfer agent may require additional supporting documents for redemptions made by corporations, executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. A redemption request will not be deemed properly received until the transfer agent receives all required documents in proper form.

 

53


If a shareholder holds shares in more than one class, any request for redemption must specify the class being redeemed. In the event of a failure to specify which class, or if the investor owns fewer shares of the class than specified, the redemption request will be delayed until the transfer agent receives further instructions. The redemption proceeds will be remitted on or before the seventh business day following receipt of proper tender, except on any days on which the NYSE is closed or as permitted under the 1940 Act, in extraordinary circumstances. Redemption proceeds for shares purchased by check, other than a certified or official bank check, will be remitted upon clearance of the check, which may take up to ten days. Each Service Agent is responsible for transmitting promptly orders for its customers.

The Service Agent may charge you a fee for executing your order. The amount and applicability of such a fee is determined and disclosed to its customers by each Service Agent.

The fund no longer issues share certificates. Outstanding share certificates will continue to be honored. If you hold share certificates, it will take longer to exchange or redeem shares.

Additional Information Regarding Telephone Redemption and Exchange Program. Neither the fund nor its agents will be liable for following instructions communicated by telephone that are reasonably believed to be genuine. The fund and its agents will employ procedures designed to verify the identity of the caller and legitimacy of instructions (for example, a shareholder’s name and account number will be required and phone calls may be recorded). The fund reserves the right to suspend, modify or discontinue the telephone redemption and exchange program or to impose a charge for this service at any time following at least seven (7) days’ prior notice to shareholders.

Automatic Cash Withdrawal Plan

An automatic cash withdrawal plan (the “Withdrawal Plan”) is available to shareholders as described in the Prospectus. To the extent withdrawals under the Withdrawal Plan exceed dividends, distributions and appreciation of a shareholder’s investment in the fund, there will be a reduction in the value of the shareholder’s investment, and continued withdrawal payments may reduce the shareholder’s investment and ultimately exhaust it. Withdrawal payments should not be considered as income from investment in the fund. The Withdrawal Plan will be carried over on exchanges between funds sold by the distributor or classes of the fund. All dividends and distributions on shares in the Withdrawal Plan are reinvested automatically at NAV in additional shares of the fund.

For additional information, shareholders should contact their Service Agent. A shareholder who purchases shares directly through the transfer agent may continue to do so and applications for participation in the Withdrawal Plan should be sent to the transfer agent. Withdrawals may be scheduled on any day of the month; however, if the shareholder does not specify a day, the transfer agent will schedule the withdrawal on the 25th day (or the next business day if the 25th day is a weekend or holiday) of the month.

Distributions in Kind

If the Board determines that it would be detrimental to the best interests of the remaining shareholders to make a redemption payment wholly in cash, the fund may pay, in accordance with SEC rules, any portion of a redemption in excess of the lesser of $250,000 or 1.00% of the fund’s net assets by a distribution in kind of fund securities in lieu of cash. If a redemption is paid in portfolio securities, such securities will be valued in accordance with the procedures described under “Share price” in the fund’s Prospectus. Because redemption in-kind may be used at times of unusual illiquidity in the markets, these valuation methods may include fair value estimations. Securities issued as a distribution in kind may incur brokerage commissions when shareholders subsequently sell those securities and the market price of those securities will be subject to fluctuation until they are sold. A redemption in-kind may be considered the sale of securities by the fund to the party receiving the securities (except for tax purposes). Redemptions in-kind will not be done with LMIS or other affiliated persons of the fund except as permitted by SEC rules or orders, or other interpretive guidance from regulators.

 

54


EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE

The exchange privilege enables shareholders to acquire shares of the same class in another fund sold by the distributor. This privilege is available to shareholders residing in any state in which the fund shares being acquired may legally be sold. Prior to any exchange, the shareholder should obtain and review a copy of the current prospectus of each fund into which an exchange is being considered. Prospectuses may be obtained from a Service Agent.

Upon receipt of proper instructions and all necessary supporting documents, shares submitted for exchange are redeemed at the then-current NAV, and the proceeds are immediately invested in shares of the fund being acquired at that fund’s then current NAV. The distributor reserves the right to reject any exchange request. The exchange privilege may be modified or terminated at any time after written notice to shareholders.

Class A, Class FI, Class R, Class R1 and Class I Exchanges. Class A, Class FI, Class R, Class R1 and Class I shareholders of the fund who wish to exchange all or a portion of their shares for shares of the respective class in another fund may do so without imposition of any charge.

Class B Exchanges. Funds that offered Class B shares prior to July 1, 2011 continue to make them available for incoming exchanges. Class B shares of the fund may be exchanged for Class B shares of other funds without a contingent deferred sales charge at the time of exchange. Upon an exchange, the new Class B shares will be deemed to have been purchased on the same date as the Class B shares of the fund that have been exchanged.

Class C Exchanges. Class C shares of the fund may be exchanged for other Class C shares without a contingent deferred sales charge. Upon an exchange, the new Class C shares will be deemed to have been purchased on the same date as the Class C shares of the fund that have been exchanged.

Class 1 Exchanges . Class 1 shareholders who wish to exchange all or a portion of their shares may exchange Class 1 shares for Class A shares of certain funds available for exchange. Ask your Service Agent about the funds available for exchange.

Certain retirement plan programs with exchange features in effect prior to November 20, 2006, as approved by LMIS, will remain eligible for exchange from Class C shares to Class A shares in accordance with the program terms. See “Grandfathered Retirement Programs with Exchange Features” for additional information.

Additional Information Regarding the Exchange Privilege

The fund is not designed to provide investors with a means of speculation on short-term market movements. A pattern of frequent exchanges by investors can be disruptive to efficient portfolio management and, consequently, can be detrimental to the fund and its shareholders. See “Frequent trading of fund shares” in the Prospectus.

During times of drastic economic or market conditions, the fund may suspend the exchange privilege temporarily without notice and treat exchange requests based on their separate components—redemption orders with a simultaneous request to purchase the other fund’s shares. In such a case, the redemption request would be processed at the fund’s next determined NAV but the purchase order would be effective only at the NAV next determined after the fund being purchased formally accepts the order, which may result in the purchase being delayed.

Certain shareholders may be able to exchange shares by telephone. See the fund’s Prospectus for additional information. Exchanges will be processed at the NAV next determined. Redemption procedures discussed above are also applicable for exchanging shares, and exchanges will be made upon receipt of all supporting documents in proper form. If the account registration of the shares of the fund being acquired is identical to the registration of the shares of the fund exchanged, no signature guarantee is required.

 

55


This exchange privilege may be modified or terminated at any time, and is available only in those jurisdictions where such exchanges legally may be made. Before making any exchange, shareholders should contact the transfer agent or, if they hold fund shares through a Service Agent, their Service Agent, to obtain more information and prospectuses of the funds to be acquired through the exchange. An exchange is treated as a sale of the shares exchanged and could result in taxable gain or loss to the shareholder making the exchange.

VALUATION OF SHARES

The NAV per share of each class is calculated on each day, Monday through Friday, except days on which the NYSE is closed. As of the date of this SAI, the NYSE is normally open for trading every weekday except in the event of an emergency or for the following holidays (or the days on which they are observed): New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Because of the differences in distribution fees and class-specific expenses, the per share NAV of each class will differ. Please see the Prospectus for a description of the procedures used by the fund in valuing its assets.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Subject to such policies as may be established by the Board from time to time, the manager is primarily responsible for the fund’s portfolio decisions and the placing of the fund’s portfolio transactions.

The cost of securities purchased from underwriters includes an underwriting commission, concession or a net price. Debt securities purchased and sold by the fund generally are traded on a net basis (i.e., without a commission) through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers, or otherwise involve transactions directly with the issuer of the instrument. This means that a dealer makes a market for securities by offering to buy at one price and selling the security at a slightly higher price. The difference between the prices is known as a “spread.” Other portfolio transactions may be executed through brokers acting as agents. The fund will pay a spread or commission in connection with such transactions. Commissions are negotiated with brokers on such transactions. The aggregate brokerage commissions paid by the fund for the three most recent fiscal years are set forth below under “Aggregate Brokerage Commissions Paid.”

Pursuant to the Management Agreement, the manager is authorized to place orders pursuant to its investment determinations for the fund either directly with the issuer or with any broker or dealer, foreign currency dealer, futures commission merchant or others selected by it. The general policy of the manager in selecting brokers and dealers is to obtain the best results achievable in the context of a number of factors which are considered both in relation to individual trades and broader trading patterns, including the reliability of the broker/dealer, the competitiveness of the price and the commission, the research services received and whether the broker/dealer commits its own capital.

In connection with the selection of such brokers or dealers and the placing of such orders, subject to applicable law, brokers or dealers may be selected who also provide brokerage and research services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act) to the fund and/or the other accounts over which the manager or its affiliates exercise investment discretion. The manager is authorized to pay a broker or dealer that provides such brokerage and research services a commission for executing a portfolio transaction for the fund which is in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction if the manager determines in good faith that such amount of commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer. Investment research services include information and analysis on particular companies and industries as well as market or economic trends and portfolio strategy, market quotations for portfolio evaluations, analytical software and similar products and services. If a research service also assists the manager in a non-research capacity (such as bookkeeping or other

 

56


administrative functions), then only the percentage or component that provides assistance to the manager in the investment decision making process may be paid in commission dollars. This determination may be viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the overall responsibilities that the manager and its affiliates have with respect to accounts over which they exercise investment discretion. The manager may also have arrangements with brokers pursuant to which such brokers provide research services to the manager in exchange for a certain volume of brokerage transactions to be executed by such brokers. While the payment of higher commissions increases the fund’s costs, the manager does not believe that the receipt of such brokerage and research services significantly reduces its expenses as manager. Arrangements for the receipt of research services from brokers may create conflicts of interest.

Research services furnished to the manager by brokers that effect securities transactions for the fund may be used by the manager in servicing other investment companies and accounts which each manages. Similarly, research services furnished to the manager by brokers that effect securities transactions for other investment companies and accounts which the manager manages may be used by the manager in servicing the fund. Not all of these research services are used by the manager in managing any particular account, including the fund.

For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011, the fund paid commissions to brokers that provided research services as follows:

 

Total Dollar Amount of Brokerage Transactions
Related to Research Services ($)

   Total Dollar Amount of Brokerage Commissions
Paid on Transactions
Related to Research Services ($)

58,997,881

   76,265

The fund contemplates that, consistent with the policy of obtaining the best net results, brokerage transactions may be conducted through “affiliated broker/dealers,” as defined in the 1940 Act. The fund’s Board has adopted procedures in accordance with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act to ensure that all brokerage commissions paid to such affiliates are reasonable and fair in the context of the market in which such affiliates operate.

Aggregate Brokerage Commissions Paid

For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2011, 2010 and 2009, the fund paid aggregate brokerage commissions as set forth in the table below.

 

       Aggregate Brokerage
Commissions Paid ($)
 

2011

     157,524   

2010

     276,959   

2009

     680,075   

For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2011, 2010 and 2009, the fund did not pay any brokerage commissions to LMIS or its affiliates.

In certain instances there may be securities that are suitable as an investment for the fund as well as for one or more of the other clients of the manager. Investment decisions for the fund and for the manager’s other clients are made with a view to achieving their respective investment objectives. It may develop that a particular security is bought or sold for only one client even though it might be held by, or bought or sold for, other clients. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more clients are selling the same security. Some simultaneous transactions are inevitable when several clients receive investment advice from the same investment adviser, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objectives of more than one client. When two or more clients are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security, the securities are allocated among clients in a manner believed to be equitable to each. It is recognized

 

57


that in some cases this system could adversely affect the price of or the size of the position obtainable in a security for the fund. When purchases or sales of the same security for the fund and for other portfolios managed by the manager occur contemporaneously, the purchase or sale orders may be aggregated in order to obtain any price advantages available to large volume purchases or sales.

At April 30, 2011, the fund held no securities issued by its regular broker/dealers.

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

The funds’ Board has adopted policies and procedures developed by the manager with respect to the disclosure of a fund’s portfolio securities and any ongoing arrangements to make available information about the fund’s portfolio securities. The policy requires that consideration always be given as to whether disclosure of information about a fund’s portfolio holdings is in the best interests of the fund’s shareholders. As a consequence, any conflicts of interest between the interests of the fund’s shareholders and those of the manager, the distributor or their affiliates in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information would be addressed in a manner that places the interests of fund shareholders first.

The policy provides that information regarding a fund’s portfolio holdings may be shared with the manager, a fund’s subadvisers and other affiliated parties involved in the management, administration or operations of the fund (referred to as fund-affiliated personnel).

Under the policy, a fund’s complete list of holdings (including the size of each position) may be made available to investors, potential investors, third parties and Legg Mason personnel that are not fund-affiliated personnel: (i) upon the filing of Form N-Q or Form N-CSR in accordance with SEC rules, provided that such filings are not made until 15 calendar days following the end of the period covered by the Form N-Q or Form N-CSR or (ii) no sooner than 15 days after month end, provided that such information has been made available through public disclosure at least one day previously. Typically, public disclosure is achieved by required filings with the SEC and/or posting the information to Legg Mason’s or the funds’ Internet site that is accessible by the public, or through public release by a third party vendor.

The policy also permits the release of limited portfolio holdings information to investors, potential investors, third parties and Legg Mason personnel that are not fund-affiliated personnel in other circumstances, including:

 

  1. A fund’s top ten securities, current as of month-end, and the individual size of each such security position may be released at any time following month-end with simultaneous public disclosure.

 

  2. A fund’s top ten securities positions (including the aggregate but not individual size of such positions) may be released at any time with simultaneous public disclosure.

 

  3. A list of securities (that may include fund holdings together with other securities) followed by a portfolio manager (without position sizes or identification of particular funds) may be disclosed to sell-side brokers at any time for the purpose of obtaining research and/or market information from such brokers.

 

  4. A trade in process may be discussed only with counterparties, potential counterparties and others involved in the transaction ( i.e. , brokers and custodians).

 

  5. A fund’s sector weightings, yield and duration (for fixed income and money market funds), performance attribution ( e.g ., analysis of the fund’s out-performance or underperformance of its benchmark based on its portfolio holdings) and other summary and statistical information that does not include identification of specific portfolio holdings may be released, even if non-public, if such release is otherwise in accordance with the policy’s general principles.

 

58


  6. A small number of a fund’s portfolio holdings (including information that the fund no longer holds a particular holding) may be released, but only if the release of the information could not reasonably be seen to interfere with current or future purchase or sales activities of the fund and is not contrary to law.

 

  7. A fund’s portfolio holdings may be released on an as-needed basis to its legal counsel, counsel to its independent trustees and its independent public accounting firm, in required regulatory filings or otherwise to governmental agencies and authorities.

Under the policy, a fund may release portfolio holdings information on a regular basis to a custodian, sub-custodian, fund accounting agent, proxy voting provider, rating agency or other vendor or service provider for a legitimate business purpose, where the party receiving the information is under a duty of confidentiality, including a duty to prohibit the sharing of non-public information with unauthorized sources and trading upon non-public information. A fund may enter into other ongoing arrangements for the release of portfolio holdings information for a legitimate business purpose with a party who is subject to a confidentiality agreement and restrictions on trading upon non-public information. None of the funds, Legg Mason or any other affiliated party may receive compensation or any other consideration in connection with such arrangements. Ongoing arrangements to make available information about a fund’s portfolio securities will be reviewed at least annually by the fund’s Board.

The approval of the funds’ Chief Compliance Officer, or designee, must be obtained before entering into any new ongoing arrangement or altering any existing ongoing arrangement to make available portfolio holdings information, or with respect to any exceptions from the policy. Any exceptions from the policy must be consistent with the purposes of the policy. Exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis and are granted only after a thorough examination and consultation with the manager’s legal department, as necessary. Exceptions from the policy are reported annually to each fund’s board.

The funds intend to disclose their complete portfolio holdings 14 calendar days after quarter-end on Legg Mason’s website: http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors/prospectuses (click on the name of the fund).

Set forth below is a list, as of June 30, 2011, of those parties with whom LMPFA, on behalf of each fund, has authorized ongoing arrangements that include the release of portfolio holdings information in accordance with the policy, as well as the frequency of the release under such arrangements, and the length of the lag, if any, between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed. The parties identified below as recipients are service providers, fund rating agencies, consultants and analysts.

 

Recipient

  

Frequency

  

Delay before dissemination

State Street Bank and Trust Company (Fund Custodian and Accounting Agent)

   Daily    None

A.S.A.P. Advisor Services, Inc.

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

Bloomberg L.P.

   Quarterly    Sent 6 Business Days after Quarter-End

Lipper Analytical Services Corp.

   Quarterly    Sent 6 Business Days after Quarter-End

Morningstar

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

Thomson/Vestek

   Daily    None

FactSet

   Daily    None

The Bank of New York Mellon

   Daily    None

Thomson

   Semi-annually    None

SunGard/Protegent (formerly Dataware)

   Daily    None

ITG

   Daily    None

Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (Proxy Voting Services)

   As necessary    None

The Northern Trust Company

   Daily    None

Middle Office Solutions, LLC

   Daily    None

 

59


Portfolio holdings information for the fund may also be released from time to time pursuant to ongoing arrangements with the following parties:

 

Recipient

  

Frequency

  

Delay before dissemination

Baseline

   Daily    None

Frank Russell

   Monthly    1 Day

Callan Associates, Inc.

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

Mercer LLC

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

eVestment Alliance

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

Rogerscasey

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

Cambridge Associates LLC

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

Wilshire Associates Inc.

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

Informa Investment Solutions

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

Prima Capital

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

Investor Tools

   Daily    None

Advent

   Daily    None

BARRA

   Daily    None

Plexus

   Quarterly (Calendar)    Sent 1-3 Business Days after Quarter-End

Elkins/McSherry

   Quarterly (Calendar)    Sent 1-3 Business Days after Quarter-End

Quantitative Services Group

   Daily    None

Deutsche Bank

   Monthly    6-8 Business Days

Fitch

   Monthly    6-8 Business Days

Liberty Hampshire

   Weekly and Month-End    None

SunTrust

   Weekly and Month-End    None

S&P (Rating Agency)

   Weekly Tuesday Night    1 Business Day

Moody’s (Rating Agency)

   Monthly    6-8 Business Days

Electra Information Systems

   Daily    None

Cabot Research

   Weekly    None

Goldman Sachs

   Daily    None

Chicago Mercantile Exchange

   Daily    None

Canterbury Consulting

   Quarterly    Sent 8-10 Days after Quarter-End

Broadridge

   Daily    None

DST Global Solutions Limited

   Monthly    Sent 6 Business Days after Month-End

Interactive Data Corp.

   Daily    None

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

   Daily    None

Glass Lewis & Co.

   Daily    None

Fidelity

   Quarterly    5 Business Days

The funds’ portfolio holdings policy is designed to prevent sharing of portfolio information with third parties that have no legitimate business purpose for accessing the information. The policy may not be effective to limit access to portfolio holdings information in all circumstances, however. For example, the manager may manage accounts other than a fund that have investment objectives and strategies similar to those of the fund. Because these accounts, including a fund, may be similarly managed, portfolio holdings may be similar across the accounts. In that case, an investor in another account managed by the manager may be able to infer the portfolio holdings of the fund from the portfolio holdings in that investor’s account.

THE TRUST

The Trust.

The certificate of trust to establish Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust (referred to in this section as the “trust”) was filed with the State of Maryland on October 4, 2006. The fund was redomiciled as a series of the

 

60


trust on April 16, 2007. Prior thereto, the fund was a series of Legg Mason Partners Investment Trust, a Massachusetts business trust. Prior to the reorganization of the fund as a series of Legg Mason Partners Investment Trust, the fund was a Maryland corporation.

The fund is a series of the trust, a Maryland statutory trust. A Maryland statutory trust is an unincorporated business association that is established under, and governed by, Maryland law. Maryland law provides a statutory framework for the powers, duties, rights and obligations of the Board (referred to in this section as the “trustees”) and shareholders of the trust, while the more specific powers, duties, rights and obligations of the trustees and the shareholders are determined by the trustees as set forth in the trust’s declaration of trust (referred to in this section as the “declaration”). Some of the more significant provisions of the declaration are described below.

Shareholder Voting.

The declaration provides for shareholder voting as required by the 1940 Act or other applicable laws but otherwise permits, consistent with Maryland law, actions by the trustees without seeking the consent of shareholders. The trustees may, without shareholder approval, amend the declaration or authorize the merger or consolidation of the trust into another trust or entity, reorganize the trust, or any series or class into another trust or entity or a series or class of another entity, sell all or substantially all of the assets of the trust or any series or class to another entity, or a series or class of another entity, or terminate the trust or any series or class.

The fund is not required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders, but the fund will call special meetings of shareholders whenever required by the 1940 Act or by the terms of the declaration. The declaration provides for “dollar-weighted voting” which means that a shareholder’s voting power is determined, not by the number of shares he or she owns, but by the dollar value of those shares determined on the record date. All shareholders of record of all series and classes of the trust vote together, except where required by the 1940 Act to vote separately by series or by class, or when the trustees have determined that a matter affects only the interests of one or more series or classes of shares.

Election and Removal of Trustees.

The declaration provides that the trustees may establish the number of trustees and that vacancies on the Board may be filled by the remaining trustees, except when election of trustees by the shareholders is required under the 1940 Act. Trustees are then elected by a plurality of votes cast by shareholders at a meeting at which a quorum is present. The declaration also provides that a mandatory retirement age may be set by action of two-thirds of the trustees and that trustees may be removed, with or without cause, by a vote of shareholders holding two-thirds of the voting power of the trust, or by a vote of two-thirds of the remaining trustees. The provisions of the declaration relating to the election and removal of trustees may not be amended without the approval of two-thirds of the trustees.

Amendments to the Declaration.

The trustees are authorized to amend the declaration without the vote of shareholders, but no amendment may be made that impairs the exemption from personal liability granted in the declaration to persons who are or have been shareholders, trustees, officers or employees of the trust, or that limits the rights to indemnification or insurance provided in the declaration with respect to actions or omissions of persons entitled to indemnification under the declaration prior to the amendment.

Issuance and Redemption of Shares.

The fund may issue an unlimited number of shares for such consideration and on such terms as the trustees may determine. Shareholders are not entitled to any appraisal, preemptive, conversion, exchange or similar rights, except as the trustees may determine. The fund may involuntarily redeem a shareholder’s shares upon

 

61


certain conditions as may be determined by the trustees, including, for example, if the shareholder fails to provide the fund with identification required by law, or if the fund is unable to verify the information received from the shareholder. Additionally, as discussed below, shares may be redeemed in connection with the closing of small accounts.

Disclosure of Shareholder Holdings.

The declaration specifically requires shareholders, upon demand, to disclose to the fund information with respect to the direct and indirect ownership of shares in order to comply with various laws or regulations, and the fund may disclose such ownership if required by law or regulation, or as the trustees otherwise decide.

Small Accounts.

The declaration provides that the fund may close out a shareholder’s account by redeeming all of the shares in the account if the account falls below a minimum account size (which may vary by class) that may be set by the trustees from time to time. Alternately, the declaration permits the fund to assess a fee for small accounts (which may vary by class) and redeem shares in the account to cover such fees, or convert the shares into another share class that is geared to smaller accounts.

Series and Classes.

The declaration provides that the trustees may establish series and classes in addition to those currently established and to determine the rights and preferences, limitations and restrictions, including qualifications for ownership, conversion and exchange features, minimum purchase and account size, expenses and charges, and other features of the series and classes. The trustees may change any of those features, terminate any series or class, combine series with other series in the trust, combine one or more classes of a series with another class in that series or convert the shares of one class into shares of another class.

Each share of the fund, as a series of the trust, represents an interest in the fund only and not in the assets of any other series of the trust.

Shareholder, Trustee and Officer Liability.

The declaration provides that shareholders are not personally liable for the obligations of the fund and requires the fund to indemnify a shareholder against any loss or expense arising from any such liability. The fund will assume the defense of any claim against a shareholder for personal liability at the request of the shareholder. The declaration further provides that a trustee acting in his or her capacity of trustee is not personally liable to any person, other than the trust or its shareholders, in connection with the affairs of the trust. Each trustee is required to perform his or her duties in good faith and in a manner he or she believes to be in the best interests of the trust. All actions and omissions of trustees are presumed to be in accordance with the foregoing standard of performance, and any person alleging the contrary has the burden of proving that allegation.

The declaration limits a trustee’s liability to the trust or any shareholder to the full extent permitted under current Maryland law by providing that a trustee is liable to the trust or its shareholders for monetary damages only (a) to the extent that it is proved that he or she actually received an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) to the extent that a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to the trustee is entered in a proceeding based on a finding in the proceeding that the trustee’s action, or failure to act, was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause of action adjudicated in the proceeding. The declaration requires the trust to indemnify any persons who are or who have been trustees, officers or employees of the trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and expenses in connection with any claim or proceeding in which he or she is involved by virtue of having been a trustee, officer or employee. In making any determination as to whether any person is entitled to the advancement of expenses in connection with

 

62


a claim for which indemnification is sought, such person is entitled to a rebuttable presumption that he or she did not engage in conduct for which indemnification is not available.

The declaration provides that any trustee who serves as chair of the Board or of a committee of the Board, lead independent trustee or audit committee financial expert, or in any other similar capacity will not be subject to any greater standard of care or liability because of such position.

Derivative Actions.

The declaration provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative actions by shareholders in order to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction and other harm that can be caused to the fund or its shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder demands and derivative actions. Prior to bringing a derivative action, a demand by three unrelated shareholders must be made on the trustees. The declaration details information, certifications, undertakings and acknowledgements that must be included in the demand. The trustees are not required to consider a demand that is not submitted in accordance with the requirements contained in the declaration. The declaration also requires that in order to bring a derivative action, the complaining shareholders must be joined in the action by shareholders owning, at the time of the alleged wrongdoing, at the time of demand, and at the time the action is commenced, shares representing at least 5% of the voting power of the affected funds. The trustees have a period of 90 days, which may be extended by an additional 60 days, to consider the demand. If a majority of the trustees who are considered independent for the purposes of considering the demand determine that a suit should be maintained, then the trust will commence the suit and the suit will proceed directly and not derivatively. If a majority of the independent trustees determines that maintaining the suit would not be in the best interests of the fund, the trustees are required to reject the demand and the complaining shareholders may not proceed with the derivative action unless the shareholders are able to sustain the burden of proof to a court that the decision of the trustees not to pursue the requested action was not consistent with the standard of performance required of the trustees in performing their duties. If a demand is rejected, the complaining shareholders will be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the trust in connection with the consideration of the demand if, in the judgment of the independent trustees, the demand was made without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose. If a derivative action is brought in violation of the declaration, the shareholders bringing the action may be responsible for the fund’s costs, including attorneys’ fees.

The declaration further provides that the fund shall be responsible for payment of attorneys’ fees and legal expenses incurred by a complaining shareholder only if required by law, and any attorneys’ fees that the fund is obligated to pay shall be calculated using reasonable hourly rates. The declaration also requires that actions by shareholders against the fund be brought only in federal court in Baltimore, Maryland, or if not permitted to be brought in federal court, then in state court in Baltimore, Maryland, and that the right to jury trial be waived to the full extent permitted by law.

TAXES

The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations regarding the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of the fund by U.S. persons. This summary does not address all of the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be applicable to the fund or to all categories of investors, some of which may be subject to special tax rules. Current and prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the specific federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in the fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this SAI and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.

 

63


The Fund and Its Investments

The fund intends to continue to qualify to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Code each taxable year. To so qualify, the fund must, among other things: (a) derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” ( i . e ., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of their income from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); and (b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the fund’s taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the fund’s assets is represented by cash, securities of other regulated investment companies, U.S. government securities and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the fund’s assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, any two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the fund and that are determined to be engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses or in the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships.

Although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to regulated investment companies, such rules do apply to a regulated investment company with respect to items attributable to interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” ( i.e. , partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of their income from interest, dividends, capital gains, and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income). Fund investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly traded partnerships, may result in the fund being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.

As a regulated investment company, the fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its net investment income ( i.e. , income other than its net realized long-term and short-term capital gains) and its net realized long-term and short-term capital gains, if any, that it distributes to its shareholders, provided an amount equal to at least (i) 90% of the sum of its investment company taxable income ( i.e. , its taxable income minus the excess, if any, of its net realized long-term capital gains over its net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), plus or minus certain other adjustments as specified in the Code) and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year is distributed to its shareholders in compliance with the Code’s timing and other requirements. However, any taxable income or gain the fund does not distribute will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates.

On April 30, 2011, the unused capital loss carryforward of the fund was $454,017,295. For federal income tax purposes, this amount is available to be applied against the fund’s future realized capital gains that are realized prior to the expiration of the carryforward, if any. The fund had the following net capital loss carryforward remaining:

 

Year of Expiration

   Amount ($)  

04/30/2012

     11,972,942   

04/30/2013

     221,005   

04/30/2017

     267,247,472   

04/30/2018

     174,575,876   

For taxable years beginning in 2011 or after, capital losses will not be subject to expiration.

The Code imposes a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the fund to the extent it does not distribute by the end of any calendar year at least 98% of its ordinary income for that year and at least 98.2% of its capital gain net

 

64


income (both long-term and short-term) for the one-year period ending, as a general rule, on October 31 of that year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by the fund that is subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed by year-end. In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any underdistribution or overdistribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. The fund anticipates that it will pay such dividends and will make such distributions as are necessary in order to avoid the application of this excise tax.

If, in any taxable year, the fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company under the Code or fails to meet the distribution requirement, it will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders will not be deductible by the fund in computing its taxable income. In addition, in the event of a failure to qualify, the fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, will constitute dividends that are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income, even though those distributions might otherwise (at least in part) have been treated in the shareholders’ hands as long-term capital gains. However, such dividends will be eligible (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Moreover, if the fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a regulated investment company. If the fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company for a period greater than two taxable years, the fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets ( i.e ., the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the fund had been liquidated) in order to qualify as a regulated investment company in a subsequent year.

The fund’s transactions in foreign currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options and futures contracts on foreign currencies) will be subject to special provisions of the Code (including provisions relating to “hedging transactions” and “straddles”) that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the fund ( i.e ., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the fund and defer fund losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require the fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio ( i.e ., treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause the fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. The fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any foreign currency, forward contract, option, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the fund as a regulated investment company.

The fund’s investments in so-called “section 1256 contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, most foreign currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most stock indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All section 1256 contracts held by the fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the fund from positions in section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a “hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the fund.

As a result of entering into swap contracts, the fund may make or receive periodic net payments. The fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute ordinary income or deductions,

 

65


while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year). With respect to certain types of swaps, the fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss. The tax treatment of many types of credit default swaps is uncertain.

The fund may be required to treat amounts as taxable income or gain, subject to the distribution requirements referred to above, even though no corresponding amounts of cash are received concurrently, as a result of (1) mark-to-market, constructive sale or rules applicable to PFICs (as defined below) or partnerships or trusts in which the fund invests or to certain options, futures or forward contracts, or “appreciated financial positions” or (2) the inability to obtain cash distributions or other amounts due to currency controls or restrictions on repatriation imposed by a foreign country with respect to the fund’s investments (including through depositary receipts) in issuers in such country or (3) tax rules applicable to debt obligations acquired with “original issue discount,” including zero-coupon or deferred payment bonds and pay-in-kind debt obligations, or to market discount if an election is made with respect to such market discount. The fund may therefore be required to obtain cash to be used to satisfy these distribution requirements by selling securities at times that it might not otherwise be desirable to do so or borrowing the necessary cash, thereby incurring interest expenses.

In certain situations, the fund may, for a taxable year, defer all or a portion of its capital losses and currency losses realized after October and certain ordinary losses realized after December until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.

In general, gain or loss on a short sale is recognized when the fund closes the sale by delivering the borrowed property to the lender, not when the borrowed property is sold. Gain or loss from a short sale is generally considered as capital gain or loss to the extent that the property used to close the short sale constitutes a capital asset in the fund’s hands. Except with respect to certain situations where the property used by the fund to close a short sale has a long-term holding period on the date of the short sale, special rules would generally treat the gains on short sales as short-term capital gains. These rules may also terminate the running of the holding period of “substantially identical property” held by the fund. Moreover, a loss on a short sale will be treated as a long-term capital loss if, on the date of the short sale, “substantially identical property” has been held by the fund for more than one year. In general, the fund will not be permitted to deduct payments made to reimburse the lender of securities for dividends paid on borrowed stock if the short sale is closed on or before the 45th day after the short sale is entered into.

Foreign Investments . Dividends or other income (including, in some cases, capital gains) received by the fund from investments in foreign securities may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. The fund will not be eligible to elect to treat any foreign taxes it pays as paid by its shareholders, who therefore will not be entitled to credits for such taxes on their own tax returns. Foreign taxes paid by the fund will reduce the return from the fund’s investments.

Under Section 988 of the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gains or losses on foreign currency, foreign currency forward contracts, certain foreign currency options or futures contracts and the disposition of debt securities denominated in foreign currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or loss unless the fund were to elect otherwise.

 

66


Passive Foreign Investment Companies . If the fund purchases shares in certain foreign investment entities, called “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”), it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.

If the fund were to invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Code, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the fund might be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the fund, and such amounts would be subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above. In order to make this election, the fund would be required to obtain certain annual information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain.

Alternatively, the fund may make a mark-to-market election that will result in the fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the fund would report any such gains as ordinary income and would deduct any such losses as ordinary losses to the extent of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by the fund and, once made, would be effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). By making the election, the fund could potentially ameliorate the adverse tax consequences with respect to its ownership of shares in a PFIC, but in any particular year may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock. The fund may have to distribute this “phantom” income and gain to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax.

The fund will make the appropriate tax elections, if possible, and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effect of these rules.

Taxation of U.S. Shareholders

Dividends and Distributions. Dividends and other distributions by the fund are generally treated under the Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend declared by the fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year and to have been paid by the fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the fund during January of the following calendar year. The fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income, and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if the fund retains for investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (currently at a maximum rate of 35%) on the amount retained. In that event, the fund will designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the 35% tax paid by the fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their shares by an amount equal to 65% of the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s income. Organizations or persons not subject to federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by the fund upon filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.

Dividends of net investment income and distributions of net realized short-term capital gains are taxable to a U.S. shareholder as ordinary income, whether paid in cash or in shares. Distributions of net realized long-term

 

67


capital gains, if any, that the fund reports as capital gains dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of the fund. Such dividends will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Dividends and distributions paid by the fund attributable to dividends on stock of U.S. corporations received by the fund, with respect to which the fund meets certain holding period requirements, will be eligible for the deduction for dividends received by corporations. Special rules apply, however, to regular dividends paid to individuals. Such a dividend, with respect to taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2012, may be subject to tax at the rates generally applicable to long-term capital gains for individuals (currently at a maximum rate of 15%), provided that the individual receiving the dividend satisfies certain holding period and other requirements. Dividends subject to these special rules are not actually treated as capital gains, however, and thus are not included in the computation of an individual’s net capital gain and generally cannot be used to offset capital losses. The long-term capital gains rates will apply to: (i) 100% of the regular dividends paid by the fund to an individual in a particular taxable year if 95% or more of the fund’s gross income (ignoring gains attributable to the sale of stocks and securities except to the extent net short-term capital gain from such sales exceeds net long-term capital loss from such sales) in that taxable year is attributable to qualified dividend income received by the fund; or (ii) the portion of the regular dividends paid by the fund to an individual in a particular taxable year that is attributable to qualified dividend income received by the fund in that taxable year if such qualified dividend income accounts for less than 95% of the fund’s gross income (ignoring gains attributable to the sale of stocks and securities except to the extent net short-term capital gain from such sales exceeds net long-term capital loss from such sales) for that taxable year. For this purpose, “qualified dividend income” generally means income from dividends received by the fund from U.S. corporations and qualified foreign corporations, provided that the fund satisfies certain holding period requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. However, qualified dividend income does not include any dividends received from tax exempt corporations. Also, dividends received by the fund from a REIT or another regulated investment company generally are qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such REIT or other regulated investment company. In the case of securities lending transactions, payments in lieu of dividends are not qualified dividend income. If a shareholder elects to treat fund dividends as investment income for purposes of the limitation on the deductibility of investment interest, such dividends would not be qualified dividend income.

For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2013, the long-term capital gain rate is scheduled to return to 20%.

We will send you information after the end of each year setting forth the amount of dividends paid by us that are eligible for the reduced rates.

If an individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for the long-term capital gains rates and such dividend constitutes an “extraordinary dividend,” and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An “extraordinary dividend” on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period. Distributions in excess of the fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will, as to each shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of a shareholder’s basis in his shares of the fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds his shares of the fund as capital assets). Shareholders receiving dividends or distributions in the form of additional shares should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of money that the shareholders receiving cash dividends or distributions will receive, and should have a cost basis in the shares received equal to such amount.

 

 

68


Investors considering buying shares just prior to the record date for a taxable dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares just purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution may nevertheless be taxable to them. If the fund is the holder of record of any stock on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such stock, such dividends are included in the fund’s gross income not as of the date received but as of the later of (a) the date such stock became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends ( i.e. , the date on which a buyer of the stock would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends) or (b) the date the fund acquired such stock. Accordingly, in order to satisfy its income distribution requirements, the fund may be required to pay dividends based on anticipated earnings, and shareholders may receive dividends in an earlier year than would otherwise be the case.

Under current law, the fund serves to block unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the fund if shares in the fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b). Certain types of income received by the fund from REITs, real estate mortgage investment conduits, taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the fund to designate some or all of its distributions as “excess inclusion income.” To fund shareholders such excess inclusion income may (1) constitute taxable income, as UBTI for those shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) accounts, Keogh plans, pension plans and certain charitable entities; (2) not be offset by otherwise allowable deductions for tax purposes; (3) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (4) cause the fund to be subject to tax if certain “disqualified organizations” as defined by the Code are fund shareholders.

If a charitable remainder annuity trust or charitable remainder unitrust (each as defined in Code Section 664) has UBTI for a tax year, a 100% excise tax on the UBTI is imposed on the trust.

Sales of Shares. Upon the sale or exchange of his shares, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and his or her basis in the shares. A redemption of shares by the fund will be treated as a sale for this purpose. Such gain or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for more than one year and short-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for one year or less. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced, including replacement through the reinvesting of dividends and capital gains distributions in the fund, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of the shares. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be increased to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on the sale of a fund share held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions or deemed distributions of long-term capital gains received by the shareholder with respect to such share during such six month period. If a shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring shares of the fund, disposes of those shares within 90 days and then by January 31 of the calendar year following the year of disposition acquires shares in a mutual fund for which the otherwise applicable sales charge is reduced by reason of a reinvestment right ( e.g., an exchange privilege), the original sales charge will not be taken into account in computing gain or loss on the original shares to the extent the subsequent sales charge is reduced. Instead, the disregarded portion of the original sales charge will be added to the tax basis of the newly acquired shares. Furthermore, the same rule also applies to a disposition of the newly acquired shares made within 90 days of the second acquisition. This provision prevents a shareholder from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting his or her investment in a family of mutual funds.

Backup Withholding . The fund may be required to withhold, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a portion of the dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds payable to shareholders who fail to provide the fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Certain shareholders are exempt from backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

69


Notices . Shareholders will be notified annually by the fund as to the U.S. federal income tax status of the dividends, distributions and deemed distributions attributable to undistributed capital gains (discussed above in “Taxes-Taxation of U.S. Shareholders-Dividends and Distributions”) made by the fund to its shareholders. Furthermore, shareholders will also receive, if appropriate, various written notices after the close of the fund’s taxable year regarding the U.S. federal income tax status of certain dividends, distributions and deemed distributions that were paid (or that are treated as having been paid) by the fund to its shareholders during the preceding taxable year.

If the fund is held through a qualified retirement plan entitled to tax exempt treatment for federal income tax purposes, distributions will generally not be taxable currently. Special tax rules apply to such retirement plans. You should consult your tax adviser regarding the tax treatment of distributions (which may include amounts attributable to fund distributions) which may be taxable when distributed from the retirement plan.

Other Taxes

Dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.

If a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not excepted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders

Dividends paid by the fund to non-U.S. shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income and short-term capital gains. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A non-U.S. shareholder who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate.

In general, U.S. federal withholding tax will not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses, exempt-interest dividends, or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the fund.

For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2012, properly reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of the fund’s “qualified net interest income” (generally, the fund’s U.S. source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the fund is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) are paid in respect of the fund’s “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of the fund’s net short-term capital gain over the fund’s long-term capital loss for such taxable year). However, depending on its circumstances, the fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains and/or treat such

 

70


dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. In order to qualify for this exemption from withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or substitute Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the fund reports the payment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gain. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.

For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2012, distributions that the fund reports as “short-term capital gain dividends” or “long-term capital gain dividends” will not be treated as such to a recipient non-U.S. shareholder if the distribution is attributable to gain received from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property or an interest in a U.S. real property holding corporation and the fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property exceeded certain levels. Instead, if the non-U.S. shareholder has not owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of distribution, such distributions will be subject to 30% withholding by the fund and will be treated as ordinary dividends to the non-U.S. shareholder; if the non-U.S. shareholder owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of the distribution, such distribution will be treated as real property gain subject to 35% withholding tax and could subject the non-U.S. shareholder to U.S. filing requirements. Additionally, if the fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property were to exceed certain levels, a non-U.S. shareholder realizing gains upon redemption from the fund on or before December 31, 2011 could be subject to the 35% withholding tax and U.S. filing requirements unless more than 50% of the fund’s shares were owned by U.S. persons at such time or unless the non-U.S. person had not held more than 5% of the fund’s outstanding shares throughout either such person’s holding period for the redeemed shares or, if shorter, the previous five years.

In addition, the same rules apply with respect to distributions to a non-U.S. shareholder from the fund and redemptions of a non-U.S. shareholder’s interest in the fund attributable to a REIT’s distribution to the fund of gain from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property or an interest in a U.S. real property holding corporation, if the fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property were to exceed certain levels. The rule with respect to distributions and redemptions attributable to a REIT’s distribution to the fund will not expire for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2012.

The rules laid out in the previous two paragraphs, other than the withholding rules, will apply notwithstanding the fund’s participation in a wash sale transaction or its payment of a substitute dividend.

Beginning in 2013, a withholding tax of 30% will apply to payments of fund dividends and gross proceeds of fund redemptions paid to shareholders that are non-U.S. entities unless such shareholders comply with certain reporting requirements to the IRS (for non-U.S. investment funds and financial institutions) or the fund (other non-U.S. entities) as to identifying information (including name, address and taxpayer identification number) of their direct and indirect U.S. owners.

The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may be different from those described here. Foreign shareholders should consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the fund, including the applicability of non-U.S. taxes.

Shares of the fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death will be considered situated in the United States and subject to the U.S. estate tax for decedents dying after December 31, 2011, with a look through rule applying before such date.

The foregoing is only a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences affecting the fund and its shareholders. Current and prospective shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the fund.

 

71


LEGAL MATTERS

Beginning in May 2004, class action lawsuits alleging violations of the federal securities laws were filed against CGMI and a number of its then affiliates, including SBFM and Salomon Brothers Asset Management Inc (“SBAM”), which were then investment adviser or manager to certain funds (the “Managers”), substantially all of the mutual funds then managed by the Managers (the “Defendant Funds”) and Board Members of the Defendant Funds (collectively, the “Defendants”). The complaints alleged, among other things, that CGMI created various undisclosed incentives for its brokers to sell Smith Barney and Salomon Brothers funds. In addition, according to the complaints, the Managers caused the Defendant Funds to pay excessive brokerage commissions to CGMI for steering clients towards proprietary funds. The complaints also alleged that the Defendants breached their fiduciary duty to the Defendant Funds by improperly charging Rule 12b-1 fees and by drawing on fund assets to make undisclosed payments of soft dollars and excessive brokerage commissions. The complaints also alleged that the Defendant Funds failed to adequately disclose certain of the allegedly wrongful conduct. The complaints sought injunctive relief and compensatory and punitive damages, rescission of the Defendant Funds’ contracts with the Managers, recovery of all fees paid to the Managers pursuant to such contracts and an award of attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses.

On December 15, 2004, a consolidated amended complaint (the “Complaint”) was filed alleging substantially similar causes of action. On May 27, 2005, all of the Defendants filed motions to dismiss the Complaint. On July 26, 2006, the court issued a decision and order (1) finding that plaintiffs lacked standing to sue on behalf of the shareholders of the Defendant Funds in which none of the plaintiffs had invested and dismissing those Defendant Funds from the case (although stating that they could be brought back into the case if standing as to them could be established), and (2) other than one stayed claim, dismissing all of the causes of action against the remaining Defendants, with prejudice, except for the cause of action under Section 36(b) of the 1940 Act, which the court granted plaintiffs leave to replead as a derivative claim.

On October 16, 2006, plaintiffs filed their Second Consolidated Amended Complaint (“Second Amended Complaint”) which alleges derivative claims on behalf of nine funds identified in the Second Amended Complaint under Section 36(b) of the 1940 Act, and against CAM, SBAM and SBFM, as investment advisers to the identified funds, as well as CGMI as a distributor for the identified funds (collectively, the “Second Amended Complaint Defendants”). The Second Amended Complaint alleges no claims against any of the Defendant Funds or any of their Board Members. Under Section 36(b), the Second Amended Complaint alleges similar facts and seeks similar relief against the Second Amended Complaint Defendants as the Complaint.

On December 3, 2007, the court granted Defendants’ motion to dismiss, with prejudice. On January 2, 2008, the plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeal was fully briefed and oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit took place on March 5, 2009. On June 9, 2011, the Court of Appeals issued a Summary Order affirming the District Court’s dismissal of all claims with the exception of plaintiffs’ Section 36(b) claim as it relates to transfer agent fees paid to an affiliate of the Managers. The case has been remanded to the District Court for further proceedings in accordance with the Summary Order.

Additional lawsuits arising out of these circumstances and presenting similar allegations and requests for relief may be filed in the future.

*    *    *

The foregoing speaks only as of the date of this SAI. Additional lawsuits presenting allegations and requests for relief arising out of or in connection with any of the foregoing matters may be filed against these and related parties in the future.

 

72


FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The audited financial statements of the fund and its predecessor fund (Statement of Assets and Liabilities, including the Schedule of Investments as of April 30, 2011, Statement of Operations for the year ended April 30, 2011, Statements of Changes in Net Assets for each of the years in the two-year period ended April 30, 2011, Financial Highlights for each of the years or periods in the five-year period ended April 30, 2011, and Notes to Financial Statements along with the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, each of which is included in the Annual Report to Shareholders of the fund) are incorporated by reference into this SAI (filed on June 23, 2011; Accession Number 0001193125-11-171929).

 

73


PROXY VOTING

The Firm will exercise its proxy voting responsibilities to serve the best interests of its clients and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The Firm recognizes that proxy voting is a valuable right of company shareholders and believes that shareholders are best served by a voting process guided by the principles of preserving and expanding the power of shareholders in areas of corporate governance and allowing responsible management teams to run businesses.

PROCEDURES

Oversight of Principles and Procedures

The Firm’s Chief Investment Officer has full authority to determine the Firm’s proxy voting principles and procedures and vote proxies on behalf of the Firm’s clients. The Chief Investment Officer has delegated oversight and implementation of the proxy voting process, including the principles and procedures that govern it, to the Firm’s Proxy Officers and the Legal and Compliance Department. The Firm will periodically review its existing principles and procedures in light of the Firm’s duties as well as applicable laws and regulations to determine if any changes are necessary.

Limitations

The Firm recognizes proxy voting as a valuable right of company shareholders. Generally speaking, the Firm will vote all proxies it receives. However, the Firm may refrain from voting in certain circumstances. For instance, the Firm generally intends to refrain from voting a proxy if the company’s shares are no longer held by the Firm’s clients at the time of the meeting. Additionally, the Firm may refrain from voting a proxy if the Firm concludes the potential impact on shareholders’ interests is insignificant while the cost associated with analyzing and voting the proxy may be significant. If the Proxy Administration Officer confirms that shares of a security are on loan as of the record date of the meeting for which a proxy is received, the Firm will be unable to vote those shares for the client. As a general matter, the Firm discourages its clients from loaning the securities the Firm manages.

Client Accounts for which the Firm Votes Proxies

The Firm shall vote proxies for each client account for which the client:

 

  (i) has specifically authorized the Firm to vote proxies;

 

  (ii) without specifically authorizing the Firm to vote proxies, has granted general investment discretion to the Firm in the investment management agreement; or

 

  (i) is subject to the Employee Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), unless the investment management agreement or another applicable writing specifically reserves the responsibility for voting proxies to the plan trustees or other named fiduciary.

At or prior to account inception, the Firm shall determine whether it has proxy voting authority over such client account.

The Firm will deliver to each client for which it has proxy voting authority, no later than the time it accepts such authority, a written summary of the Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures. The summary will state that a copy of the Firm’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures is available upon request, as well as guidelines that describe how the Firm generally votes proxies.

The Firm will maintain a record or each client request for proxy voting information. The Firm will also maintain a copy of its response thereto.

 

A-1


Proxy Administration

The Firm will instruct each client custodian to forward proxy materials to the vendor engaged by the Firm to electronically receive ballots and transmit the Firm’s proxy votes, as well as to maintain proxy voting receipts and records (the “Proxy Administration Vendor”). New client custodians will be notified at account inception of their responsibility to deliver proxy materials to the Firm’s Proxy Administration Vendor.

Compliance Review

A Compliance Officer will review the pending proxies and identify any potential conflicts between the Firm, or its employees, and the Firm’s clients.

Identifying Conflicts

In identifying conflicts of interest, a Compliance Officer will review the following issues:

(i) Whether there are any business or personal relationships between the Firm, or an employee of the Firm, and the officers, directors or shareholder proposal proponents of a company whose securities are held in client accounts that may create an incentive to vote in a manner that is not consistent with the best interests of the Firm’s clients;

(ii) Whether the Firm has any other economic incentive to vote in a manner that is not consistent with the best interests of its clients; and;

(iii) Whether the Proxy Officer voting the shares is aware of any business or personal relationship, or other economic incentive that has the potential to influence the manner in which the Proxy Officer votes the shares.

Assessing Materiality

If it is determined that a conflict exists, the conflict will be deemed to be material if the Compliance Officer determines, in the exercise of reasonable judgment, that the conflict is likely to have an impact on the manner in which the subject shares are voted.

If the Compliance Officer determines that the conflict is not material, the proxy issue will be forwarded to the Proxy Officer for voting.

If the Compliance Officer determines that the conflict may be material, the following steps will be taken:

(i) The Compliance Officer will consult with representatives of the Firm’s senior management to make a final determination of materiality. The Compliance Officer will maintain a record of this determination.

(ii) After the determination is made, the following procedures will apply:

(a) If the final determination is that the conflict is not material, the proxy issue will be forwarded to the Proxy Officer for voting;

(b) If the final determination is that the conflict is material, the following procedures will apply:

(1) If the Firm’s Proxy Voting Guidelines (“Guidelines”), a copy of which is included as Schedule 3, definitively address the issues presented for vote, the Firm will vote according to the Guidelines;

(2) If the issues presented for vote are not definitively addressed in the Guidelines, the Firm will either (x) follow the vote recommendation of an independent Voting Delegate or (y) disclose the conflict to clients and obtain their consent to vote.

 

A-2


Notification to Clients

Upon receipt of a client request for information on how proxies were voted for that client’s account, the Firm will promptly provide such requested information to the client in writing.

To the extent a client requires notification if a conflict of interest is identified, a Compliance Officer will ensure that notification is carried out in a timely manner.

Proxy Officer Duties

A Proxy Officer will review proxies and evaluate matters for vote in light of the Firm’s principles and procedures and the Guidelines. A Proxy Officer may seek additional information from the Firm’s Investment Team, company management, independent research services, or other sources to determine how to vote in the best interests of shareholders. Additionally, a Proxy Officer may consult with the Firm’s Chief Investment Officer for guidance on proxy issues. Generally, a Proxy Officer will not consult the Firm’s affiliates during this process. The Firm will maintain all documents that it creates that were material to its process for determining how to vote proxies for its clients or that memorialize the basis for a vote. A Proxy Officer will sign and return to the Proxy Administration Officer all forms indicating the manner in which votes on proxy issues should be cast by the Proxy Administration Officer.

Proxy Administration Officer Duties

The Proxy Administration Officer will:

(i) Provide custodians with instructions to forward proxies to the Firm’s Proxy Administration Vendor for all clients for whom the Firm is responsible for voting proxies;

(ii) When proxy data is received from the Firm’s Proxy Administration Vendor, reconcile the number of shares indicated on the proxy with the Firm’s internal data on shares held as of the record date;

a) Other Discrepancies Noted

If any share discrepancies are noted, the Proxy Administration Officer will notify the custodian.

1) Manual Voting

If the Firm’s Proxy Administration Vendor did not receive a ballot for a client, the Proxy Administration Officer will contact the custodian to obtain a control number and then use the control number to allow the Proxy Administration Vendor to update the ballot, if time permits, or manually vote the shares for that client.

(iii) Use best efforts to obtain missing proxies from custodian;

(iv) Inform the Legal and Compliance Department and Proxy Administration Officer if the company’s shares are no longer held by Firm clients as of the meeting date;

(v) Ensure the Proxy Administration Officer and the Legal and Compliance Department are aware of the timeline to vote a proxy and use best efforts to ensure that votes are cast in a timely manner;

(vi) Per instructions from the Proxy Administration Officer or a Compliance Officer, vote proxy issues via the Proxy Administration Vendor’s software, online or via facsimile , and;

(vii) Obtain evidence of receipt and maintain records of all proxies voted.

Recordkeeping

The Firm shall maintain the following records relating to proxy voting:

 

  - a copy of this Policy and Procedures, including any and all amendments that may be adopted;

 

  - a copy of each proxy statement that the Firm receives regarding client securities;

 

A-3


  - a record of each vote cast by the Firm on behalf of a client;

 

  - documentation relating to the identification and resolution of conflicts of interest;

 

  - any documents created by the Firm that were material to a proxy voting decision or that memorialized the basis for that decision; and,

 

  - a copy of each written client request for information on how the Firm voted proxies on behalf of the client, and a copy of any written response by the Firm to any (written or oral) client request for information on how the Firm voted proxies on behalf of the requesting client.

All required records shall be maintained for a period of five years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on such record. For the first two (2) years of the five (5) year period, the required records will be maintained in the Firm’s Offices. In lieu of keeping copies of proxy statements, the Firm may rely on proxy statements filed on the EDGAR filing system as well as on third party records of proxy statements if the third party provides an undertaking to provide copies of such proxy statements promptly upon request. The Firm may also rely on a third party to make and retain, on the Firm’s behalf, records of votes cast by the Firm on behalf of clients if the third party provides an undertaking to provide a copy of such records promptly upon request.

In addition, the Firm shall maintain the following records on behalf of each investment company client for a period of six years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on such record:

A proxy log and supporting materials, including:

(i) Issuer name;

(ii) Exchange ticker symbol of the issuer’s shares to be voted;

(iii) Council on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures (“CUSIP”) number for the shares to be voted;

(iv) A brief identification on the matter voted;

(v) Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a shareholder of the issuer;

(vi) Whether a vote was cast on the matter;

(vii) A record of how the vote was cast; and,

(viii) Whether the vote was cast for or against the recommendation of the issuer’s management team.

 

A-4


Schedule 3

Proxy Voting Guidelines

The Firm maintains these proxy-voting guidelines, which set forth the manner in which the Firm generally votes on issues that are routinely presented. Please note that for each proxy vote the Firm takes into consideration its duty to its clients, the specific circumstances of the vote and all other relevant facts available at the time of the vote. While these guidelines provide the framework for voting proxies, ultimately proxy votes are cast on a case-by-case basis. Therefore actual votes for any particular proxy issue may differ from the guidelines shown below.

 

 

Four principal areas of interest to shareholders:

1) Obligations of the Board of Directors

2) Compensation of management and the Board of Directors

3) Take-over protections

4) Shareholders’ rights

 

Proxy Issue

  

Firm Guideline

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  

Independence of Boards of Directors : majority of unrelated directors, independent of management

   For

Nominating Process: independent nominating committee seeking qualified candidates, continually assessing directors and proposing new nominees

   For

Size and Effectiveness of Boards of Directors: Boards must be no larger than 15 members

   For

Cumulative Voting for Directors

   For

Staggered Boards

   Against

Separation of Board and Management Roles (CEO/Chairman)

   Case-by-Case

Compensation Review Process: compensation committee comprised of outside, unrelated directors to ensure shareholder value while rewarding good performance

   For

Director Liability & Indemnification: support limitation of liability and provide indemnification

   For

Audit Process

   For

Board Committee Structure: audit, compensation, and nominating and/or governance committee consisting entirely of independent directors

   For

Monetary Arrangements for Directors: outside of normal board activities amts should be approved by a board of independent directors and reported in proxy

   For

Fixed Retirement Policy for Directors

   Case-by-Case

Ownership Requirement: all Directors have direct and material cash investment in common shares of Company

   For

Proposals on Board Structure: (lead director, shareholder advisory committees, requirement that candidates be nominated by shareholders, attendance at meetings)

   For

Annual Review of Board/CEO by Board

   For

 

A-5


Proxy Issue

  

Firm Guideline

Periodic Executive Sessions Without Mgmt (including CEO)

   For

Votes for Specific Directors

   Case-by-Case

MANAGEMENT AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

  

Stock Option and Incentive Compensation Plans:

   Case-by-Case

Form of Vehicle: grants of stock options, stock appreciation rights, phantom shares and restricted stock

   Case-by-Case

Price

   Against plans whose underlying securities are to be issued at less than 100% of the current market value

Re-pricing: plans that allow the Board of Directors to lower the exercise price of options already granted if the stock price falls or under-performs the market

   Against

Expiry: plan whose options have a life of more than ten years

   Case-by-Case

Expiry: “evergreen” stock option plans

   Against

Dilution:

   Case-by-Case—taking into account value creation, commitment to shareholder-friendly policies, etc.

Vesting: stock option plans that are 100% vested when granted

   Against

Performance Vesting: link granting of options, or vesting of options previously granted, to specific performance targets

   For

Concentration: authorization to allocate 20% or more of the available options to any one individual in any one year

   Against

Director Eligibility: stock option plans for directors if terms and conditions are clearly defined and reasonable

   Case-by-Case

Change in Control: stock option plans with change in control provisions that allow option holders to receive more for their options than shareholders would receive for their shares

   Against

Change in Control: change in control arrangements developed during a take-over fight specifically to entrench or benefit management

   Against

Change in Control: granting options or bonuses to outside directors in event of a change in control

   Against

Board Discretion: plans to give Board broad discretion in setting terms and conditions of programs

   Against

Employee Loans: Proposals authorizing loans to employees to pay for stock or options

   Against

Not Prohibiting “Mega-grants”

   Not Specified

Omnibus Plans: plans that provide for multiple awards and believe that shareholders should vote on the separate components of such plans

   Not Specified

Director Compensation: % of directors’ compensation in form of common shares

   For

 

A-6


Proxy Issue

  

Firm Guideline

Golden Parachutes

   Case-by-Case

Expense Stock Options

   For

Severance Packages: must receive shareholder approval

   For

Lack of Disclosure about Provisions of Stock-based Plans

   Against

Reload Options

   Against

Plan Limited to a Small Number of Senior Employees

   Against

Employee Stock Purchase Plans

   Case-by-Case

TAKEOVER PROTECTIONS

  

Shareholder Rights Plans: plans that go beyond ensuring the equal treatment of shareholders in the event of a bid and allowing the corp. enough time to consider alternatives to a bid

   Against

Going Private Transaction, Leveraged Buyouts and Other Purchase Transactions

   Case-by-Case

Lock-up Arrangements: “hard” lock-up arrangements that serve to prevent competing bids in a takeover situation

   Against

Crown Jewel Defenses

   Against

Payment of Greenmail

   Against

“Continuing Director” or “Deferred Redemption” Provisions: provisions that seek to limit the discretion of a future board to redeem the plan

   Against

Change Corporation’s Domicile: if reason for re-incorporation is to take advantage of protective statutes (anti-takeover)

   Against

Poison Pills: receive shareholder ratification

   For

Redemption/Ratification of Poison Pill

   For

SHAREHOLDERS’ RIGHTS

  

Confidential Voting by Shareholders

   For

Dual-Class Share Structures

   Against

Linked Proposals: with the objective of making one element of a proposal more acceptable

   Against

Blank Check Preferred Shares: authorization of, or an increase in, blank check preferred shares

   Against

Supermajority Approval of Business Transactions: management seeks to increase the number of votes required on an issue above two-thirds of the outstanding shares

   Against

Increase in Authorized Shares: provided the amount requested is necessary for sound business reasons

   For

Shareholder Proposals

   Case-by-Case

Stakeholder Proposals

   Case-by-Case

Issuance of Previously Authorized Shares with Voting Rights to be Determined by the Board without Prior Specific Shareholder Approval

   Against

 

A-7


Proxy Issue

  

Firm Guideline

“Fair Price” Provisions: Measures to limit ability to buy back shares from particular shareholder at higher-than-market prices

   For

Preemptive Rights

   For

Actions altering Board/Shareholder Relationship Require Prior Shareholder Approval (including “anti-takeover” measures)

   For

Allow Shareholder action by written consent

   For

Allow Shareholders to call Special Meetings

   For

Social and Environmental Issues

   As recommended by Company Management

Reimbursing Proxy Solicitation Expenses

   Case-by-Case

 

A-8


PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 28. Exhibits

Unless otherwise noted, all references are to the Registrant’s initial registration statement on Form N-1A (the “Registration Statement”) as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on October 21, 1991 (File Nos. 33-43446 and 811-06444).

(a) (1) The Registrant’s Declaration of Trust dated as of October 2, 2006 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 70 as filed with the SEC on April 16, 2007 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 70”).

(2) The Registrant’s Declaration of Trust dated as of October 2, 2006 as amended and restated as of August 18, 2011 is filed herewith.

(3) Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interests in the Trust effective as of February 8, 2007 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 70.

(4) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interests in the Trust effective as of August 9, 2007 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 72 as filed with the SEC on August 24, 2007 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 72”).

(5) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of August 9, 2007 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 72.

(6) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interests in the Trust and Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of November 8, 2007 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 76 as filed with the SEC on November 30, 2007 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 76”).

(7) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interests in the Trust effective as of February 7, 2008 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87 as filed with the SEC on February 15, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 87”).

(8) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of February 7, 2008 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87.

(9) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interests in the Trust effective as of May 8, 2008 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 109 as filed with the SEC on June 3, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 109”).

(10) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of May 8, 2008 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 109.

(11) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interests in the Trust effective as of June 6, 2008 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 110 as filed with the SEC on June 6, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 110”).

(12) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of June 6, 2008 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 110.

(13) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interests in the Trust effective as of January 28, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 133 as filed with the SEC on January 28, 2009 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 133”).

(14) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of January 28, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 133.

(15) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of February 26, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 137 as filed with the SEC on February 27, 2009 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 137”).

(16) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of February 26, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 146 as filed with the SEC on June 25, 2009 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 146”).

 

- 3 -


(17) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interests in the Trust effective as of August 5, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 150 as filed with the SEC on November 6, 2009 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 150”).

(18) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of August 5, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 150.

(19) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in the Trust effective as of December 7, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 as filed with the SEC on February 16, 2010 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 159”).

(20) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of December 7, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 159.

(21) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in the Trust effective as of February 4, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 162 as filed with the SEC on March 15, 2010 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 162”).

(22) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of February 4, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 162.

(23) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in the Trust effective as of May 6, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 171 as filed with the SEC on June 4, 2010 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 171”).

(24) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of May 6, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 171.

(25) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interests in the Trust effective as of May 6, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 as filed with the SEC on June 16, 2010 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 172”).

(26) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of May 6, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172.

(27) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in the Trust effective as of June 15, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 173 as filed with the SEC on July 28, 2010 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 173”).

(28) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of June 15, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 173.

(29) Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in the Trust is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 179 as filed with the SEC on December 29, 2010 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 179”).

(30) Amended and Restated Designation of Classes effective as of November 4, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 1(bb) to the Registration Statement on Form N-14 of Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust as filed with the SEC on November 19, 2010.

(b)(1) The Registrant’s By-Laws dated October 4, 2006 are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 70.

     (2) The Registrant’s By-Laws dated October 4, 2006 as amended and restated as of August 18, 2011 are filed herewith.

(c) Not Applicable.

(d) (1) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Aggressive Growth Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Aggressive Growth Fund), and Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA”) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78 as filed with the SEC on December 14, 2007 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 78”).

(2) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

 

- 4 -


(3) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(4) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Esemplia Emerging Markets Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(5) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Investment Counsel Financial Services Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Barrett Financial Services Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(6) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental All Cap Value Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental Value Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(7) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Global Currents International All Cap Opportunity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners International All Cap Opportunity Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(8) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners All Cap Fund), and Legg Mason Capital Management Inc. (“LMCM”) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 as filed with the SEC on August 27, 2007 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 73”).

(9) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Value Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Small Cap Value Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(10) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Appreciation Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Appreciation Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(11) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Income Builder Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason ClearBridge Capital and Income Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(12) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Capital Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Capital Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(13) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Equity Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(14) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Batterymarch Global Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Global Equity Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73.

(15) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Value Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason ClearBridge Investors Value Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(16) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Large Cap Growth Fund) and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(17) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 100% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 100%), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73.

(18) Form of Amended Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 100% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 100%), and

 

- 5 -


LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 95 as filed with the SEC on April 4, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 95”).

(19) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 30% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 30%), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(20) Form of Amended Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 30% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 30%), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 95.

(21) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 50% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 50%), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(22) Form of Amended Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 50% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 50%), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 95.

(23) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 70% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 70%), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(24) Form of Amended Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 70% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 70%), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 95.

(25) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 85% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 85%), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(26) Form of Amended Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 85% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 85%), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 95.

(27) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Income Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Income Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(28) Form of Amended Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Lifestyle Income Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Income Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 95.

(29) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Core Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Mid Cap Core Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(30) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Batterymarch S&P 500 Index Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners S&P 500 Index Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(31) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Growth Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Small Cap Growth Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(32) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Investment Counsel Social Awareness Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Social Awareness Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(33) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Batterymarch U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 87.

(34) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2015 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2015), and LMPFA is

 

- 6 -


incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120 as filed with the SEC on August 28, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 120”).

(35) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2020 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2020), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(36) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2025 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2025), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(37) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2030 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2030), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(38) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2035 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2035), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(39) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2040 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2040), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(40) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2045 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2045), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(41) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2050 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2050), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(42) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Target Retirement Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement Fund), and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(43) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Permal Tactical Allocation Fund, and LMPFA is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141 as filed with the SEC on April 9, 2009 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 141”).

(44) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Growth Fund, and LMPFA, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 177 as filed with the SEC on August 31, 2010 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 177”).

(45) Form of Management Agreement between the Registrant, on behalf of Legg Mason Global Currents International Small Cap Opportunity Fund, and LMPFA, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 178 as filed with the SEC on September 29, 2010 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 178”).

(46) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge Advisors, LLC (“ClearBridge”), with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Aggressive Growth Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Aggressive Growth Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(47) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(48) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(49) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and Legg Mason International Equities Limited (“LMIE”), with respect to Legg Mason Esemplia Emerging Markets Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

 

- 7 -


(50) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and Legg Mason Investment Counsel, LLC (“LMIC”), with respect to Legg Mason Investment Counsel Financial Services Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Barrett Financial Services Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73.

(51) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental All Cap Value Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental Value Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(52) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Value Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Small Cap Value Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(53) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Appreciation Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Appreciation Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(54) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Income Builder Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason ClearBridge Capital and Income Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(55) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Capital Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Capital Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(56) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Equity Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(57) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and Batterymarch Financial Management, Inc. (“Batterymarch”), with respect to Legg Mason Batterymarch Global Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Global Equity Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73.

(58) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Value Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason ClearBridge Investors Value Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(59) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Large Cap Growth Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(60) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC (“LMGAA”), with respect to Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 100% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 100%), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 74 as filed with the SEC on November 1, 2007 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 74”).

(61) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 30% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 30%), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 74.

(62) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 50% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 50%), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 74.

(63) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 70% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 70%), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 74.

(64) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 85% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 85%), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 74.

 

- 8 -


(65) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Lifestyle Income Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Income Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 74.

(66) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Core Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Mid Cap Core Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(67) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and Batterymarch, with respect to Legg Mason Batterymarch S&P 500 Index Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners S&P 500 Index Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(68) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Growth Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Small Cap Growth Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(69) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMIC, with respect to Legg Mason Investment Counsel Social Awareness Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Social Awareness Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73.

(70) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and Batterymarch, with respect to Legg Mason Batterymarch U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87.

(71) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2015 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2015), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(72) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2020 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2020), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(73) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2025 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2025), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(74) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2030 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2030), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(75) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2035 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2035), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(76) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2040 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2040), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(77) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2045 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2045), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(78) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2050 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2050), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(79) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(80) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and Global Currents Investment Management, LLC (“GCIM”), with respect to Legg Mason Global Currents International All Cap Opportunity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners International All Cap Opportunity Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 126 as filed with the SEC on November 26, 2008.

 

- 9 -


(81) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and Permal Asset Management Inc. (“Permal”), with respect to Legg Mason Permal Tactical Allocation Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141.

(82) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMGAA, with respect to Legg Mason Permal Tactical Allocation Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141.

(83) Form of Sub-Administration Agreement between LMCM and LMPFA, with respect to Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners All Cap Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 76.

(84) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and ClearBridge, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Growth Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 177.

(85) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and GCIM, with respect to Legg Mason Global Currents International Small Cap Opportunity Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 178.

(86) Form of Subadvisory Agreement between LMPFA and LMIC, with respect to Legg Mason Investment Counsel Financial Services Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Barrett Financial Services Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 175 as filed with the SEC on August 25, 2010 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 175”).

(e) (1) Form of Distribution Agreement with Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“CGMI”) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 as filed with the SEC on August 16, 2000 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 30”).

(2) Form of Distribution Agreement with PFS Distributors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 30.

(3) Form of Amendment to the Distribution Agreement with CGMI dated as of December 1, 2005, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 as filed with the SEC on January 27, 2006 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 56”).

(4) Form of Amendment of Distribution Agreement and Assumption of Duties and Responsibilities, among the Registrant, PFS Distributors, Inc. and PFS Investments, Inc. (“PFS”), dated as of December 1, 2005, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 56.

(5) Letter Agreement amending the Distribution Agreements with CGMI dated April 10, 2007, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 76.

(6) Letter Agreement amending the Distribution Agreements with PFS dated April 6, 2007, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 76.

(7) Form of Distribution Agreement with Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC (“LMIS”) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 128, as filed with the SEC on December 15, 2008.

(8) Form of Distribution Agreement with LMIS, with respect to Legg Mason Permal Tactical Allocation Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141.

(9) Form of Distribution Agreement with LMIS, with respect to Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Growth Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 177.

(10) Form of Distribution Agreement with LMIS, with respect to Legg Mason Global Currents International Small Cap Opportunity Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 178.

(f) (1) Emeritus Retirement Plan relating to certain funds, established effective as of January 1, 2007, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 60 as filed with the SEC on December 5, 2006 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 60”).

(2) Amended and Restated Trustee Retirement Plan relating to certain funds dated as of January 1, 2005 (the “General Retirement Plan”), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 as filed with the SEC on January 8, 2007 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 61”).

 

- 10 -


(3) Legg Mason Investment Series (f/k/a Smith Barney Investment Series) Amended and Restated Trustees Retirement Plan dated as of January 1, 2005, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 61.

(4) Amendment to the General Retirement Plan and the Legg Mason Partners Investment Series Amended and Restated Trustees Retirement Plan is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 61.

(5) Amended and Restated Emeritus Retirement Plan relating to certain funds, established effective as of January 1, 2007, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 61.

(g) (1) Custodian Services Agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), dated January 1, 2007, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 76.

(2) Letter Agreement amending the Custodian Services Agreement with State Street, dated April 9, 2007, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 76.

(h) (1) Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated January 1, 2006, between the Registrant and BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (“BNY”) (formerly PNC Global Investment Servicing (U.S.) Inc.) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 56.

(2) Co-Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated April 1, 2009, between the Registrant and BNY incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 147 as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2009.

(3) Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, dated April 4, 2009, between each series of the Registrant and Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141.

(4) Form of License Agreement between the Registrant and Legg Mason Properties, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 58 as filed with the SEC on April 28, 2006 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 58”).

(5) License Agreement between the Registrant and Citigroup Inc. dated December 1, 2005 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 58.

(6) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 60.

(7) Letter Agreement amending the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement with BNY, dated April 9, 2007, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 76.

(8) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement with respect to Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 100% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 100%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 85% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 85%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 70% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 70%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 50% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 50%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 30% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 30%) and Legg Mason Lifestyle Income Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Income Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 95.

(9) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2015 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2015), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(10) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2020 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2020), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(11) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2025 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2025), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(12) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2030 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2030), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

 

- 11 -


(13) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2035 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2035), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(14) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2040 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2040), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(15) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2045 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2045), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(16) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement 2050 (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2050), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(17) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement, with respect to Legg Mason Target Retirement Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

(18) Form of Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Agreement, with respect to Legg Mason Permal Tactical Allocation Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141.

(19) Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement Resolutions adopted by the Board of Trustees is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 filed on April 26, 2011.

(i) (1) Opinion of Counsel regarding legality of shares being registered is incorporated herein by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 filed on December 6, 1991 (“Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1”).

(2) Legal Counsel’s consent is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 as filed with the SEC on March 30, 1999 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 24”).

(3) Opinion and Consent of Counsel regarding the legality of shares being registered is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 70.

(4) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 100% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 100%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 85% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 85%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 70% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 70%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 50% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 50%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 30% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 30%) and Legg Mason Lifestyle Income Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Income Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 75 filed on November 19, 2007 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 75”).

(5) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 100% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 100%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 85% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 85%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 70% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 70%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 50% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 50%), Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 30% (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Allocation 30%) and Legg Mason Lifestyle Income Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Lifestyle Income Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 75.

(6) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R Shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental All Cap Value Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Fundamental Value Fund) and Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Value Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Small Cap Value Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 76.

(7) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R Shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental All Cap Value Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Fundamental Value

 

- 12 -


Fund) and Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Value Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Small Cap Value Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 76.

(8) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund), Legg Mason ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund), Legg Mason Esemplia Emerging Markets Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund) and Legg Mason Global Currents International All Cap Opportunity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners International All Cap Opportunity Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(9) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund), Legg Mason ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund), Legg Mason Esemplia Emerging Markets Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund) and Legg Mason Global Currents International All Cap Opportunity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners International All Cap Opportunity Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78.

(10) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Core Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Mid Cap Core Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 as filed with the SEC on December 28, 2007 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 79”).

(11) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Core Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Mid Cap Core Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 79.

(12) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason Batterymarch Global Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Global Equity Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 82 as filed with the SEC on February 5, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 82”).

(13) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason Batterymarch Global Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Global Equity Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 82.

(14) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding the legality of Class A, C, FI, R, I and IS shares of Legg Mason Batterymarch U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87.

(15) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding the legality of Class A, C, FI, R, I and IS shares of Legg Mason Batterymarch U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87.

(16) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class IS shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Appreciation Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Appreciation Fund), Class FI and Class R Shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Income Builder Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason ClearBridge Capital and Income Fund), Class FI, Class R and Class IS shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Capital Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Capital Fund), Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Equity

 

- 13 -


Fund), Class FI, Class R and Class IS shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Value Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Investors Value Fund), Class IS shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Growth Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Small Cap Growth Fund) and Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason Investment Counsel Social Awareness Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Social Awareness Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 90 is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 90 as filed with the SEC on February 26, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 90”).

(17) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class IS shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Appreciation Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Appreciation Fund), Class FI and Class R Shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Income Builder Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason ClearBridge Capital and Income Fund), Class FI, Class R and Class IS shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Capital Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Capital Fund), Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Equity Fund), Class FI, Class R and Class IS shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Value Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Investors Value Fund), Class IS shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Growth Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Small Cap Growth Fund) and Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason Investment Counsel Social Awareness Fund (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Social Awareness Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 90.

(18) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class IS Shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Aggressive Growth Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Aggressive Growth Fund), Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental All Cap Value Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Fundamental Value Fund), Legg Mason Global Currents International All Cap Opportunity Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners International All Cap Opportunity Fund), Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Large Cap Growth Fund) and Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Core Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Mid Cap Core Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 as filed with the SEC on May 5, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 103”).

(19) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class IS Shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Aggressive Growth Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Aggressive Growth Fund), Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental All Cap Value Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Fundamental Value Fund), Legg Mason Global Currents International All Cap Opportunity Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners International All Cap Opportunity Fund), Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Large Cap Growth Fund) and Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Core Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Mid Cap Core Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103.

(20) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class FI and R shares of Legg Mason Investment Counsel Financial Services Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Financial Services Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 104 as filed with the SEC on May 7, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 104”).

(21) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class FI and R shares of Legg Mason Investment Counsel Financial Services Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Financial Services Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 104.

(22) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R shares of Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners All Cap Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 108 as filed with the SEC on May 30, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 108”).

 

- 14 -


(23) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class FI and Class R shares Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners All Cap Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 108.

Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class A, C, FI, R, I and IS shares of

(24) Legg Mason Target Retirement 2015 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2015), Legg Mason Target Retirement 2020 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2020), Legg Mason Target Retirement 2025 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2025) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2030(formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2030) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2035 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2035) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2040 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2040) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2045 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2045) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2050 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2050) and Legg Mason Target Retirement Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 110.

(25) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class A, C, FI, R, I and IS shares of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2015 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2015), Legg Mason Target Retirement 2020 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2020), Legg Mason Target Retirement 2025 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2025) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2030(formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2030) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2035 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2035) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2040 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2040) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2045 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2045) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2050 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2050) and Legg Mason Target Retirement Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 110.

(26) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Appreciation Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Appreciation Fund), Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Value Fund (formerly Legg Mason ClearBridge Investors Value Fund), Legg Mason Batterymarch Global Equity Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Global Equity Fund) and Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Growth Fund (Legg Mason Partners Small Cap Growth Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 137.

(27) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Appreciation Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Appreciation Fund), Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Value Fund (formerly Legg Mason ClearBridge Investors Value Fund), Legg Mason Batterymarch Global Equity Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Global Equity Fund) and Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Growth Fund (Legg Mason Partners Small Cap Growth Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 137.

(28) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2015 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2015), Legg Mason Target Retirement 2020 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2020), Legg Mason Target Retirement 2025 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2025) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2030(formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2030) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2035 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2035) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2040 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2040) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2045 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2045) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2050 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2050) and Legg Mason Target Retirement Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 140 as filed with the SEC on April 1, 2009 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 140”).

 

- 15 -


(29) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason Target Retirement 2015 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2015), Legg Mason Target Retirement 2020 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2020), Legg Mason Target Retirement 2025 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2025) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2030(formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2030) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2035 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2035) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2040 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2040) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2045 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2045) , Legg Mason Target Retirement 2050 (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement 2050) and Legg Mason Target Retirement Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners Target Retirement Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 140.

(30) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class A, Class C, Class I, Class FI, Class R and Class IS shares of Legg Mason Permal Tactical Allocation Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141.

(31) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class A, Class C, Class I, Class FI, Class R and Class IS shares of Legg Mason Permal Tactical Allocation Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141.

(32) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners All Cap Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 146.

(33) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund (formerly Legg Mason Partners All Cap Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 146.

(34) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class R1 Shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Aggressive Growth Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 149 as filed with the SEC on October 30, 2009 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 149”).

(35) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class R1 Shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Aggressive Growth Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 149.

(36) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental Value Fund and Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Value Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 150.

(37) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental Value Fund and Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Value Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-effective Amendment No. 150.

(38) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Capital Fund, Legg Mason ClearBridge Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund, Legg Mason ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund, Legg Mason Esemplia Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Fund, Legg Mason Global Currents International All Cap Opportunity Fund and Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Core Fund is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 153 as filed with the SEC on November 24, 2009 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 153”).

(39) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Capital Fund, Legg Mason ClearBridge Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund, Legg Mason ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund, Legg Mason Esemplia Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Fund, Legg Mason Global Currents International All Cap Opportunity Fund and Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Core Fund is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 153.

 

- 16 -


(40) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Fund and Legg Mason Batterymarch U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 155 as filed with the SEC on January 6, 2010 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 155”).

(41) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding the legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Fund and Legg Mason Batterymarch U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 155.

(42) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class IS shares and Class R1 shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Income Builder Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 159.

(43) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class IS shares and Class R1 shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Income Builder Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 159.

(44) Opinion of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP regarding legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason Investment Counsel Social Awareness Fund, Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 100%, Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 85%, Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 70%, Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 50%, Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 30% and Legg Mason Lifestyle Income Fund is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 162.

(45) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class R1 shares of Legg Mason Investment Counsel Social Awareness Fund, Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 100%, Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 85%, Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 70%, Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 50%, Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 30% and Legg Mason Lifestyle Income Fund is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 162.

(46) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding legality of Class R1 shares Legg Mason Investment Counsel Financial Services Fund (formerly Legg Mason Barrett Financial Services Fund) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 170 as filed with the SEC on May 27, 2010.

(47) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding the legality of Class A, Class C, Class FI, Class R, Class R1, Class I and Class IS shares of Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Growth Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 171.

(48) Opinion of Venable LLP regarding the legality of shares of Class A, Class C, Class FI, Class R, Class R1, Class I and Class IS shares of Legg Mason Global Currents International Small Cap Opportunity Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172.

(j) (1) Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm is filed herewith.

(2) Power of Attorney dated May 6, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 175.

(3) Power of Attorney dated August 26, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 179.

(k) Not Applicable.

(l) Purchase Agreement between the Registrant and Shearson Lehman Brothers Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1.

(m) (1) Amended Shareholder Services and Distribution Plan relating to Class A, B, C, FI, R and I Shares is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 74.

 

- 17 -


(2) Amended Shareholder Services and Distribution Plan relating to Class A, B, C, FI, R and I Shares is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 81 as filed with the SEC on January 29, 2008.

(3) Amended Shareholder Services and Distribution Plan relating to Class A, B, C, FI, R, I and IS Shares dated as of February 7, 2008 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 as filed with the SEC on February 15, 2008.

(4) Amended Shareholder Services and Distribution Plan relating to Class A, B, C, FI, R, I and IS Shares dated as of August 7, 2008 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 119 as filed with the SEC on August 28, 2008 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 119”).

(5) Amended Shareholder Services and Distribution Plan relating to Class R1 Shares dated as of February 26, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 137.

(6) Amended Shareholder Services and Distribution Plan relating to Class R1 Shares dated as of February 26, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 146.

(7) Amended Shareholder Services and Distribution Plan dated as of December 7, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 159.

(8) Amended Shareholder Services and Distribution Plan dated as of February 4, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 162.

(9) Amended Shareholder Services and Distribution Plan dated as of August 5, 2010 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 177.

(n)(1) Rule 18f-3(d) Multiple Class Plan of the Registrant pursuant to Rule 18f-3 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 76.

(o) Not Applicable.

(p)(1) Code of Ethics of Legg Mason & Co., LLC (adopted by LMPFA, LMIS and LMGAA) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120.

 

  (2)       Code of Ethics of LMIE is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 61.
  (3)       Code of Ethics of Batterymarch dated February 1, 2005 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 61.
  (4)       Code of Ethics of LMIC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 as filed with the SEC on January 10, 2007 (“Post-Effective Amendment No. 62”).
  (5)       Code of Ethics of LMCM is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73.
  (6)       Code of Ethics of GCIM is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 111 as filed with the SEC on July 3, 2008.
  (7)       Code of Ethics of Permal is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141.
  (8)       Code of Ethics of ClearBridge is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 148 as filed with the SEC on August 26, 2009.

 

Item 29. Persons Controlled by or under Common Control with Registrant

Not Applicable.

 

Item 30. Indemnification

The response to this item is incorporated herein by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1.

The directors and officers of the Registrant and the personnel of the Registrant’s manager are insured under an errors and omissions liability insurance policy. The Registrant and its officers are also insured under the fidelity bond required by Rule 17g-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

 

- 18 -


Reference is hereby made to (a) paragraph 9 of the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and LMIS, incorporated by reference herein.

 

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser

Investment Adviser—Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA”)

LMPFA was formed in 2006 under the laws of the State of Delaware as a limited liability company. LMPFA is a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”).

LMPFA is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of LMPFA together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated by reference to Schedules A and D of Form ADV filed by LMPFA pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-66785).

Investment Adviser—Legg Mason Capital Management, Inc. (“LMCM”)

LMCM was formed in 1982 under the laws of the State of Maryland as a corporation. LMCM is a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Legg Mason.

LMCM is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of LMCM together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated by reference to Schedules A and D of Form ADV filed by LMCM pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-18115).

Subadviser—ClearBridge Advisors, LLC (formerly known as CAM North America, LLC) (“ClearBridge”)

ClearBridge was organized under the laws of the State of Delaware as a limited liability company. ClearBridge is a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Legg Mason.

ClearBridge is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of ClearBridge together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated by reference to Schedules A and D of Form ADV filed by ClearBridge pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-64710).

Subadviser—Batterymarch Financial Management, Inc. (“Batterymarch”)

Batterymarch was organized under the laws of the State of Maryland as a corporation. Batterymarch is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Legg Mason.

Batterymarch is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of Batterymarch together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated by reference to Schedules A and D of Form ADV filed by Batterymarch pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801- 48035).

Subadviser—Global Currents Investment Management, LLC (“GCIM”)

GCIM was organized under the laws of the State of Delaware as a limited liability corporation. GCIM is a wholly owned subsidiary of Legg Mason.

GCIM is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of GCIM together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated by reference to Schedules A and D of Form ADV filed by GCIM pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-68663).

Subadviser—Legg Mason International Equities Limited (“LMIE”)

 

- 19 -


The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of LMIE, together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated by reference to Schedules A and D of Form ADV filed by LMIE pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-57655).

Subadviser—Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC (“LMGAA”).

LMGAA is organized under the laws of the State of Delaware as a limited liability company. LMGAA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Legg Mason.

LMGAA is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of LMGAA together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated by reference to Schedules A and D of Form ADV filed by LMGAA pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-67287).

Subadviser—Legg Mason Investment Counsel, LLC (“LMIC”)

LMIC is organized under the laws of the State of Maryland as a limited liability company. LMIC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Legg Mason.

LMIC is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of LMIC together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated by reference to Schedules A and D of Form ADV filed by LMIC pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-63656).

Subadviser—Permal Asset Management Inc. (“Permal”)

Permal was formed in June 2002 under the laws of the State of Delaware as a corporation. Permal is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Legg Mason. Permal is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of Permal, together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated by reference to Schedules A and D of Form ADV filed by Permal pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-61864).

Subadviser—Western Asset Management Company (“WAM”)

WAM is an investment adviser registered with the SEC under the Advisers Act. The following is a list of the officers and directors of WAM.

 

Directors  
James W. Hirschmann III  
Jeffrey A. Nattans  

 

Officers

 
Bruce D. Alberts   Chief Financial Officer
Brett B. Canon   Director of Risk Management and Operations
D. Daniel Fleet   President
Daniel E. Giddings   Assistant Secretary
James W. Hirschmann III   Chief Executive Officer
Gavin L. James   Director of Global Client Service and Marketing

 

- 20 -


Dennis J. McNamara    Director of Portfolio Operations
Charles A. Ruys de Perez   

Following is a list of other substantial business activities in which directors, officers or partners of WAM have been engaged as director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.

 

Officer/Director

  

Other Offices Held

D. Daniel Fleet    Director, WAML
   Director, Western Japan
   Director, WAM Australia
   Director, WAMCO Hldgs Ltd.
   Director, Western Singapore
Jeffrey A. Nattans    Director, WAM
   Vice President, Legg Mason, Inc.
   Manager and Vice President, LMIH
   Director, WAML
   Director, Western Japan
   Director, WAM Australia
   Director, WAMCO Hldgs Ltd.
   Director, Western Singapore

Officer/Director

  

Other Offices Held

James W. Hirschmann III    Director, WAM
   Director, WAML

 

Item 32. Principal Underwriter

(a) LMIS, the distributor of the Registrant, is the distributor for each series of the registrants listed: Legg Mason Partners Premium Money Market Trust, Legg Mason Partners Institutional Trust, Legg Mason Partners Money Market Trust, Legg Mason Partners Variable Equity Trust, Barrett Opportunity Fund, Inc., Legg Mason Partners Variable Income Trust, Legg Mason Partners Income Trust, Legg Mason Cash Reserve Trust, Inc., Legg Mason Charles Street Trust, Inc., Legg Mason Global Trust, Inc., Legg Mason Growth Trust, Inc., Legg Mason Income Trust, Inc., Legg Mason Investment Trust, Inc., Legg Mason Investors Trust, Inc., Legg Mason Light Street Trust, Inc., Legg Mason Special Investment Trust, Inc., Legg Mason Tax Exempt Trust, Inc., Legg Mason Tax-Free Income Fund, Legg Mason Value Trust, Inc., Western Asset Funds, Inc. and Legg Mason Global Asset Management Trust.

LMIS is the placement agent for Institutional Enhanced Portfolio, Prime Cash Reserves Portfolio, U.S. Treasury Reserves Portfolio, Tax Free Reserves Portfolio and Liquid Reserves Portfolio.

(b) The information required by this Item 32 with respect to each director and officer of LMIS is listed below:

Thomas J. Hirschmann – Co-Managing Director

Joseph A. Sullivan – Co-Managing Director

Matthew Schiffman – Vice President

Jeremy O’Shea – Vice President

 

 

- 21 -


Jason Bennett – Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Financial Reporting Officer

Kenneth Cieprisz – Chief Compliance Officer

Elisabeth F. Craig – Secretary

Vicki Schmelzer – Assistant Secretary

Stephen A. Scarpino – Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer

All addresses are 100 International Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21202.

(c) Not applicable.

 

Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records

With respect to the Registrant:

(1) Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust

55 Water Street

New York, New York 10041

With respect to the Registrant’s Investment Managers:

(2) Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC

620 Eighth Avenue

New York, NY 10018

(3) Legg Mason Capital Management, Inc.

100 International Drive

Baltimore, MD 21202

With respect to the Registrant’s Subadvisers:

(4) Legg Mason International Equities Limited

620 Eighth Avenue

New York, NY 10018

(5) Batterymarch Financial Management, Inc.

John Hancock Tower

200 Clarendon Street

Boston, MA 02116

(6) ClearBridge Advisors, LLC

620 Eighth Avenue

New York, NY 10018

(7) Legg Mason Global Asset Allocation, LLC

100 First Stamford Place

Stamford, CT 06902

620 Eighth Avenue

New York, NY 10018

(8) Legg Mason Investment Counsel, LLC

100 International Drive

Baltimore, MD 21202

 

- 22 -


(9) Global Currents Investment Management, LLC

100 International Drive

Baltimore, MD 21202

(10) Permal Asset Management Inc.

900 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10022

(11) c/o Western Asset Management Company

620 Eighth Avenue

New York, New York 10018

With respect to the Registrant’s Custodian:

(12) State Street Bank and Trust Company

One Lincoln Street

Boston, MA 02111

With respect to the Registrant’s Transfer Agent:

(13) Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.

2000 Crown Colony Drive

Quincy, Massachusetts 02169

(14) BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.

4400 Computer Drive

Westborough, MA 01581

With respect to the Registrant’s Distributor:

(15) Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC

100 International Drive

Baltimore, MD 21202

 

Item 34. Management Services

Not applicable.

 

Item 35. Undertakings

Not applicable.

 

- 23 -


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant, LEGG MASON PARTNERS EQUITY TRUST, hereby certifies that it meets all the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York on this 22 nd day of August 2011.

LEGG MASON PARTNERS EQUITY TRUST , on behalf of Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund.

 

By:  

/s/ R. Jay Gerken

  R. Jay Gerken
  President and Chief Executive Officer

WITNESS our hands on the date set forth below.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated below on August 22, 2011.

 

Signature

  

Title

/s/ R. Jay Gerken

   President, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee
R. Jay Gerken    (Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Kaprel Ozsolak

   Chief Financial Officer
Kaprel Ozsolak    (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

Paul R. Ades*

   Trustee
Paul R. Ades   

Andrew L. Breech*

   Trustee
Andrew L. Breech   

Dwight B. Crane*

   Trustee
Dwight B. Crane   

Frank G. Hubbard*

   Trustee
Frank G. Hubbard   

Howard J. Johnson*

   Trustee
Howard J. Johnson   

David E. Maryatt*

   Trustee
David E. Maryatt   

Jerome H. Miller*

   Trustee
Jerome H. Miller   

 

- 24 -


Ken Miller*

   Trustee
Ken Miller   

John J. Murphy*

   Trustee
John J. Murphy   

Thomas F. Schlafly*

   Trustee
Thomas F. Schlafly   

Jerry A. Viscione*

   Trustee
Jerry A. Viscione   

 

*By:  

/s/ R. Jay Gerken

  R. Jay Gerken, as Agent

 

- 25 -


INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Index No.

  

Description of Exhibit

(a)(2)

   Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust

(b)(2)

   Amended and Restated By-laws

(j)(1)

   Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

- 26 -

DECLARATION OF TRUST

OF

LEGG MASON PARTNERS EQUITY TRUST

(a Maryland Statutory Trust)

Dated as of October 2, 2006

As

AMENDED AND RESTATED

As of August 18, 2011


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ARTICLE I – Name and Definitions   

Section 1.1

     Name      1   

Section 1.2

     Definitions      1   
ARTICLE II – Nature and Purpose of Trust      3   
ARTICLE III – Principal Place of Business; Registered Agent      4   
ARTICLE IV – Beneficial Interests; Shareholders   

Section 4.1

     Shares of Beneficial Interest      4   

Section 4.2

     Issuance of Shares      4   

Section 4.3

     Rights of Shareholders      5   

Section 4.4

     Ownership and Transfer of Shares; Small Accounts      5   

Section 4.5

     Voting by Shareholders      6   

Section 4.6

     Meetings      7   

Section 4.7

     Quorum and Action      7   

Section 4.8

     Action by Written Consent in Lieu of Meeting of Shareholders      7   

Section 4.9

     Series and Classes of Shares      8   

Section 4.10

     Disclosure of Shareholder Holdings      11   

Section 4.11

     Access to Trust Records      11   

Section 4.12

     Communications with Shareholders      11   
ARTICLE V – The Trustees   

Section 5.1

     Management of the Trust      11   

Section 5.2

     Qualification and Number      11   

Section 5.3

     Term and Election      11   

Section 5.4

     Resignation, Retirement and Removal      12   

Section 5.5

     Vacancies      12   
ARTICLE VI – Powers of Trustees   

Section 6.1

     General Powers      12   

Section 6.2

     Certain Specific Powers      13   

Section 6.3

     Issuance and Repurchase of Shares      16   

Section 6.4

     Delegation; Committees      16   

Section 6.5

     Collection and Payment      16   

Section 6.6

     Expenses      17   

Section 6.7

     Manner of Acting      17   

 

1


Section 6.8

     Bylaws      17   

Section 6.9

     Principal Transactions      17   

Section 6.10

     Effect of Trustees’ Determination      17   
ARTICLE VII – Service Providers   

Section 7.1

     Investment Adviser and Administrator      18   

Section 7.2

     Underwriter; Transfer Agent; Shareholder Servicing Agent; Custodian      18   

Section 7.3

     Parties to Contract      18   

Section 7.4

     Further Authority of Trustees      19   
ARTICLE VIII – Distributions; Redemptions; Determination of Net Asset Value   

Section 8.1

     Distributions      19   

Section 8.2

     Redemption of Shares      19   

Section 8.3

     Redemption Price      19   

Section 8.4

     Payment      20   

Section 8.5

     Redemption of Shareholder’s Interest by Action of Trust      20   

Section 8.6

     Suspension of Right of Redemption      21   

Section 8.7

     Determination of Net Asset Value; Valuation of Portfolio Assets      21   

Section 8.8

     Constant Net Asset Value      21   

Section 8.9

     Reserves      21   

Section 8.10

     Determination by Trustees      21   
ARTICLE IX – Limitation of Liability and Indemnification   

Section 9.1

     No Personal Liability of and Indemnification of Shareholders      22   

Section 9.2

     Limitation of Liability of Trustees and Others      22   

Section 9.3

     Standard of Performance and Other Matters      23   

Section 9.4

     Liability of Third Persons Dealing with the Trust or Trustees      24   

Section 9.5

     Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses      24   

Section 9.6

     Further Indemnification      25   

Section 9.7

     Amendments and Modifications      25   

Section 9.8

     Derivative Actions      26   
ARTICLE X – Termination; Mergers and Sale of Assets   

Section 10.1

     Termination of Trust or Series      29   

Section 10.2

     Merger and Consolidation      30   

Section 10.3

     Sale of Assets; Reorganization      30   

Section 10.4

     Conversion      31   

Section 10.5

     Combination of Classes      31   
ARTICLE XI – Amendments; Filings; Miscellaneous   

Section 11.1

     Amendments to Declaration and Certificate of Trust      31   

 

 

2


Section 11.2

     Filing of Certificate; Copies of Declaration; Counterparts; Headings      31   

Section 11.3

     Trustees May Resolve Ambiguities      32   

Section 11.4

     Applicable Law; Forum Selection; Jury Waiver      32   

Section 11.5

     Statutory Trust Only      33   

Section 11.6

     Provisions in Conflict with Law or Regulations      33   

Section 11.7

     Writings      34   

 

3


AMENDED AND RESTATED

DECLARATION OF TRUST

OF

LEGG MASON PARTNERS EQUITY TRUST

WHEREAS, THIS DECLARATION OF TRUST was made as of the 2nd day of October, 2006 by the Trustees then in office and the Trust’s Certificate of Trust was filed with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 11.1 hereof, the Trustees of the Trust have, by vote of a majority of the Trustees on August 4, 2011, amended this Declaration of Trust by amending and restating this Declaration of Trust in its entirety;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Trustees do hereby declare that all cash, securities and other assets and properties, which the Trust may from time to time acquire in any manner, will be held IN TRUST, and that the Trustees will direct the management and business of the Trust upon the following terms and conditions for the benefit of the holders from time to time of shares of beneficial interest in this Trust as hereinafter set forth.

ARTICLE I

NAME AND DEFINITIONS

Section 1.l Name . This Trust shall be known as Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust and the Trustees shall conduct the business of the Trust under that name or any other name as they may from time to time determine.

Section 1.2 Definitions . Whenever used herein, unless otherwise required by the context or specifically provided, the following terms have the following respective meanings:

(a) “Bylaws” means the Bylaws of the Trust referred to in Section 6.8 hereof, as from time to time amended, which Bylaws are expressly incorporated by reference herein as part of the Trust’s “governing instrument” within the meaning of the Maryland Act (as defined below).

(b) “Certificate of Trust” means the certificate of trust of the Trust, as filed with the SDAT (as defined below) in accordance with the Maryland Act, and as such certificate of trust may be amended or amended and restated from time to time.

 

-1-


(c) “Class” means the one or more Shares (as defined below) of a Series (as defined below) of the Trust as may be established and designated as a Class from time to time by the Trustees pursuant to Section 4.9(c) hereof.

(d) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or any successor statute), as amended from time to time, and the rules and regulations thereunder, as adopted or amended from time to time.

(e) “Commission” shall have the same meaning given to such term in the 1940 Act (as defined below).

(f) “Declaration” means this Declaration of Trust as amended, supplemented or amended and restated from time to time, which shall be the Trust’s “governing instrument” within the meaning of the Maryland Act. Reference in this Declaration of Trust to “Declaration,” “hereof,” “herein,” and “hereunder” shall be deemed to refer to this Declaration rather than exclusively to the article or section in which such words appear.

(g) “He,” “Him” and “His” shall include the feminine and neuter, as well as the masculine, genders.

(h) “Interested Person” shall have the same meaning given to such term in the 1940 Act (as defined below).

(i) “Maryland Act” shall refer to the Maryland Statutory Trust Act, as amended from time to time.

(j) “1940 Act” refers to the Investment Company Act of 1940 (and any successor statute) and the rules thereunder, all as amended from time to time, as may apply to the Trust or any Series (as defined below) or Class thereof, including pursuant to any exemptive, interpretive or other relief or guidance issued by the Commission or the staff of the Commission under such Act.

(k) “Outstanding Shares” means those Shares (as defined below) shown from time to time on the books of the Trust or its transfer agent as then issued and outstanding, but shall not include Shares which have been redeemed, repurchased, cancelled or terminated by the Trust.

(l) “Person” means and includes natural persons, corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, business trusts, limited liability partnerships, statutory trusts, limited liability companies, trusts, associations, joint ventures, estates, nominees and any other entity in its own or any representative capacity, whether or not legal entities, and governments and agencies and political subdivisions thereof, in each case whether domestic or foreign.

 

-2-


(m) “Prospectus” means the prospectus and statement of additional information with respect to the Trust or one or more Series (as defined below) or Classes thereof as the context shall require, as contained in the most recent effective registration statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Trust or one or more such Series or Classes thereof, as the same may be supplemented or modified from time to time in accordance with the requirements of the federal securities laws.

(n) “Series” individually or collectively means each Series of Shares (as defined below) as may be established and designated from time to time by the Trustees pursuant to Section 4.9(c) hereof.

(o) “Shareholder” means a record owner of Outstanding Shares.

(p) “Shares” means the units of interest into which the beneficial interest in the Trust shall be divided from time to time, including the Shares of any and all Series and Classes which may be established and designated by the Trustees, and includes fractions of Shares as well as whole Shares.

(q) “SDAT” means the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland.

(r) “Trust” refers to the Maryland statutory trust established under the Maryland Act by this Declaration and the filing of the Certificate of Trust with the SDAT.

(s) “Trust Property” means any and all property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, which is owned or held by or for the account of the Trust or any Series.

(t) “Trustees” means, at any time, the Person or Persons who have signed this Declaration and all other Persons who may from time to time be duly qualified and serving as Trustees in accordance with the provisions of Article V hereof, in each case if they shall at that time continue in office in accordance with the terms hereof, and reference herein to a Trustee or the Trustees shall refer to such Person or Persons in his capacity or their capacities as Trustees hereunder.

ARTICLE II

NATURE AND PURPOSE OF TRUST

The purpose of the Trust is to engage in, operate and carry on the business of an open-end management investment company through one or more Series, and to do any and all acts or things as are necessary, convenient, appropriate, incidental or customary in connection therewith, both within and without the State of Maryland, and without limiting the foregoing or the other provisions hereof, the Trust may exercise all powers

 

-3-


conferred by the laws of the State of Maryland upon a Maryland statutory trust formed pursuant to the Maryland Act.

ARTICLE III

PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS; REGISTERED AGENT

The principal place of business of the Trust in the State of Maryland is 100 International Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, the Trust shall at all times maintain at least one resident agent who shall be either an individual who resides in the State of Maryland or a Maryland corporation. The Trustees may change the principal place of business or such resident agent of the Trust from time to time by making the appropriate filing or filings with the SDAT.

ARTICLE IV

BENEFICIAL INTERESTS; SHAREHOLDERS

Section 4.1. Shares of Beneficial Interest .   The beneficial interest in the Trust shall be divided into such Shares of beneficial interest, of such Series or Classes, and of such designations and par values (if any) and with such rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and such other relative terms as shall be determined by the Trustees, from time to time. The number of Shares is unlimited. The Trustees shall have full power and authority to take such action with respect to the Shares as the Trustees may deem desirable.

Section 4.2. Issuance of Shares.  (a)   Shares may be issued from time to time to such Persons (including, without limitation, any Trustee, officer, or agent of the Trust or any Person in which a Trustee, officer or agent of the Trust has an interest) either for cash or for such other consideration (which may be in any one or more instances a certain specified consideration or certain specified considerations) and on such terms as the Trustees, from time to time, may deem advisable, and the Trust may, in connection with an issuance of Shares, acquire other assets (including the acquisition of assets subject to, and in connection with, the assumption of liabilities), and all Shares so issued hereunder, including without limitation Shares issued in connection with a dividend in Shares or a split or reverse split of Shares, shall be fully paid and nonassessable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust shall have the right to refuse to issue Shares to any Person at any time and without any reason therefor whatsoever.

(b)   The Trust may issue Shares in fractional denominations to the same extent as its whole Shares, and Shares in fractional denominations shall be Shares having proportionately to the respective fractions represented thereby all the rights of whole Shares, including, without limitation, the right to vote, the right to receive dividends and distributions and the right to participate upon termination of the Trust.

 

-4-


(c)   Any Shares issued by the Trust which have been purchased, redeemed or otherwise reacquired by the Trust shall be retired automatically and shall have the status of unissued Shares.

Section 4.3 Rights of Shareholders.  The ownership of the Trust Property of every description and the right to conduct any business herein described is vested exclusively in the Trust. The Shareholders shall have no right or title in or to the Trust Property or to call for any partition or division of any property, profits, rights or interests of the Trust or any Series thereof and the Shareholders shall have no interest therein other than the beneficial interest conferred by their Shares. The death, incapacity, dissolution, termination, or bankruptcy of a Shareholder during the continuance of the Trust shall neither operate to terminate the Trust or any Series thereof nor entitle the representative of any such Shareholder to an accounting or to take any action in court or elsewhere against the Trust, any Series thereof or the Trustees, but shall entitle such representative only to the rights of said Shareholder under this Declaration. Neither the Trust nor the Trustees, nor any officer, employee or agent of the Trust shall have any power to bind personally any Shareholder, or to call upon any Shareholder for the payment of any sum of money or assessment whatsoever other than such as the Shareholder may at any time personally agree to pay, provided however that any sales loads or charges, creation or redemption fees, account fees or any other fees or charges not prohibited as charges to Shareholders under applicable law shall not be deemed to be an assessment or payment for the purposes of this Declaration. The Shares shall be personal property giving only the rights specifically set forth in this Declaration. The holders of Shares shall not, as such holders, have any right to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any Shares or securities of the Trust that it may hereafter issue or sell, other than such right, if any, as the Trustees may determine. The holders of Shares shall not be entitled to exercise the rights of objecting Shareholders and shall have no appraisal rights with respect to their Shares and, except as otherwise determined by the Trustees from time to time, shall have no exchange or conversion rights with respect to their Shares. Every Shareholder, by virtue of purchasing Shares and becoming a Shareholder, shall be held to have expressly assented and agreed to the terms of this Declaration and any other governing instrument and shall be bound thereby.

Section 4.4. Ownership and Transfer of Shares; Small Accounts . (a)   The ownership and transfer of Shares shall be recorded on the books of the Trust or, if there is a transfer or similar agent with respect to such Shares, on the books and records of such transfer or similar agent with respect to such Shares, which records shall be maintained separately for the Shares of each Series or Class of the Trust. No certificates representing the ownership of Shares shall be issued except as the Trustees may otherwise determine from time to time. The Trustees may make such rules or impose such restrictions as they consider necessary or appropriate for the issuance of Share certificates, transfer of Shares and similar matters. The record books of the Trust, as kept by the Trust or any transfer or similar agent of the Trust, shall be conclusive as to who are the holders of Shares and as

 

-5-


to the number of Shares held from time to time by each Shareholder. No Shareholder shall be entitled to receive any payment of a dividend or distribution, or to have notice given to him as provided herein or in the Bylaws, until he has provided such information as shall be required to the Trust or, as applicable, the Trust’s transfer or similar agent with respect to his Shares.

(b)   In the event any certificates representing Outstanding Shares are at any time outstanding, the Trustees may at any time or from time to time determine that Shares shall no longer be represented by certificates, and in connection therewith, upon written notice to any Shareholder holding certificates representing Outstanding Shares, such certificates shall be cancelled, provided that such cancellation shall not affect the ownership by such Shareholder of such Shares, and following such cancellation, ownership and transfer of such Shares shall be recorded by book entry on the books of the Trust or its transfer or similar agent.

(c)   The Trustees may establish, from time to time, one or more minimum account sizes for Shareholder accounts, which may differ within and among any Series or Classes, and may impose account fees on (which may be satisfied by involuntarily redeeming the requisite number of Shares in any such account in the amount of such fee), and/or require the involuntary redemption of Shares held in, those accounts the net asset value of which for any reason falls below such established minimum account sizes, or may authorize the Trust to convert any such Shares in such account to Shares of another Class or Series, or take any other such action with respect to minimum account sizes as may be deemed necessary or appropriate by the Trustees, in each case upon such terms as shall be established by the Trustees.

Section 4.5. Voting by Shareholders.  (a)   Shareholders shall not have the power to vote on any matter except: (i) for the election or removal of Trustees to the extent and as provided in Article V hereof, and (ii) with respect to such additional matters relating to the Trust as may be required by law or as the Trustees may consider and determine necessary or desirable.

(b)   Each whole Share (or fractional Share) outstanding on the record date established in accordance with the Bylaws shall entitle the holder thereof to a number of votes as to any matter on which the Shareholder is entitled to vote equal to the net asset value of the Share (or fractional Share) in United States dollars determined at the close of business on the record date. There shall be no cumulative voting in the election of Trustees or on any other matter submitted to a vote of the Shareholders. Shares may be voted in person or by proxy. Until Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class are issued, the Trustees may exercise all rights of Shareholders of the Trust or such Series or Class and may take any action required or permitted by law, this Declaration or the Bylaws of the Trust to be taken by Shareholders of the Trust, such Series or Class.

 

-6-


Only Shareholders who are owners of record on the books of the Trust on the applicable record date will be entitled to vote on a matter. For the avoidance of doubt, the Trust shall be entitled to rely on any vote cast by a Shareholder, and, without any further or independent investigation, shall deem any vote cast by a Shareholder that holds of record Shares on behalf of one or more beneficial owners of Shares to have been taken in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations governing the relationship between the Shareholder and its beneficial owners and/or any contractual provision or other arrangement with any beneficial owner of Shares holding through such Shareholder.

(c)   On any matter submitted to a vote of the Shareholders of the Trust, all Shares of all Series and Classes then entitled to vote shall be voted together, except that (i) when required by the 1940 Act to be voted by individual Series or Class, Shares shall be voted by individual Series or Class, and (ii) when the Trustees have determined that the matter affects only the interests of Shareholders of one or more Series or Classes, only Shareholders of such one or more Series or Classes shall be entitled to vote thereon.

Section 4.6. Meetings.  Meetings of the Shareholders of the Trust or any one or more Series or Classes thereof may be called and held from time to time for the purpose of taking action upon any matter requiring the vote or authority of the Shareholders as herein provided or upon any other matter deemed by the Trustees to be necessary or desirable. The Trustees may set in the Bylaws, or may otherwise establish, provisions relating to the calling and holding of meetings (including the holding of meetings by electronic or other similar means), notice of meetings, record dates, place of meetings, conduct of meetings, voting by proxy, postponement, adjournment or cancellation of meetings and related matters.

Section 4.7. Quorum and Action.  (a)   The Trustees shall set forth in the Bylaws the quorum required for the transaction of business by the Shareholders at a meeting, which quorum shall in no event be less than Shares representing thirty percent (30%) of the voting power of the Shares entitled to vote at such meeting.

(b)   The Shareholders shall take action by the affirmative vote of the holders of Shares representing a majority, except in the case of the election of Trustees which shall only require a plurality, of votes cast at a meeting of Shareholders at which a quorum is present, except as may be otherwise required by applicable law or any provision of this Declaration or the Bylaws.

Section 4.8. Action by Written Consent in Lieu of Meeting of Shareholders.  Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Shareholders may be taken, if (but only if) so directed by the Trustees, without a meeting by written action executed by Shareholders, as of a record date specified by the Trustees, holding not less than the minimum voting power that would have been necessary to take the action at a meeting, assuming that all of the Shareholders entitled to vote on that action were present and voting at that meeting. The written action shall be effective when it has been

 

-7-


executed by the requisite number of Shareholders and delivered to the Secretary of the Trust, unless a different effective time is provided in the written action. Such a consent may be executed and delivered by electronic means in accordance with any procedures that may be adopted by the Trustees from time to time.

Section 4.9. Series and Classes of Shares.

(a) Series. The Trustees hereby establish the Series listed on Schedule A hereto and the Trustees may from time to time authorize the division of Shares into additional Series. The relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms of any Series shall be established and designated by the Trustees, and may be modified by the Trustees from time to time, upon and subject to the following provisions:

(i)   Subject to variations between Classes of Shares of a Series, all Shares shall be identical except that there may be such variations as shall be fixed and determined by the Trustees from time to time between different Series, including, without limitation, as to qualifications for ownership, minimum purchase amounts, minimum account size, purchase price, fees and expenses, redemptions, conversions and exchanges, and special and relative rights as to dividends and on liquidation, and each Series shall have such business purpose or investment objective as shall be determined by the Trustees. Each Share of a Series shall represent a beneficial interest in the net assets allocated or belonging to such Series only, and such interest shall not extend to the assets of the Trust generally (except to the extent that General Assets (as defined below) are allocated to such Series). All references to Shares in this Declaration shall be deemed to include references to Shares of any or all Series as the context may require.

(ii)   The number of authorized Shares of each Series and the number of Shares of each Series that may be issued shall be unlimited. The Trustees may divide or combine any issued or unissued Shares of any Series into a greater or lesser number; classify or reclassify any issued or unissued Shares into one or more Series; terminate any one or more Series; change the name of a Series; and take such other action with respect to the Series as the Trustees may deem desirable.

(iii)   All consideration received by the Trust for the issue or sale of Shares of a particular Series, together with all assets in which such consideration is invested or reinvested, all income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, including any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange or liquidation of such assets, and any funds or payments derived from any reinvestment of such proceeds in whatever form the same may be (collectively, the “Assets”), shall irrevocably belong to that Series for all purposes, subject only to the rights of creditors of such Series, and shall be so recorded upon the books of the Trust.

 

-8-


Such Assets, together with any General Assets (as hereinafter defined) allocated to that Series as provided in the following sentence, are herein referred to as “Assets belonging to” that Series. In the event that there are any assets, income, earnings, profits or proceeds thereof, funds or payments which are not readily identifiable as Assets belonging to any particular Series (collectively, the “General Assets”), subject to Section 10.1(b), the Trustees shall allocate such General Assets to and among any one or more of the Series created from time to time in such manner and on such basis as they deem fair and equitable; and any General Assets allocated to a particular Series shall be Assets belonging to that Series. Each such allocation by the Trustees shall be conclusive and binding upon the Shareholders of all Series for all purposes. Separate and distinct records shall be maintained for each Series and the Assets belonging to each Series shall be held and accounted for in such separate and distinct records separately from the Assets belonging to all other Series and the General Assets of the Trust not allocated to such Series.

(iv)   The Assets belonging to a particular Series shall be charged with the debts, liabilities and obligations of the Trust in respect of that Series and with all expenses, costs, charges and reserves attributable to that Series (collectively, the “Liabilities”), which Liabilities shall be recorded upon the books of the Trust. Such Liabilities together with any General Liabilities (as hereinafter defined) allocated to that Series as provided in the following sentence, are herein referred to as “Liabilities belonging to” that Series. In the event there are any debts, liabilities, obligations, expenses, costs, charges or reserves of the Trust that are not readily identifiable as belonging to any particular Series (collectively, the “General Liabilities”), the Trustees shall allocate and charge such General Liabilities to and among any one or more of the Series created from time to time in such manner and on such basis as they deem fair and equitable; and any General Liabilities so allocated to a particular Series shall belong to that Series. Each such allocation by the Trustees shall be conclusive and binding upon all concerned for all purposes. Without limiting the foregoing, but subject to the right of the Trustees to allocate General Liabilities as herein provided, the Liabilities belonging to a particular Series shall be enforceable only against the Assets belonging to such Series and not against the assets of the Trust generally or against the Assets belonging to any other Series, and none of the General Liabilities incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to the Trust generally or any Liabilities incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to any other Series shall be enforceable against the Assets belonging to such Series. Notice of this contractual limitation on liabilities among Series may be set forth in the Certificate of Trust (whether originally or by amendment) as filed or to be filed with the SDAT pursuant to the Maryland Act, and upon the giving of such notice in the Certificate of Trust, the statutory provisions of §12-501(d) of the Maryland Act relating to limitations on liabilities among Series (and the statutory effect under §12-501(d) of setting forth such notice in the Certificate

 

-9-


of Trust) shall become applicable to the Trust and each Series. Any Person extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against any Series or the Trust on behalf of any Series may look only to the Assets belonging to that Series to satisfy or enforce any Liability belonging to that Series. No Shareholder or former Shareholder of any Series, in such capacity, shall have a claim on or any right to any Assets belonging to any other Series.

(b)  Classes .   The Trustees hereby establish the Classes as listed on Schedule B hereto with respect to those Series identified on such Schedule. The Trustees may from time to time authorize the division of Shares of the Trust or any Series thereof into additional Classes. The relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms of a Class shall be established and designated by the Trustees and may be modified by the Trustees from time to time. All Shares of a Class of a Series shall be identical with each other and with the Shares of each other Class of the same Series except for such variations between Classes as may be authorized by the Trustees from time to time and not prohibited by the 1940 Act, including, without limitation, as to qualifications for ownership, minimum purchase amounts, minimum account size, purchase price, fees and expenses, right of redemption, and the price, terms and manner of redemption, conversion and exchange rights and features and special and relative rights as to dividends and on liquidation. The number of authorized Shares of each Class and the number of Shares of each Class that may be issued shall be unlimited. The Trustees may divide or combine the issued or unissued Shares of any Class into a greater or lesser number; classify or reclassify any issued or unissued Shares of any Class into one or more Classes; combine two or more Classes of a Series into a single Class of such Series; terminate any one or more Classes of Shares; change the name or other designation of a Class; and take such other action with respect to the Classes as the Trustees may deem desirable. To the extent necessary or appropriate to give effect to the preferences and special or relative rights and privileges of any Classes, the Trustees may allocate assets, liabilities, income and expenses of a Series to a particular Class of that Series or apportion the same among two or more Classes of that Series. All references to Shares in this Declaration shall be deemed to include references to Shares of any or all Classes as the context may require.

(c)  Establishment and Designation of Series and Classes.   The establishment and designation of any Series or Class of Shares shall be effective upon the adoption by a majority of the Trustees of a resolution (or upon a later date specified in such resolution) that sets forth such establishment and designation and the relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms of such Series and/or Class, whether directly in such resolution or by reference to one or more documents or instruments outside this Declaration and outside the resolutions, as the same may be in effect from time to time, including any Prospectus relating to such Series or Class, and any such resolutions, documents and instruments shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein as part of the Trust’s “governing instrument” within the meaning of the Maryland Act.

 

-10-


Section 4.10. Disclosure of Shareholder Holdings.  The holders of Shares or other securities of the Trust shall upon demand disclose to the Trust in writing such information with respect to direct and indirect ownership of Shares or other securities of the Trust as the Trustees deem necessary to comply with the provisions of the Code; to comply with the requirements of any other law or regulation; or as the Trustees may otherwise decide, and ownership of Shares may be disclosed by the Trust if so required by applicable law or as the Trustees may otherwise decide.

Section 4.11. Access to Trust Records.  Shareholders shall have no right under the Maryland Act to inspect the records, Shareholder lists, documents, accounts and books of the Trust, and except to the extent required by law other than the Maryland Act, Shareholders shall be permitted to inspect only such records, Shareholder lists, documents, accounts and books of the Trust as the Trustees may determine from time to time.

Section 4.12. Communications with Shareholders.  Any notices, reports, statements, or communications with Shareholders of any kind required under this Declaration, including any such communications with Shareholders or their counsel or other representatives required under Section 9.8 hereof, or otherwise made by the Trust or its agents on behalf of the Trust shall be governed by the provisions pertaining thereto in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE V

THE TRUSTEES

Section 5.1. Management of the Trust.  The business and affairs of the Trust shall be managed under the direction of the Trustees, and they shall have all powers necessary and desirable to carry out that responsibility, including, without limitation, those powers described more fully in Article VI hereof.

Section 5.2. Qualification and Number.  Each Trustee shall be a natural Person. A Trustee need not be a citizen of the United States or a resident of the State of Maryland. By a majority vote or consent of the Trustees as may then be in office, the Trustees may from time to time establish the number of Trustees. No decrease in the number of Trustees shall have the effect of removing any Trustee from office prior to the expiration of his term, but the number of Trustees may be decreased in conjunction with the removal of a Trustee pursuant to Section 5.4 hereof.

Section 5.3. Term and Election.  Except as provided in Section 5.4 below , each Trustee shall hold office until the next meeting of Shareholders called for the purpose of considering the election or re-election of such Trustee or of a successor to such Trustee, and until his successor, if any, is elected, qualified and serving as a Trustee hereunder.

 

-11-


Any Trustee vacancy may be filled by the affirmative vote or consent of a majority of the Trustees then in office, except as prohibited by the 1940 Act, or, if for any reason there are no Trustees then in office, vacancies may be filled by the officers of the Trust elected pursuant to Section 6.2(b)(iii) hereof, or may be filled in any other manner permitted by the 1940 Act.

Section 5.4. Resignation, Retirement and Removal.  Any Trustee may resign or retire as a Trustee by an instrument in writing signed by him and delivered or mailed to the Chair, if any, the President or the Secretary, and such resignation or retirement shall be effective upon such delivery, or at a later date according to the terms of the instrument. Any Trustee who has attained a mandatory retirement age or term limit established pursuant to, or who is otherwise required to retire in accordance with, any written policy adopted from time to time by at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Trustees shall, automatically and without action of such Trustee or the remaining Trustees, be deemed to have retired in accordance with the terms of such policy, effective as of the date determined in accordance with such policy; and any Trustee who has become incapacitated by illness or injury as determined by a majority of the other Trustees or declared incompetent by a court of appropriate jurisdiction, may be retired by written instrument signed by a majority of the other Trustees. Except as aforesaid, any Trustee may be removed from office only (i) by action of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the voting power of the Outstanding Shares, or (ii) by the action of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the remaining Trustees, specifying the date when such removal shall become effective. Except to the extent expressly provided in a written agreement to which the Trust is a party or in a written policy adopted by the Trustees, no resigning, retiring or removed Trustee shall have any right to any compensation for any period following his resignation, retirement or removal, or any right to damages on account of such resignation, retirement or removal.

Section 5.5. Vacancies.  The death, resignation, retirement, removal, or incapacity of one or more of the Trustees, or all of them, shall not operate to annul the Trust or to revoke any existing agency created pursuant to the terms of this Declaration. Whenever a vacancy in the number of Trustees shall occur, until such vacancy is filled as provided herein, or the number of Trustees as fixed is reduced, the Trustees in office, regardless of their number, shall have all the powers granted to the Trustees, and during the period during which any such vacancy shall occur, only the Trustees then in office shall be counted for the purposes of the existence of a quorum or any action to be taken by such Trustees.

ARTICLE VI

POWERS OF TRUSTEES

Section 6.1. General Powers.  The Trustees shall have exclusive and absolute control over the Trust Property and over the business of the Trust but with full powers of delegation, except as may otherwise be expressly prohibited by this Declaration. The

 

-12-


Trustees shall have the power to direct the business and affairs of the Trust and carry on the Trust’s operations and maintain offices both within and outside the State of Maryland, and to do or authorize all such other things and execute or authorize the execution of all such instruments as they deem necessary, proper or desirable in order to promote the interests of the Trust. With respect to any power or authority of the Trustees hereunder, whether stated or implied, the Trustees shall have all further powers and authority as may be necessary, incidental, relative, conducive, appropriate or desirable for the accomplishment, carrying out or attainment of any action authorized by the Trustees. In construing the provisions of this Declaration, the presumption shall be in favor of a grant of power to the Trustees. Without limiting the foregoing, the Trustees shall have power and authority to cause the Trust to operate and carry on the business of an investment company and the Trustees shall exercise all the powers as are necessary, convenient, appropriate, incidental or customary in connection therewith and may exercise all powers which are ordinarily exercised by the trustees of a statutory trust. The enumeration of any specific power herein shall not be construed as limiting the aforesaid general powers. Such powers of the Trustees may be exercised without order of or resort to any court. Whenever in this Declaration the Trustees are given authority to act on behalf of the Trust or to direct, authorize or cause the Trust to take any action, such power and authority shall apply, mutatis mutandis , to any action of the Trust on behalf of any Series or Class.

Section 6.2. Certain Specific Powers.  (a) Investments . The Trustees shall not in any way be bound or limited by present or future laws, rules, regulations, or customs in regard to investments by fiduciaries, but shall have full authority and power to authorize the Trust to make, invest and reinvest in, to buy or otherwise acquire, to hold, for investment or otherwise, to borrow, to sell, terminate, exercise or otherwise dispose of, to lend or to pledge, to write, enter into, engage, trade or deal in any and all investments or investment strategies as they may deem proper at any time and from time to time to accomplish the purpose of the Trust or any Series thereof. In furtherance of, and in no way limiting, the foregoing, the Trustees shall have power and authority to authorize the Trust:

(i)   to exercise powers and rights of subscription or otherwise which in any manner arise out of ownership of securities or other assets;

(ii)   to hold any security or property in a form not indicating any trust, whether in bearer, unregistered or other negotiable form or either in the Trust’s name or in the name of a custodian or a nominee or nominees;

(iii)   to exercise all rights, powers and privileges of ownership or interest in all securities and other assets included in the Trust Property, including the right to vote thereon and otherwise act with respect thereto and to do all acts for the preservation, protection, improvement and enhancement in value of all such assets;

 

-13-


(iv)   to acquire (by purchase, lease or otherwise) and to hold, use, maintain, develop and dispose of (by sale or otherwise) any property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, including cash, securities, currencies, any commodities, and any interest therein;

(v)   to borrow money for any purpose and in this connection issue notes or other evidence of indebtedness;

(vi)   to secure borrowings by mortgaging, pledging or otherwise subjecting as security all or any portion of the Trust Property;

(vii)   to endorse, guarantee, or undertake the performance of any obligation or engagement of any other Person;

(viii)   to lend money or any other Trust Property;

(ix)   to aid by further investment any corporation, company, trust, association or firm, any obligation of or interest in which is included in the Trust Property or in the affairs of which the Trustees have any direct or indirect interest and to do all acts and things designed to protect, preserve, improve or enhance the value of such obligation or interest;

(x)   to guarantee or become surety on any or all of the contracts, stocks, bonds, notes, debentures and other obligations of any such corporation, company, trust, association or firm;

(xi)   to consent to or participate in any plan for the reorganization, consolidation or merger of any corporation or issuer, any security or property of which is held in the Trust;

(xii)   to consent to any contract, lease, mortgage, purchase, or sale of property by such corporation or issuer;

(xiii)   to pay calls or subscriptions with respect to any security held in the Trust; and

(xiv)   to join with other security holders in acting through a committee, depositary, voting trustee or otherwise, and in that connection to deposit any security with, or transfer any security to, any such committee, depositary or trustee, and to delegate to them such power and authority with relation to any security (whether or not so deposited or transferred) as the Trustees shall deem proper, and to agree to pay, and to pay, such portion of the expenses and

 

-14-


compensation of such committee, depositary or trustee as the Trustees shall deem proper.

(b)   Additional Powers .   The Trustees shall have the power and authority on behalf of the Trust:

(i)   to employ, engage or contract with, and make payments to, such Persons as the Trustees may deem desirable for the transaction of the business of the Trust or any Series thereof, including, without limitation, any Trustee or officer of the Trust or any firm of which any such Trustee or officer is a member , whether as agents or independent contractors of the Trust or any Series thereof, or as delegates of the Trustees, officers, or any other Person who may be involved with the management of the business affairs of the Trust or any Series thereof, to have such titles, and such rights, powers and duties as the Trustees may determine from time to time, and to terminate any such employment, engagement or contract or other relationship;

(ii)   to authorize the Trust to enter into joint ventures, partnerships and any other combinations or associations;

(iii)   to elect and remove such officers as they consider appropriate;

(iv)   to authorize the Trust to indemnify any Person with whom the Trust has dealings, including, without limitation, any investment adviser or sub-adviser, distributor, administrator or sub-administrator, custodian or sub-custodian, transfer agent or sub-transfer agent, selected dealers, other agents or independent contractors, to such extent as the Trustees shall determine;

(v)   to authorize the Trust to purchase, and pay for out of Trust Property, (A) insurance policies insuring the Shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees and any other Persons, including, without limitation, any investment adviser or sub-adviser, distributor, administrator or sub-administrator, custodian or sub-custodian, transfer agent or sub-transfer agent, selected dealers, other agents or independent contractors, against any or all claims arising by reason of holding any such position or by reason of any action taken or omitted by any such Person in such capacity, (B) insurance for the protection of Trust Property, (C) insurance as may be required by applicable law, or (D) such other insurance as the Trustees shall deem advisable, in each case as the Trustees shall determine;

(vi)   to authorize the Trust to establish pension, profit-sharing, share purchase, deferred compensation, and other retirement, incentive and benefit plans, including the purchasing of life insurance and annuity contracts as a means of providing such retirement and other benefits, for any Trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust;

 

-15-


(vii)   to authorize the Trust to guarantee indebtedness or contractual obligations of others;

(viii)   to determine and change the fiscal year of the Trust or any Series and the method by which its accounts shall be kept;

(ix)   to adopt a seal for the Trust, but the absence of such seal shall not impair the validity of any instrument executed on behalf of the Trust; and

(x)   to engage in any other lawful act or activity in connection with or incidental to any of the powers enumerated in this Declaration, to do everything necessary, suitable or proper for the accomplishment of any purpose or the attainment of any object or the furtherance of any power herein set forth, either alone or in association with others, and to do every other act or thing incidental or appurtenant to or growing out of or connected with the aforesaid business or purposes, objects or powers.

(c)   The foregoing enumeration of the powers and authority of the Trustees shall be read as broadly and liberally as possible, it being the intent of the foregoing in no way to limit the Trustees’ powers and authority.

Section 6.3. Issuance and Repurchase of Shares.  The Trustees shall have the power to authorize the Trust to issue, sell, repurchase, redeem, retire, cancel, acquire, hold, resell, reissue, dispose of, transfer, and otherwise deal in Shares and in any options, warrants or other rights to purchase Shares or any other interests in the Trust other than Shares.

Section 6.4. Delegation; Committees.  The Trustees shall have power to delegate from time to time to one or more of their number or to officers, employees, agents or independent contractors of the Trust the doing of such things and the execution of such instruments either in the name of the Trust or the names of the Trustees or otherwise as the Trustees may deem expedient, except to the extent such delegation is prohibited by the 1940 Act.

Without limiting the foregoing, and notwithstanding any provisions herein to the contrary, the Trustees may by resolution appoint committees consisting of one or more Trustees then in office and such other members as the Trustees shall approve, which committees may be empowered to act for and bind the Trustees and the Trust, as if the acts of such committees were the acts of all the Trustees then in office.

Section 6.5. Collection and Payment.  The Trustees shall have the power to authorize the Trust to: collect all money or other property due to the Trust; to pay all claims, including taxes, against the Trust Property; to prosecute, defend, arbitrate,

 

-16-


compromise or abandon any claims relating to the Trust Property; to foreclose any security interest securing any obligations, by virtue of which any money or other property is owed to the Trust; and to enter into releases, agreements and other instruments; but the Trustees shall have no liability for failing to authorize the Trust to do any of the foregoing.

Section 6.6. Expenses.  The Trustees shall have the power to authorize the Trust to incur and pay any expenses which, in the opinion of the Trustees, are necessary or incidental to carry out any of the purposes of this Declaration, to pay compensation from the funds of the Trust to themselves as Trustees and to reimburse themselves from the funds of the Trust for their expenses and disbursements. The Trustees shall fix the compensation of all officers, employees and Trustees.

Section 6.7. Manner of Acting.  Except as otherwise provided herein, under applicable law or in the Bylaws, any action to be taken or determination made by the Trustees may be taken or made by a majority of the Trustees present at a meeting of Trustees (a quorum being present), including any meeting held by means of a conference telephone circuit or similar communications equipment by means of which all Persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, or by written consents of a majority of Trustees then in office. Any such action or determination may be made by reference to one or more documents or instruments or policies or procedures outside this Declaration and outside the resolutions of the Trustees. Except as set forth specifically in this Declaration, any action that may be taken by the Trustees may be taken by them in their sole discretion and without the vote or consent of Shareholders.

Section 6.8. Bylaws.  The Trustees may adopt Bylaws not inconsistent with this Declaration to provide for the conduct of the business of the Trust and shall have the exclusive power to amend or repeal such Bylaws.

Section 6.9. Principal Transactions.  Except in transactions not permitted by the 1940 Act, the Trustees may authorize the Trust to buy any securities or other assets from or sell or lend any securities or other assets of the Trust to, any affiliate of the Trust or any account managed by an affiliate of the Trust, any Trustee or officer of the Trust or any firm of which any such Trustee or officer is a member acting as principal, or have any such dealings with any investment adviser (or sub-adviser), distributor, administrator (or sub-administrator), custodian (or sub-custodian), transfer agent or (sub-transfer agent) or affiliate of the Trust or any account managed by an affiliate of the Trust.

Section 6.10. Effect of Trustees’ Determination.   Any action taken or determination made by or pursuant to the direction of the Trustees in good faith and consistent with the provisions of this Declaration shall be final and conclusive and shall be binding upon the Trust, every holder at any time of Shares and any other Person.

 

-17-


ARTICLE VII

SERVICE PROVIDERS

Section 7.1. Investment Adviser and Administrator. The Trust may enter into contracts with one or more Persons, to act as investment adviser, investment sub-adviser, manager, administrator, sub-administrator or other agent or independent contractor to the Trust or Series, and as such to perform such functions as the Trustees may deem reasonable and proper, including, without limitation, investment advisory, management, research, valuation of assets, clerical and administrative functions, under such terms and conditions, and for such compensation, as the Trustees may deem advisable. The Trustees may also authorize or direct any adviser or sub-adviser to employ one or more sub-advisers from time to time and any administrator to employ one or more sub-administrators from time to time, upon such terms and conditions as shall be approved by the Trustees.

Section 7.2. Underwriter; Transfer Agent; Shareholder Servicing Agent; Custodian. The Trust may enter into a contract or contracts with one or more Persons to act as underwriters, distributors or placement agents whereby the Trust may either agree to sell Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class to the other party or parties to the contract or appoint such other party or parties its sales agent or agents for such Shares or a contractor for the sale of such Shares, all with such other provisions as the Trustees may deem reasonable and proper, and the Trust may from time to time enter into transfer agency, sub-transfer agency and/or Shareholder servicing contract(s), in each case with such terms and conditions, and providing for such compensation, as the Trustees may deem advisable.

All securities and cash of the Trust shall be held pursuant to a written contract or contracts with one or more custodians and subcustodians or shall otherwise be held in accordance with the 1940 Act.

Section 7.3. Parties to Contract. Any contract of the character described in this Article VII may be entered into with any Person, including, without limitation, the investment adviser, any investment sub-adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser or sub-adviser, although one or more of the Trustees, officers, or Shareholders of the Trust may be an officer, director, trustee, Shareholder, or member of such other party to the contract, or otherwise interested in such contract, and no such contract shall be invalidated or rendered voidable by reason of the existence of any such relationship, nor shall any Person holding such relationship be liable merely by reason of such relationship for any loss or expense to the Trust under or by reason of said contract or accountable for any profit realized directly or indirectly therefrom. The same Person may be a party to more than one contract entered into pursuant to this Article VII and any individual may be financially interested or otherwise affiliated with Persons who are parties to any or all of the contracts mentioned in this Article VII.

 

-18-


Section 7.4. Further Authority of Trustees. The authority of the Trustees hereunder to authorize the Trust to enter into contracts or other agreements or arrangements shall include the authority of the Trustees to modify, amend, waive any provision of, supplement, assign all or a portion of, novate, or terminate such contracts, agreements or arrangements. The enumeration of any specific contracts in this Article VII shall in no way be deemed to limit the power and authority of the Trustees as set forth in Section 6.2 hereof to authorize the Trust to employ, contract with or make payments to such Persons as the Trustees may deem desirable for the transaction of the business of the Trust.

ARTICLE VIII

DISTRIBUTIONS; REDEMPTIONS; DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

Section 8.1. Distributions. The Trustees may from time to time declare and authorize the payment of, or may prescribe and set forth in a duly adopted vote or votes of the Trustees, the bases and time or frequency, which may be monthly or otherwise, for the declaration and payment of, such dividends and distributions on Shares of a particular Series or Class as they may deem necessary or desirable, after providing for actual and accrued expenses and liabilities (including such reserves as the Trustees may establish) determined in accordance with good accounting practices. All dividends and distributions on Shares of a particular Series shall be distributed only from the Assets belonging to that Series, as such term is defined in Section 4.9 hereof, and shall be distributed pro rata to the Shareholders of that Series in proportion to the number of Shares of that Series held by such Shareholders at the date and time of record for the payment of such dividends or distributions, subject to any variations with respect to Classes of Shares of such Series, if any, and in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act and the Code. Such distributions may be paid in cash and/or in securities or other property, and the composition of any such distribution shall be determined by the Trustees and may be different among Shareholders (including differences among Shareholders in the same Series or Class).

Section 8.2. Redemption of Shares. All Shares of the Trust shall be redeemable at the redemption price determined in the manner set out in this Declaration. The Trust shall redeem the Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof at the price determined as hereinafter set forth, at such offices or agencies and in accordance with such conditions, not inconsistent with the 1940 Act, regarding the redemption of Shares as may be described in the applicable Prospectus.

Section 8.3. Redemption Price. Shares of each Series and Class thereof shall be redeemed at their net asset value determined as set forth in Section 8.7 hereof as of such

 

-19-


time as the Trustees shall have theretofore prescribed, less such fees and/or charges, if any, as may be established by the Trustees from time to time.

Section 8.4. Payment. Payment of the redemption price of Shares of any Series or Class thereof shall be made in cash or in property or any combination thereof, out of the Assets belonging to such Series, as such term is defined in Section 4.9 hereof, and the composition of any such payment may be different among Shareholders (including differences among Shareholders in the same Series or Class), at such time and in the manner as may be specified from time to time in the applicable Prospectus. In no event shall the Trust be liable for any delay of any other Person in transferring securities or other property selected for delivery as all or part of any such payment.

Section 8.5. Redemption of Shareholder’s Interest By Action of Trust. Subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act, the Trust may redeem some or all of the Shares of the Trust or one or more Series or Classes held by any Shareholder for any reason and under terms set by the Trustees, including by way of illustration, for the following reasons:

(a)   the value of such Shares held by such Shareholder being less than the minimum amount established from time to time by the Trustees;

(b)   the determination that direct or indirect ownership of Shares by any Person has become concentrated in such Shareholder to any extent that would disqualify that Series as a regulated investment company under the Code;

(c)   the failure of a Shareholder to supply a tax identification or other identification or if the Trust is unable to verify a Shareholder’s identity,

(d)   the failure of a Shareholder to pay when due for the purchase of Shares issued to such Shareholder;

(e)   the failure of a Shareholder to meet or maintain the qualifications for ownership of a particular Class or Series of Shares;

(f)   the payment of account fees or other charges, expenses and/or fees as set by the Trustees, including without limitation any small account fees permitted by Section 4.4 hereof;

(g)   the determination that ownership of Shares by a particular Shareholder is not in the best interests of the remaining Shareholders of the Trust or applicable Series or Class;

(h)   the failure of a holder of Shares or other securities of the Trust to comply with a demand pursuant to Section 4.10 hereof;

 

-20-


(i)   in connection with the termination of any Series or Class of Shares or any plan of liquidation in contemplation thereof; or

(j)   when the Trust is requested or compelled to do so by governmental authority or applicable law.

Section 8.6. Suspension of Right of Redemption. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust may postpone payment of the redemption price and may suspend the right of the holders of Shares to require the Trust to redeem Shares to the extent permissible under the 1940 Act.

Section 8.7. Determination of Net Asset Value; Valuation of Portfolio Assets. The Trustees may from time to time prescribe such bases and times for determining the per Share net asset value of the Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof and may prescribe or approve the procedures and methods for determining the value of portfolio assets as they may deem necessary or desirable.

The Trust may suspend the determination of net asset value during any period when it may suspend the right of the holders of Shares to require the Trust to redeem Shares.

Section 8.8. Constant Net Asset Value.  With respect to any Series that holds itself out as a money market or stable value fund, the Trustees shall have the power to reduce the number of Outstanding Shares of the Series by reducing the number of Shares in the account of each Shareholder on a pro rata basis, or to take such other measures as are not prohibited by the 1940 Act, so as to maintain the net asset value per Share of such Series at a constant dollar amount.

Section 8.9 Reserves.   The Trustees may set apart, from time to time, out of any funds of the Trust or Series or funds allocable to a Class thereof a reserve or reserves for any proper purpose, and may abolish any such reserve.

Section 8.10. Determination by Trustees.   The Trustees may make any determinations they deem necessary with respect to the provisions of this Article VIII, including, but not limited to, the following matters: the amount of the assets, obligations, liabilities and expenses of the Trust; the amount of the net income of the Trust from dividends, capital gains, interest or other sources for any period and the amount of assets at any time legally available for the payment of dividends or distributions; which items are to be treated as income and which as capital; the amount, purpose, time of creation, increase or decrease, alteration or cancellation of any reserves or charges and the propriety thereof (whether or not any obligation or liability for which such reserves or charges were created shall have been paid or discharged); the market value, or any other price to be applied in determining the market value, or the fair value, of any security or other asset owned or held by the Trust; the number of Shares of the Trust issued or

 

-21-


issuable; the net asset value per Share; and any of the foregoing matters as it may pertain to any Series or Class.

ARTICLE IX

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION

Section 9.1. No Personal Liability of and Indemnification of Shareholders. No personal liability for any debt, liability or obligation or expense incurred by, contracted for, or otherwise existing with respect to, the Trust or any Series or Class shall attach to any Shareholder or former Shareholder of the Trust. In case any Shareholder or former Shareholder of the Trust shall be held to be personally liable solely by reason of his being or having been a Shareholder and not because of his acts or omissions or for some other reason, the Shareholder or former Shareholder (or his heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives or in the case of a corporation or other entity, its corporate or other general successor) shall be entitled out of the assets of the Trust or, if the Trust has more than one Series, the applicable Series, to be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability; provided, however, there shall be no liability or obligation of the Trust arising hereunder to reimburse any Shareholder for taxes paid by reason of such Shareholder’s ownership of any Shares or for losses suffered by reason of any changes in value of any Trust assets. The Trust shall, upon request by the Shareholder or former Shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against the Shareholder for any act or obligation of the Trust and satisfy any judgment thereon. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Declaration or in the Bylaws, the Trust shall have no obligation to pay or reimburse on behalf of any Shareholder, or to indemnify any Shareholder against, any fees, expenses or costs arising under any circumstances, whether in connection with a proceeding of any kind or otherwise.

Section 9.2. Limitation of Liability of Trustees and Others. (a)   No Liability to Third Parties. No person who is or has been a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust shall be subject to any personal liability whatsoever to any Person, other than the Trust or its Shareholders, in connection with the affairs of the Trust; and all Persons shall look solely to the Trust Property or Property of a Series for satisfaction of claims of any nature arising in connection with the affairs of the Trust or such Series.

( b)   Limitation of Liability to Trust and Shareholders.   Subject to applicable federal law, no Person who is or has been a Trustee or officer of the Trust shall be liable to the Trust or to any Shareholder for money damages except (i) to the extent that it is proved that the Person actually received an improper benefit or profit in money, property, or services or (ii) to the extent that a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to the Person is entered in a proceeding based on a finding in the proceeding that the Person’s action, or failure to act, was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause of action adjudicated in the proceeding.

 

-22-


(c)   No Liability for Acts of Others. Without limiting the foregoing limitations of liability contained in this Section 9.2, a Trustee shall not be responsible for or liable in any event for any neglect or wrongdoing of any officer, employee, investment adviser, sub-adviser, principal underwriter, custodian, transfer agent or other agent or independent contractor of the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible or liable for the act or omission of any other Trustee (or for the failure to compel in any way any former or acting Trustee to redress any breach of trust).

Every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate, Share or undertaking and every other act or thing whatsoever executed or done by or on behalf of the Trust or the Trustees or any of them in connection with the Trust shall be conclusively deemed to have been executed or done only in or with respect to his or their capacity as a Trustee or Trustees and neither such Trustee or Trustees shall be personally liable thereon.

All Persons extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against the Trust or a Series shall look only to the assets of the Trust Property or the Trust Property of such Series for payment under such credit, contract or claim; and neither the Trustees, nor any of the Trust’s officers, employees, agents or independent contractors, whether past, present or future, shall be personally liable therefor.

The provisions of this Section 9.2 do not address or limit any claim that the Trust may have against any Person contracting with the Trust, or change any obligation owed to the Trust under any contract or otherwise.

Section 9.3. Standard of Performance and Other Matters.

(a)  Standard of Performance . A Trustee shall perform his or her duties as a Trustee, including the duties as a member of a committee of the Trustees on which the Trustee serves, in good faith and in a manner that the Trustee believes to be in the best interests of the Trust. A Trustee shall be required to perform his or her duties as a Trustee only in accordance with such standard of performance, and no different or additional standard, whether under this Declaration or otherwise, shall be deemed to apply to a Trustee’s performance of his or her duties as a Trustee. This provision establishes the standard of performance required of a Trustee in performing his or her duties as a Trustee as permitted by Section 12-402(c) of the Maryland Act.

(b)  Presumption . Any action or failure to act by a Trustee shall be presumed to be in accordance with the standard of performance described in this Section 9.3, and any Person alleging the contrary shall bear the burden of proof that the action or failure to act was not consistent with such standard of performance.

(c)  Reliance on Others . The Trustees may rely upon advice of counsel or other experts with respect to the meaning and operation of this Declaration and their duties as

 

-23-


Trustees hereunder, and shall be under no liability for any act or omission in accordance with such advice or for failing to follow such advice. In discharging their duties, the Trustees shall be entitled to rely upon the books and records of the Trust and upon written or oral reports made to the Trustees by any officer, employee or agent of the Trust, any Trustee or committee of Trustees, or any counsel to the Trust, the Trustees, any committee of Trustees or Trustee, or any independent registered public accounting firm and (with respect to the subject matter of the contract involved) any officer, partner or responsible employee of any other party to any contract entered into hereunder.

(d)  Not Experts . The appointment, designation or identification (including in any proxy or registration statement or other document) of a Trustee as chair of the Trustees, a member or chair of a committee of the Trustees, an expert on any topic or in any area (including an audit committee financial expert), or the lead independent Trustee, or as having experience, attributes or skills in any area, or any other appointment, designation or identification of a Trustee, shall not impose on that Person any standard or liability that is greater than that imposed pursuant to this Section 9.3 on that Person as a Trustee in the absence of the appointment, designation or identification, and no Trustee who has special attributes, skills, experience or expertise, or is appointed, designated or identified as aforesaid, shall be held to a higher standard by virtue thereof. In addition, no appointment, designation or identification of a Trustee as aforesaid shall affect in any way that Trustee’s rights or entitlement to exculpation, indemnification or advancement of expenses.

(e)  No Bond or Surety . The Trustees shall not be required to give any bond as such, nor any surety if a bond is required.

Section 9.4.   Liability of Third Persons Dealing with the Trust or Trustees. No Person dealing with the Trust or the Trustees shall be bound to make any inquiry concerning the validity of any transaction made or to be made by the Trust or Trustees or to see to the application of any payments made or property transferred to the Trust or upon its order.

Section 9.5. Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in this Section 9.5, every Person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust, including Persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees, agents or independent contractors of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter referred to as a “Covered Person” ), shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been such a Trustee, director, officer, employee, agent or independent contractor and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof.

 

-24-


No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person to the extent such indemnification is prohibited by applicable federal law.

The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a Person who has ceased to be such a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a Person.

Subject to applicable federal law, expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding subject to a claim for indemnification under this Section 9.5 shall be advanced by the Trust prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the recipient to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 9.5.

To the extent that any determination is required to be made as to whether a Covered Person engaged in conduct for which indemnification is not provided as described herein, or as to whether there is reason to believe that a Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification, the Person or Persons making the determination shall afford the Covered Person a rebuttable presumption that the Covered Person has not engaged in such conduct and that there is reason to believe that the Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

As used in this Section 9.5, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, demands, actions, suits, investigations, regulatory inquiries, proceedings or any other occurrence of a similar nature, whether actual or threatened and whether civil, criminal, administrative or other, including appeals, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include without limitation, attorneys’ fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.

Section 9.6. Further Indemnification. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which any Covered Person or other Person may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law or prevent the Trust from entering into any contract to provide indemnification to any Covered Person or other Person. Without limiting the foregoing, the Trust may, in connection with the acquisition of assets subject to liabilities pursuant to Section 4.2 hereof or a merger or consolidation pursuant to Section 10.2 hereof, assume the obligation to indemnify any Person including a Covered Person or otherwise contract to provide such indemnification.

Section 9.7. Amendments and Modifications. Without limiting the provisions of Section 11.1(b) hereof, in no event will any amendment, modification or change to the provisions of this Declaration or the Bylaws adversely affect in any manner the rights of any Covered Person to (a) indemnification under Section 9.5 hereof in connection with any proceeding in which such Covered Person becomes involved as a party or otherwise

 

-25-


by virtue of being or having been a Trustee, officer or employee of the Trust or (b) any insurance payments under policies maintained by the Trust, in either case with respect to any act or omission of such Covered Person that occurred or is alleged to have occurred prior to the time of such amendment, modification or change to this Declaration or the Bylaws.

Section 9.8. Derivative Actions.  (a)   The purpose of this Section 9.8 is to protect the interests of the Trust and its Shareholders by establishing a process that will permit legitimate inquiries and claims to be made and considered while avoiding the time, expense, distraction and other harm that can be caused to the Trust and its Shareholders as a result of spurious Shareholder demands and derivative actions.

(b)   No Shareholder may bring a derivative or similar action or proceeding in the right or name of, or on behalf of, the Trust or any Series to recover a judgment in its favor (a “derivative action”) unless each of the following conditions is met:

(i)   Each complaining Shareholder was a Shareholder of the Series in the right or name of which, or on behalf of which, the derivative action is proposed to be brought (the “affected Series”) at the time of the action or failure to act complained of, or acquired the Shares afterwards by operation of law from a Person who was a Shareholder at that time;

(ii)   Each complaining Shareholder was a Shareholder of the affected Series at the time the demand required by subparagraph (iii) below was made;

(iii)   Prior to the commencement of such derivative action, the complaining Shareholders have made a written demand on the Trustees requesting that the Trustees cause the Trust to file the action itself on behalf of the affected Series (a “demand”), which demand (A) shall be executed by or on behalf of no fewer than three complaining Shareholders, each of which shall be unaffiliated and unrelated (by blood or by marriage) to any other complaining Shareholder executing such written demand and (B) shall include at least the following:

(1)   a detailed description of the action or failure to act complained of, the facts upon which each such allegation is made and the reasonably estimated damages or other relief sought;

(2)   a statement to the effect that the complaining Shareholders believe in good faith that they will fairly and adequately represent the interests of similarly situated Shareholders in enforcing the right of the affected Series and an explanation of why the complaining Shareholders believe that to be the case;

 

-26-


(3)   a certification that the requirements of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph (b) have been met, as well as information and documentation reasonably designed to allow the Trustees to verify that certification;

(4)   a list of all other derivative or class actions in which any of the complaining Shareholders is or was a named plaintiff, the court in which such action was filed, the date of filing, the name of all counsel to any plaintiffs and the outcome or current status of such actions;

(5)   a certification of the number of Shares of the affected Series owned beneficially or of record by each complaining Shareholder at the time set forth in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph (b) and an undertaking that each complaining Shareholder will be a Shareholder of the affected Series as of the commencement of and throughout the derivative action and will notify the Trust in writing of any sale, transfer or other disposition by any of the complaining Shareholders of any such Shares within three business days thereof; and

(6)   an acknowledgment of the provisions of paragraphs (f) and (g) of this Section 9.8 below;

(iv)   Shareholders who held (or subsequently acquired in accordance with subparagraph (i) above) Shares of the affected Series at the times specified in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above and who own, at the commencement of the derivative action, Shares representing at least five percent (5%) of the voting power of the affected Series must join in bringing the derivative action; and

(v)   A copy of the proposed derivative complaint must be served on the Trust, assuming the requirements of subparagraphs (i) through (iv) above have already been met and the derivative action has not been barred in accordance with paragraph (d) below.

(c)   Within 90 calendar days of the receipt of a Shareholder demand submitted in accordance with the requirements set forth in subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (b) above, those Trustees who are independent for purposes of considering the demand (the “independent Trustees”) will consider, with the assistance of counsel who may be retained by such Trustees on behalf and at the expense of the Trust, the merits of the claim and determine whether maintaining a suit would be in the best interests of the Trust or the affected Series, as applicable; provided, however, that the independent Trustees shall not be required to consider a Shareholder demand that is not submitted in accordance with the requirements set forth in subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (b) above. If, during this 90-day period, those independent Trustees conclude that a determination as to the maintenance of a suit cannot reasonably be made within the 90-day period, those

 

-27-


independent Trustees may extend the 90-day period by a period of time that the independent Trustees consider will be sufficient to permit them to make such a determination, not to exceed 60 calendar days from the end of the initial 90-day period (such 90-day period, as may be extended as provided hereunder, the “review period”). Notice of any such decision to extend the review period shall be sent in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.12 hereof to the complaining Shareholders, or the Shareholders’ counsel, if represented by counsel, in writing within five business days of any decision to extend the period. Trustees who are not Interested Persons of the Trust are deemed independent for all purposes, including for the purpose of approving or dismissing a derivative action. A Trustee otherwise independent for purposes of considering the demand shall not be considered not to be independent solely by virtue of (i) the fact that such Trustee receives remuneration for his service as a Trustee of the Trust or as a trustee or director of one or more investment companies with the same or an affiliated investment adviser or underwriter, (ii) the amount of such remuneration, (iii) the fact that such Trustee was identified in the demand as a potential defendant or witness, or (iv) the fact that the Trustee approved the act being challenged in the demand if the act resulted in no material personal benefit to the Trustee or, if the Trustee is also a Shareholder, no material personal benefit that is not shared pro rata with other Shareholders.

(d)   If the demand has been properly made under subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (b) above, and a majority of the independent Trustees have considered the merits of the claim and have determined that maintaining a suit would not be in the best interests of the Trust or the affected Series, as applicable, the demand shall be rejected and the complaining Shareholders shall not be permitted to maintain a derivative action unless they first sustain the burden of proof to the court that the decision of the Trustees not to pursue the requested action was not consistent with the standard required of the Trustees set forth in Section 9.3. If upon such consideration a majority of the independent Trustees determine that such a suit should be maintained, then the appropriate officers of the Trust shall cause the Trust to commence that suit and such suit shall proceed directly rather than derivatively. The Trustees, or the appropriate officers of the Trust, shall inform the complaining Shareholders of any decision reached under this paragraph (d) by sending in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.12 hereof written notice to each complaining Shareholder, or the Shareholder’s counsel, if represented by counsel, within five business days of such decision having been reached.

(e)   If notice of a decision has not been sent to the complaining Shareholder or the Shareholder’s counsel within the time permitted by paragraph (d) above, and subparagraphs (i) through (v) of paragraph (b) above have been complied with, the complaining Shareholders shall not be barred by this Declaration from commencing a derivative action.

(f)   A complaining Shareholder whose demand is rejected pursuant to paragraph (d) above shall be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees)

 

-28-


incurred by the Trust in connection with the Trust’s consideration of the demand if, in the judgment of the independent Trustees, the demand was made without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose. A Shareholder who commences or maintains a derivative action in violation of this Section 9.8 shall reimburse the Trust for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Trust in connection with the action if the action is dismissed on the basis of the failure to comply with this Section 9.8. If a court determines that any derivative action has been brought without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose, the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Trust in connection with the action shall be borne by the Shareholders who commenced the action.

(g)   The Trust shall be responsible for payment of attorneys’ fees and legal expenses incurred by a complaining Shareholder in any circumstances only if required by law, and any attorneys’ fees the Trust is obligated to pay shall be calculated using reasonable hourly rates. The Trust shall not be responsible for payment of any attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with a Shareholder’s prosecution of a derivative action that are calculated on the basis of a contingency agreement or a percentage of recovery.

(h)   A Shareholder of a particular Series of the Trust shall not be entitled in such capacity to commence a derivative action on behalf of any other Series of the Trust.

ARTICLE X

TERMINATION; MERGERS AND SALE OF ASSETS

Section 10.1. Termination of Trust or Series .   (a)   Unless terminated as provided herein, the Trust shall continue without limitation of time. The Trust or any Series of the Trust may be terminated at any time by the Trustees by written notice to the Shareholders of the Trust or such Series as the case may be.

(b)   Upon the requisite action of the Trustees to terminate the Trust or such Series, after paying or otherwise providing for all charges, taxes, expenses and liabilities, whether due or accrued or anticipated, as may be determined by the Trustees and as required by the Maryland Act, which may include the establishment of a liquidating trust or similar vehicle, the Trust shall, in accordance with such procedures as the Trustees consider appropriate, reduce the remaining assets of the Trust or assets of the particular Series thereof to distributable form in cash or other securities, or any combination thereof, and distribute the proceeds to the Shareholders of the Shares of the Trust or such Series in the manner determined by the Trustees, provided that Shareholders of a particular Series shall be entitled to receive a pro rata share of the net assets of such Series only, subject to any variations with respect to Classes of Shares of such Series, if any. Thereupon, the Trust or any affected Series shall terminate, and the Trustees and the Trust shall be discharged of any and all further liabilities and duties relating thereto or arising therefrom, and the right, title, and interest of all parties with respect to the Trust or

 

-29-


such Series shall be canceled and discharged. Without limiting the provisions of the immediately preceding sentence, in the event that following the final distribution of the net assets of the Trust or affected Series, as the case may be, the Trust or affected Series receives or is entitled to receive any monies or other assets, the Trustees shall be under no obligation to distribute or provide for the distribution of such monies or other assets to the Shareholders of the Trust or affected Series, but may make such other arrangements (including, without limitation, pursuant to any procedures that the Trustees may approve) for the disposition of such monies or other assets as they shall determine in their sole discretion to be appropriate under the circumstances. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at their discretion, the Trustees may abandon any previously adopted plan to terminate the Trust or a Series at any time, with or without approval of the Shareholders of the Trust or Series.

(c)   Any Class of the Trust may be terminated by the Trustees as provided in Article IV hereof.

(d)   Upon termination of the Trust, following completion of winding up of its business, the Trustees (or, if there is no remaining Trustee at that time, any remaining officer of the Trust) shall direct that a Certificate of Cancellation of the Trust be executed and filed with the SDAT.

Section 10.2. Merger and Consolidation.   Subject to applicable law, the Trust may merge or consolidate with or into one or more business or statutory trusts or other business entities or series or classes thereof formed or organized or existing under the laws of Maryland or any other state or the United States or any foreign country or other foreign jurisdiction by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Trustees. Pursuant to and in accordance with §12-607 of the Maryland Act, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Declaration, an agreement of merger or consolidation so approved by the Trustees in accordance with this Section 10.2 may (a) effect any amendment to the governing instrument of the Trust; or (b) effect the adoption of a new governing instrument of the Trust if it is the surviving or resulting trust in the merger or consolidation.

Section 10.3. Sale of Assets; Reorganization.  The Trustees may authorize the Trust or any Series or Class thereof, to sell, lease, transfer, pledge, exchange, convey or dispose of all or substantially all of the Trust Property (or all or substantially all of the Trust Property allocated or belonging to a particular Series or Class), including its good will, to any one or more business or statutory trusts or other business entities, organized under the laws of Maryland or some other jurisdiction, or series or classes thereof (including another Series or Class of the Trust) upon such terms and conditions and for such consideration (which may include the assumption of some or all of the outstanding obligations and liabilities, accrued or contingent, whether known or unknown, of the Trust or such Series or Class) as the Trustees may determine. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this provision may be utilized to permit the Trust or any

 

-30-


Series or Class thereof to pursue its investment program through one or more subsidiary vehicles or to operate in a master-feeder or fund of funds structure.

Section 10.4. Conversion . The Trustees may authorize the creation of one or more business or statutory trusts or other business entities, organized under the laws of Maryland or some other jurisdiction, to which all or any part of the assets, liabilities, profits, or losses of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof may be transferred and may provide for the conversion of Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof into beneficial interests in any such newly created trust or trusts or any series or classes thereof.

Section 10.5. Combination of Classes. The authority of the Trustees under this Article X with respect to the merger, consolidation, sale of assets or reorganization of any Class of the Trust or any Series thereof is in addition to the authority of the Trustees under Section 4.9 hereof to combine two or more Classes of a Series into a single Class.

ARTICLE XI

AMENDMENTS; FILINGS; MISCELLANEOUS

Section 11.1. Amendments to Declaration and Certificate of Trust. (a)   The Trustees may by vote of a majority of the Trustees then in office amend or otherwise supplement the Declaration by making an amendment, a Declaration supplemental hereto or an amended and restated Declaration, provided, however, that an amendment to any provision of Article V hereof shall require the vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Trustees then in office.

(b)   Nothing contained in this Declaration shall permit the amendment of this Declaration to impair any exemption from or limitation of personal liability of any Person who is or has been a Shareholder, Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust, or limit the rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses or insurance provided in Article IX with respect to actions or omissions of Persons entitled to indemnification, advancement of expenses or insurance under such Article prior to such amendment.

(c)   The Trust’s Certificate of Trust may be amended at any time for any purpose as the Trustees may determine and such amendment shall be signed by one or more of the Trustees or by an officer of the Trust as duly authorized by vote of a majority of the Trustees then in office.

Section 11.2. Filing of Certificate; Copies of Declaration; Counterparts; Headings. Any amendment to the Certificate of Trust shall be filed with the SDAT. The original or a copy of this instrument and of each amendment and/or restatement hereto shall be kept in the office of the Trust where it may be inspected by any

 

-31-


Shareholder. Anyone dealing with the Trust may rely on a certificate by an officer or Trustee of the Trust as to whether or not any such amendments or restatements have been made and as to any matters in connection with the Trust hereunder, and with the same effect as if it were the original, may rely on a copy certified by an officer or Trustee of the Trust to be a copy of this instrument or of any such amendments or restatements. This instrument may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original. Headings are placed herein for convenience of reference only, and in case of any conflict, the text of this instrument, rather than the headings, shall control.

Section 11.3. Trustees May Resolve Ambiguities. The Trustees may construe any of the provisions of this Declaration insofar as the same may appear to be ambiguous or inconsistent with any other provisions hereof, and any such construction hereof by the Trustees in good faith shall be conclusive as to the meaning to be given to such provisions.

Section 11.4. Applicable Law; Forum Selection; Jury Waiver. (a)   The Trust set forth in this instrument is created under and is to be governed by and construed and administered according to the laws of the State of Maryland, without reference to its conflicts of law rules, as a Maryland statutory trust under the Maryland Act, and without limiting the provisions hereof, the Trust specifically reserves the right to exercise any of the powers and privileges afforded to statutory trusts or actions that may be engaged in by statutory trusts under the Maryland Act, and the absence of a specific reference herein to any such power, privilege, or action shall not imply that the Trust may not exercise such power or privilege or take such actions.

(b)   Notwithstanding the first sentence of Section 11.4(a) hereof, there shall not be applicable to the Trust, the Trustees, or this Declaration any provisions of the laws (statutory or common) of the State of Maryland (other than the Maryland Act) or any other state pertaining to trusts, including by way of illustration and without limitation, laws that relate to or regulate: (i) the filing with any court or governmental body or agency of trustee accounts or schedules of trustee fees and charges; (ii) affirmative requirements to post bonds for trustees, officers, agents, or employees of a trust; (iii) the necessity for obtaining a court or other governmental approval concerning the acquisition, holding, or disposition of real or personal property; (iv) fees or other sums applicable to trustees, officers, agents or employees of a trust; (v) the allocation of receipts and expenditures to income or principal; (vi) restrictions or limitations on the permissible nature, amount, or concentration of trust investments or requirements relating to the titling, storage, or other manner of holding of trust assets; or (vii) the establishment of fiduciary or other standards or responsibilities or limitations on the acts or powers or liabilities or authorities and powers of trustees if such laws are inconsistent with the limitations on liabilities or the authorities and powers of the Trustees set forth or referenced in this Declaration.

 

-32-


(c)   No provision of this Declaration shall be effective to require a waiver of compliance with any provision of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended or the 1940 Act, or of any valid rule, regulation or order of the Commission thereunder.

(d)   Any action commenced by a Shareholder, directly or derivatively, against the Trust or a Series or Class thereof, its Trustees or officers, shall be brought only in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (Baltimore Division), or if such action may not be brought in that court, then such action shall be brought in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City (the “Chosen Courts”). The Trust, its Trustees and officers, and its Shareholders (a) waive any objection to venue in either Chosen Court and (b) waive any objection that either Chosen Court is an inconvenient forum. The Trust, its Trustees and officers shall submit application to the Maryland Business and Technology Case Management Program for any action commenced in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

(e)   In any action commenced by a Shareholder against the Trust or any Series or Class thereof, its Trustees or officers, or as a derivative action on behalf of the Trust, or any Series or Class thereof there shall be no right to a jury trial. THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IS EXPRESSLY WAIVED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

Section 11.5. Statutory Trust Only.  The Trust is not intended to be, shall not be deemed to be, and shall not be treated as, a general or a limited partnership, joint venture, corporation or joint stock company, nor shall the Trustees or Shareholders or any of them for any purpose be deemed to be, or be treated in any way whatsoever as though they were, liable or responsible hereunder as partners or joint venturers.

Section 11.6. Provisions in Conflict with Law or Regulations.  ( a)   The provisions of this Declaration are severable, and if the Trustees shall determine, with the advice of counsel, that any such provision, in whole or in part, is in conflict with the 1940 Act, the regulated investment company provisions of the Code, and the regulations thereunder, the Maryland Act or with other applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provision, or the conflicting part or parts thereof, shall be deemed not to constitute a part of this Declaration; provided, however, that such determination shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of this Declaration or render invalid or improper any action taken or omitted prior to such determination.

(b)   If any provision of this Declaration shall be held invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall attach only to such provision, or such part or parts thereof, in such jurisdiction and shall not in any manner affect such provision in any other jurisdiction or any other provision of this Declaration in any jurisdiction.

 

-33-


Section 11.7. Writings.  To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, except as the Trustees may otherwise determine:

(a)   any requirements in this Declaration or in the Bylaws that any action be taken by means of any writing, including, without limitation, any written instrument, any written consent or any written agreement, shall be deemed to be satisfied by means of any electronic record in such form that is acceptable to the Trustees provided such form is capable of conversion into a written form within a reasonable time; and

(b)   any requirements in this Declaration or in the Bylaws that any writing be signed shall be deemed to be satisfied by any electronic signature in such form that is acceptable to the Trustees.

 

-34-


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being the Trustees of the Trust, have executed this instrument as of the date first written above.

 

/s/ R. Jay Gerken

R. Jay Gerken
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

/s/ Paul R. Ades

Paul R. Ades
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

/s/ Andrew L. Breech

Andrew L. Breech
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

/s/ Dwight B. Crane

Dwight B. Crane
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

/s/ Frank G. Hubbard

Frank G. Hubbard
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

/s/ Howard J. Johnson

Howard J. Johnson
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust – Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust


/s/ David E. Maryatt

David E. Maryatt
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

/s/ Jerome H. Miller

Jerome H. Miller
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

/s/ Ken Miller

Ken Miller
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

/s/ John J. Murphy

John J. Murphy
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

/s/ Thomas F. Schlafly

Thomas F. Schlafly
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

/s/ Jerry A. Viscione

Jerry A. Viscione
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, New York 10018

Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust – Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust


Schedule A

Series

(Effective as of August 18, 2011)

Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust

 

1. Legg Mason Batterymarch Global Equity Fund
2. Legg Mason Batterymarch S&P 500 Index Fund
3. Legg Mason Batterymarch U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund
4. Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund
5. Legg Mason ClearBridge Aggressive Growth Fund
6. Legg Mason ClearBridge Appreciation Fund
7. Legg Mason ClearBridge Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund
8. Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Fund
9. Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Income Builder Fund
10. Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental All Cap Value Fund
11. Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Fund
12. Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Value Fund
13. Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Core Fund
14. Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Growth Fund
15. Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Growth Fund
16. Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Value Fund
17. Legg Mason Esemplia Emerging Markets Equity Fund
18. Legg Mason Global Currents International All Cap Opportunity Fund
19. Legg Mason Global Currents International Small Cap Opportunity Fund
20. Legg Mason Investment Counsel Financial Services Fund
21. Legg Mason Investment Counsel Social Awareness Fund
22. Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 30%
23. Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 50%
24. Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 70%
25. Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 85%
26. Legg Mason Permal Tactical Allocation Fund
27. Legg Mason Target Retirement 2015
28. Legg Mason Target Retirement 2020
29. Legg Mason Target Retirement 2025
30. Legg Mason Target Retirement 2030
31. Legg Mason Target Retirement 2035
32. Legg Mason Target Retirement 2040
33. Legg Mason Target Retirement 2045
34. Legg Mason Target Retirement 2050
35. Legg Mason Target Retirement Fund


Schedule B

Classes

(Effective as of August 18, 2011)

Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust

 

Series

  

Class

1.      Legg Mason Batterymarch Global Equity Fund

   A, B, C, I, 1, FI, R, IS, R1

2.      Legg Mason Batterymarch S&P 500 Index Fund

   A, D, IS, R1

3.      Legg Mason Batterymarch U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

4.      Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund

   A, B, C, I, 1, FI, R, IS, R1

5.      Legg Mason ClearBridge Aggressive Growth Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

6.      Legg Mason ClearBridge Appreciation Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

7.      Legg Mason ClearBridge Diversified Large Cap Growth Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

8.      Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Fund

   A, B, C, O, I, FI, R, IS, R1

9.      Legg Mason ClearBridge Equity Income Builder Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

10.    Legg Mason ClearBridge Fundamental All Cap Value Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

11.    Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

12.    Legg Mason ClearBridge Large Cap Value Fund

   A, B, C, O, I, FI, R, IS, R1

13.    Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Core Fund

   A, B, C, I, 1, FI, R, IS, R1

14.    Legg Mason ClearBridge Mid Cap Growth Fund

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

15.    Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Growth Fund

   A, B, C, O, FI, R, I, 1, IS, R1

16.    Legg Mason ClearBridge Small Cap Value Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

17.    Legg Mason Esemplia Emerging Markets Equity Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

18.    Legg Mason Global Currents International All Cap

    Opportunity Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

19.    Legg Mason Global Currents International Small Cap

    Opportunity Fund

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

20.    Legg Mason Investment Counsel Financial Services Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

21.    Legg Mason Investment Counsel Social Awareness Fund

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

22.    Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 30%

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1


23.    Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 50%

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

24.    Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 70%

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

25.    Legg Mason Lifestyle Allocation 85%

   A, B, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

26.    Legg Mason Permal Tactical Allocation Fund

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

27.    Legg Mason Target Retirement 2015

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

28.    Legg Mason Target Retirement 2020

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

29.    Legg Mason Target Retirement 2025

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

30.    Legg Mason Target Retirement 2030

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

31.    Legg Mason Target Retirement 2035

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

32.    Legg Mason Target Retirement 2040

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

33.    Legg Mason Target Retirement 2045

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

34.    Legg Mason Target Retirement 2050

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

35.    Legg Mason Target Retirement Fund

   A, C, I, FI, R, IS, R1

BYLAWS

OF

Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust

As Amended and Restated August 18, 2011

ARTICLE 1

Declaration of Trust and Principal Office

1.1 Declaration of Trust. These Bylaws are adopted pursuant to Section 6.8 of the Declaration of Trust, as from time to time in effect (the “Declaration”), of the Maryland statutory trust established by the Certificate of Trust filed with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland on the 4th day of October, 2006 (the “Trust”) and shall be subject to the terms of the Declaration. Any capitalized term not otherwise defined herein shall have the same meaning given to such term in the Declaration. In the event of any inconsistency between the terms of these Bylaws and the terms of the Declaration, the terms of the Declaration shall control.

1.2 Principal Office of the Trust. The principal office of the Trust in Maryland shall be located in Baltimore, Maryland, or such other place as shall be determined by the Trustees from time to time. The Trust may have offices in such other places within or outside the State of Maryland as the Trustees may from time to time determine.

ARTICLE 2

Trustees

2.1 Chair. The Trustees may elect from their own number a Chair to hold office until his or her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation, removal or disqualification. The Chair (or, if the Chair is unable to attend any such meeting, the Chair’s designee) shall preside at all meetings of the Trustees. The Chair shall have such other duties and powers as the Trustees may from time to time determine.

2.2 Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Trustees may be held without call or notice at such places (including for these purposes, by means of conference telephone circuit, video conferencing or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other as provided for in the Declaration) as the Trustees may from time to time determine.

2.3 Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Trustees may be held at any time and at any place (including for these purposes, by means of conference telephone circuit, video conferencing or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other as provided for in the Declaration) designated in the call of the meeting when called by the Chair, the President or the Secretary or by two or more Trustees, sufficient notice thereof as described in Section 2.4 below being given to each Trustee by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary or by the person calling the meeting.


2.4 Notice of Special Meetings. It shall be sufficient notice to a Trustee of a special meeting to send notice by overnight mail at least two days or by email or facsimile at least one day before the meeting addressed to the Trustee at his or her usual or last known business or residence address, email address or facsimile number as applicable, or to give notice in person or by telephone one day before the meeting. Notice may be sent on the day of the special meeting by email, facsimile or other electronic means, or given by telephone or in person, if under the circumstances the party calling the meeting deems more immediate action to be necessary or appropriate. Notice of a special meeting need not be given to any Trustee if a written waiver of notice, executed by him or her before or after the meeting, is filed with the records of the meeting, or to any Trustee who attends the meeting without protesting prior thereto or at its commencement the lack of notice to him or her. Neither notice of a meeting nor a waiver of a notice need specify the purposes of the meeting.

2.5 Quorum and Manner of Acting. At any meeting of the Trustees a majority of the Trustees then in office shall constitute a quorum. Any meeting may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of the votes cast upon the question, whether or not a quorum is present, and the meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice. A meeting at which a quorum is initially present may continue to transact business notwithstanding the withdrawal from the meeting of one or more Trustees if any action taken is approved by at least a majority of the required quorum for that meeting. The Declaration contains further provisions relating to the manner of acting by the Trustees.

2.6 Actions by Consent. If in accordance with the provisions of the Declaration any action is taken by the Trustees by a written consent of fewer than all of the Trustees, prompt notice of any such action shall be furnished to each Trustee who did not execute such written consent, provided that the effectiveness of such action shall not be impaired by any delay or failure to furnish such notice. Any written consents may be executed and delivered by electronic means. The Declaration contains further provisions relating to action by consent of the Trustees.

2.7. Counsel and Experts. The Trustees who are not Interested Persons may, by vote of a majority of such Trustees, at the Trust’s expense, hire such employees and retain such counsel, accountants, appraisers or other experts or consultants whose services such Trustees may, in their discretion, determine to be necessary or desirable from time to time, including services to one or more committees established by the Trustees, and may execute any agreements, contracts, instruments or other documents in connection therewith.

ARTICLE 3

Committees

3.1 Establishment and Authority. The Declaration contains provisions relating to the establishment of committees by the Trustees. Each committee shall have such powers and authority as shall be authorized by the Trustees, and may fix its own rules and procedures, and adopt its own charter, in each case subject to approval by the Trustees. The Trustees may abolish any such committee at any time in their sole discretion. Any committee to which the Trustees delegate any of their powers shall maintain records of its meetings and shall report its

 

- 2 -


actions to the Trustees. The Trustees shall have the power to rescind any action of any committee, but no such rescission shall have retroactive effect. The Trustees shall have the power at any time to fill vacancies in the committees. The Trustees may designate one or more Trustees as alternate members of any committee who may replace any absent member at any meeting of the committee.

3.2 Quorum; Voting. Unless the specific rules and procedures adopted by a committee in accordance with Section 3.1 provide otherwise, a majority of the members of any committee of the Trustees shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and any action of such a committee may be taken at a meeting by a vote of a majority of the members present (a quorum being present) or evidenced by one or more writings signed by such a majority (which writings may be executed and/or delivered by electronic means). Members of a committee may participate in a meeting of such committee by means of a conference telephone circuit, video conferencing or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time and participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at a meeting.

3.3 Compensation of Members. The chair, if any, and members of any duly appointed committee shall receive such compensation and/or fees and reimbursement for expenses as from time to time may be determined by the Trustees.

ARTICLE 4

Officers

4.1 Enumeration; Qualification. The Trust shall have such officers as the Trustees from time to time may in their discretion elect or authorize in accordance with Section 4.2 below. Any officer of the Trust may but need not be a Trustee or a Shareholder. Any two or more offices, except those of President and Vice-President, may be held by the same person.

4.2 Election. At such time or times as they may determine, the Trustees may elect a President, a Treasurer, a Secretary and/or such other officers as they may determine; provided that the Trust shall not be required to have any particular officers at any time. Vacancies in any office may be filled at any time by the Trustees. Subject to the power of the Trustees to remove and replace any officer, (i) the Trustees may delegate to the President the power to appoint such other officers as the Trustees shall at any time or from time to time deem advisable and on such terms as they may determine, (ii) the President may appoint any person on an interim basis to fill a vacancy in any office other than that of the President, and (iii) the Secretary may appoint on an interim basis any person who is then an officer of the Trust (including himself or herself) to fill a vacancy in the office of the President, in each case subject to the power of the Trustees to remove and replace any officer; provided, however, that the appointing officer shall in each case provide prompt notice to each Trustee (using electronic means to expedite delivery where available). Each officer shall hold office at the pleasure of the Trustees, except that any officer appointed on an interim basis pursuant to clause (ii) or (iii) above shall hold office only until the next meeting of the Trustees.

 

- 3 -


4.3 Powers. Subject to the other provisions of these Bylaws, each officer shall have, in addition to the duties and powers herein and in the Declaration set forth, such duties and powers as are commonly incident to the office occupied by him or her as if the Trust were organized as a Maryland business corporation and such other duties and powers as the Trustees may from time to time designate.

4.4 President. Unless the Trustees otherwise provide, the President shall be the chief executive officer of the Trust.

4.5 Treasurer. Unless the Trustees provide otherwise, the Treasurer shall serve as the chief financial and accounting officer of the Trust, and shall, subject to the provisions of the Declaration and to any arrangement made by the Trustees with a custodian, investment adviser or manager, or transfer, shareholder servicing or similar agent, be in charge of the valuable papers, books of account and accounting records of the Trust, and shall have such other duties and powers as may be designated from time to time by the Trustees or by the President.

4.6 Secretary. The Secretary shall record all proceedings of the Shareholders and the Trustees in books to be kept therefor. In the absence of the Secretary from any meeting of the Shareholders or Trustees, an Assistant Secretary, or if there be none or if he or she is absent, a temporary Secretary chosen at such meeting shall record the proceedings thereof in the aforesaid books.

4.7 Resignations and Removals. Any officer may resign at any time by written instrument signed by him or her and delivered to the Chair, the President or the Secretary or to a meeting of the Trustees. Such resignation shall be effective upon receipt unless specified to be effective at a later time. The Trustees may remove any officer with or without cause. Except to the extent expressly provided in a written agreement with the Trust, no officer resigning and no officer removed shall have any right to any compensation for any period following his or her resignation or removal, or any right to damages on account of such removal.

ARTICLE 5

Shareholders

5.1 Meetings. There shall be no annual meetings of Shareholders except as required by law. A meeting of the Shareholders of the Trust or of any Series or Class shall be called by the Secretary whenever ordered by (i) a majority of Trustees then in office, (ii) the Chair or (iii) the President. Meetings of the Shareholders of the Trust or of any Series or Class shall also be called by the Secretary upon the order of the Trustees upon the written request of the Shareholders holding Shares representing in the aggregate not less than a majority of the voting power of the Outstanding Shares entitled to vote on the matters specified in such written request provided that (1) such request shall state the purposes of such meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on, and (2) the Shareholders requesting such meeting shall have paid to the Trust the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing and/or delivering the notice thereof, which the Secretary

 

- 4 -


shall determine and specify to such Shareholders. If the Secretary fails for more than 30 days to call a special meeting, the Trustees, the Chair or the President requesting such a meeting may, in the name of the Secretary, call the meeting by giving the required notice. If the meeting is a meeting of Shareholders of any Series or Class, but not a meeting of all Shareholders of the Trust, then only a special meeting of Shareholders of such Series or Class need be called and, in such case, only Shareholders of such Series or Class shall be entitled to notice of and to vote at such meeting. The Trustees may determine, or may authorize the officers of the Trust to determine, the date, time and place for any meeting of Shareholders, which place may be within or outside the State of Maryland. Any meeting so called may be postponed prior to the meeting with notice to the Shareholders entitled to vote at that meeting.

5.2 Record Dates. For the purpose of determining the Shareholders of the Trust or any Series or Class of Shares of the Trust who are entitled to vote or act at any meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, or who are entitled to receive payment of any dividend or of any other distribution, the Trustees may from time to time fix a time, or may authorize the officers to fix a time, which shall be not more than 120 days before the date set for any meeting of Shareholders (without regard to any adjournment or postponement thereof) or more than 60 days before the date of payment of any dividend or of any other distribution, as the record date for determining the Shareholders of the Trust or such Series or Class having the right to notice of such meeting and to vote at such meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof or the right to receive such dividend or distribution, as the case may be, and in such case only Shareholders on such record date shall have such right notwithstanding any transfer of Shares on the books of the Trust after the record date; or without fixing such record date the Trustees may for any such purposes close the register or transfer books for all or part of such period.

5.3 Notice of Meetings. Notice of all meetings of Shareholders and any postponements thereof, stating the time, place and purposes of the meeting, shall be given by the Secretary or the Trustees in accordance with Section 5.9 hereof at least seven days and not more than 120 days before the date for the meeting set forth in such notice, to each Shareholder of record of the applicable Series or Class on the date set in accordance with Section 5.2 hereof. Any adjourned meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice, even if the date of such adjourned meeting is more than 120 days after the notice of the original meeting or the postponement thereof, was mailed or sent. Where separate meetings are held for Shareholders of the individual Series or Class to vote on a matter required to be voted on by Shareholders of the Trust in the aggregate, notice of each such separate meeting shall be provided in the manner described above in this Section.

5.4 Quorum. The holders of Outstanding Shares entitled to vote and present in person or by proxy representing thirty percent (30%) of the voting power of the Trust shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Shareholders, except that where pursuant to any provision of law, the Declaration or these Bylaws a vote shall be taken by individual Series or Class then Outstanding Shares entitled to vote and present in person or by proxy representing thirty percent (30%) of the voting power of that Series or Class shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business by that Series or Class. For the purposes of establishing whether a

 

- 5 -


quorum is present, all Shares present and entitled to vote, including abstentions and broker non-votes, shall be counted.

5.5 Adjournments. Any meeting of Shareholders may, by action of the chairman of the meeting and without any action by the Shareholders, be adjourned without further notice with respect to one or more matters to be considered at such meeting to a designated time and place, whether or not a quorum is present with respect to such matter. If the chairman of the meeting determines to submit a proposal to adjourn to the Shareholders, unless a proxy is otherwise limited in this regard, any Shares present and entitled to vote on the matter at issue at a meeting that are represented by broker non-votes, may, at the discretion of the proxies named therein, be voted in favor of such an adjournment.

5.6 Proxies. At any meeting of Shareholders, any holder of Shares entitled to vote thereat may vote by proxy, provided that no proxy shall be voted at any meeting unless it shall have been placed on file with the Secretary, or with such other officer or agent of the Trust as the Trustees or officers may direct, for verification prior to the time at which such vote shall be taken. In connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Trustees, a Shareholder may give instructions through telephonic or electronic methods of communication or via the Internet for another person to execute his or her proxy, if in each case such method has been authorized by the Trust by its officers, and pursuant in each case to procedures established or approved by the officers of the Trust or agents employed by the Trust for such purpose as reasonably designed to verify that such instructions have been authorized by such Shareholder; and the placing of a Shareholder’s name on a proxy pursuant to such instructions shall constitute execution of such proxy by or on behalf of such Shareholder. Proxies may also be submitted via facsimile if such method has been authorized by the Trust by its officers, and pursuant to procedures established or approved by the officers of the Trust or agents employed by the Trust for such purpose. Pursuant to a vote of the Trustees, proxies may be solicited in the name of one or more Trustees and/or one or more of the officers of the Trust. When any Share is held jointly by several persons, any one of them may vote at any meeting in person or by proxy in respect of such Share, but if more than one of them shall be present at such meeting in person or by proxy and such joint owners or their proxies so present disagree as to any vote to be cast, such vote shall not be received in respect of such Share, but shall be counted as present at the meeting for all other purposes. A proxy purporting to be executed by or on behalf of a Shareholder shall be deemed valid unless challenged at or prior to its exercise, and the burden of proving invalidity shall rest on the challenger. If the holder of any such Share is a minor or a person of unsound mind, and subject to guardianship or to the legal control of any other person as regards the charge or management of such Share, such Share may be voted by such guardian or such other person appointed or having such control, and such vote may be given in person or by proxy. Unless otherwise specifically limited by their terms, proxies shall entitle the holder thereof to vote at any postponement or adjournment of a meeting, and no proxy shall be valid after eleven months from its date. A Shareholder who has submitted a proxy may revoke or withdraw the proxy with respect to any matter to be considered at a meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof if such revocation or withdrawal is properly received prior to the vote on that matter, by delivering a duly executed proxy bearing a later date or by attending the meeting or the adjournment or postponement thereof and voting in person on the matter or matters.

 

- 6 -


5.7 Organization and Conduct of Meetings. Except as may be otherwise determined by the Trustees, every meeting of Shareholders shall be conducted by the Chair, or, in the case of a vacancy in the office or absence of the Chair, by the following officers present at the meeting in the following order: the President, any Vice Presidents in order of their rank and seniority, the Secretary, the Treasurer, an Assistant Secretary or an Assistant Treasurer (the person conducting the meeting being referred to herein as the “chairman of the meeting”). The Secretary, or, in the Secretary’s absence, an Assistant Secretary, or, in the absence of both the Secretary and Assistant Secretaries, an individual appointed by the Trustees or, in the absence of such appointment, an individual appointed by the chairman of the meeting shall act as Secretary. In the event that the Secretary presides at a meeting of the Shareholders, an Assistant Secretary, or, in the absence of Assistant Secretaries, an individual appointed by the Trustees or the chairman of the meeting, shall record the minutes of the meeting.

The order of business and all other matters of procedure at any meeting of Shareholders shall be determined by the chairman of the meeting. The chairman of the meeting may prescribe such rules, regulations, procedures and guidelines and take such action as, in the discretion of such chairman and without any action by the Shareholders, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting, including, without limitation, (a) restricting admission to the time set for the commencement of the meeting; (b) limiting attendance at the meeting to Shareholders of record of the Trust, their duly authorized proxies and other such individuals as the chairman of the meeting may determine; (c) limiting participation at the meeting on any matter to Shareholders of record of the Trust entitled to vote on such matter, their duly authorized proxies and other such individuals as the chairman of the meeting may determine; (d) limiting the time allotted to questions or comments; (e) determining when and for how long the polls should be open and when the polls should be closed; (f) maintaining order and security at the meeting; (g) removing any Shareholder or any other individual who refuses to comply with meeting rules, regulations, procedures or guidelines as set forth by the chairman of the meeting; (h) concluding a meeting or recessing or adjourning the meeting to a later date and time and at a place announced at the meeting; and (i) complying with any state and local laws and regulations concerning safety and security. If a quorum is present when a duly called and held meeting is convened, at the determination of the chairman of the meeting, the Shareholders present may continue to transact business until adjournment, even though the withdrawal of a number of Shareholders originally present leaves less than the proportion or number otherwise required for a quorum. Unless otherwise determined by the chairman of the meeting, meetings of Shareholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure.

For any matter to be properly before any meeting of Shareholders, the matter must be either specified in the notice of meeting given by or at the direction of a majority of the Trustees then in office or otherwise brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the chairman of the meeting. With the exception of Shareholder proposals submitted in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any successor provisions, only matters proposed by the Trustees may be included in the Trust’s proxy materials. The Trustees may from time to time in their discretion provide for procedures by which Shareholders may, prior to any meeting at which Trustees are to be elected, submit the

 

- 7 -


names of potential candidates for Trustee, to be considered by the Trustees, or any proper committee thereof. At all meetings of Shareholders, unless voting is conducted by inspectors, all questions relating to the qualification of voters and the validity of proxies and the acceptance or rejection of votes shall be decided by the chairman of the meeting.

5.8 Inspectors of Election. In advance of any meeting of Shareholders the Trustees, or at any such meeting the Trustees or the chairman of the meeting, may appoint Inspectors of Election to act at the meeting or any adjournment thereof. If any person appointed as inspector fails to appear or fails or refuses to act, the chairman of the meeting may appoint a person to fill the vacancy. Unless otherwise instructed by the Trustees, or by the chairman of the meeting, and subject to any determination by the Trustees or by the chairman of the meeting, the Inspectors of Election shall determine the number of Shares outstanding, the Shares represented at the meeting, the existence of a quorum, the authenticity, validity and effect of proxies, shall receive votes, ballots or consents, shall hear and determine all challenges and questions in any way arising in connection with the right to vote, shall count and tabulate all votes and consents, determine the results, and do such other acts as may be proper to conduct the election or vote.

5.9 Communications with Shareholders. Any notices, reports, statements or other communications with Shareholders of any kind required under the Declaration, these Bylaws or applicable law may be sent, delivered or made available in any reasonable manner as may be determined by the Trustees if not otherwise prohibited by applicable law, including, without limitation, by email or other electronic means or by posting on a website; and such communications may be sent, delivered or otherwise made available to Shareholders in accordance with householding or other similar rules under which a single copy of such notice or report may be sent to Shareholders who reside at the same address. No communication need be given to any Shareholder who shall have failed to inform the Trust of the Shareholder’s current address and the Trustees may from time to time adopt, or may authorize the officers or agents of the Trust to adopt, procedures or policies with respect to communications to Shareholders that are returned to the Trust or its agents as undeliverable and similar matters. Any Shareholder may waive receipt of any notice or other communication. Communications shall be deemed to have been given at the time when delivered personally or deposited in the mail or with another carrier or sent by any means of written or electronic communication or, where notice is given by posting on a website or by publication, on the date of posting or publication. An affidavit of the mailing or other means of giving any notice of any meeting of Shareholders shall be filed and maintained with the records of the Trust.

The foregoing provisions shall apply mutatis mutandis to any communications given to a Shareholder’s counsel under Section 9.8 of the Declaration, provided however that communications provided to either a Shareholder or Shareholder’s counsel under Section 9.8 may not by made by means of posting on a website or by publication.

 

- 8 -


ARTICLE 6

Shares and Share Certificates

6.1 Share Certificates. Unless the issuance of certificates is authorized by the Trustees, Shares shall be held on the books of the Trust by one or more transfer agents appointed in accordance with Section 7.2 of the Declaration (each, a “Transfer Agent”) in uncertificated form, and the record holders of such Shares shall be treated for all purposes as Shareholders under the Declaration.

The Trustees may at any time authorize the issuance of share certificates for Shares of any Series or Class in such form as the Trustees may prescribe from time to time. Each such certificate shall bear a distinguishing number, shall exhibit the holder’s name and the number of Shares owned by such holder, and shall be signed by the President or a Vice President and by the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer. Such signatures may be facsimile, printed or engraved if the certificate is signed by the Transfer Agent with respect to such Shares or by a registrar. In case any officer who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed on such certificate shall cease to be such officer before such certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Trust with the same effect as if he were such officer at the time of its issue.

6.2 Share Transfers. Transfers of Shares of the Trust shall be made only on the books of the Trust, as maintained by the Transfer Agent with respect to such Shares, by the registered holder thereof, or by his attorney thereunto authorized by power of attorney duly executed and filed with the Transfer Agent for such Shares and upon surrender of any certificate or certificates representing such Shares, if any, properly endorsed and the payment of all taxes thereon. Except as may be otherwise provided by law or these Bylaws, the person in whose name Shares stand on the books of the Trust shall be deemed the owner thereof for all purposes as regards the Trust; provided that properly documented pledges of Shares as collateral security may be accounted for by the Transfer Agent in accordance with its standard procedures with respect thereto.

6.3 Loss of Certificates. The Transfer Agent for any Series or Class of Shares, with the approval of any two officers of the Trust, is authorized to issue and countersign replacement certificates for Shares which have been lost, stolen or destroyed upon (i) receipt of an affidavit or affidavits of loss or non receipt and of an indemnity agreement executed by the registered holder or his legal representative and supported by an open penalty surety bond, said agreement and said bond in all cases to be in form and content satisfactory to and approved by the President or the Treasurer, or (ii) receipt of such other documents and assurances as may be approved by the Trustees.

6.4. Regulations. The Trustees may make such additional rules and regulations, not inconsistent with these Bylaws, as they may deem expedient concerning the issue, certification, transfer and registration of Shares.

 

- 9 -


ARTICLE 7

Miscellaneous

7.1 Books and Records. The books and records of the Trust and any Series or Classes thereof, including the Share ledger or ledgers, may be kept in or outside the State of Maryland at such office or offices of the Trust and/or its agents as may from time to time be determined by the officers of the Trust.

7.2 Access to Book and Records. The Shareholders shall only have such right to inspect the records, documents, accounts and books of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof as may be granted from time to time by the Trustees in their sole discretion.

7.3 Seal. The Trustees may adopt a seal of the Trust which shall be in such form and shall have such inscription thereon as the Trustees may from time to time prescribe, but unless otherwise required by the Trustees, the seal shall not be necessary to be placed on, and its absence shall not impair the validity of, any document, instrument or other paper executed and delivered by or on behalf of the Trust.

7.4 Execution of Papers. All deeds, leases, contracts, notes and other obligations made by the Trustees shall be signed by the President, any Vice President elected by the Trustees, the Treasurer, the Secretary or any other officer elected by the Trustees, except as the Trustees may generally or in particular cases authorize the execution thereof in some other manner, or as otherwise provided in these Bylaws.

7.5 Severability. The provisions of these Bylaws are severable. If the Trustees determine, with the advice of counsel, that any provision hereof conflicts with the 1940 Act, the regulated investment company or other provisions of the Code or with other applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provision shall be deemed never to have constituted a part of these Bylaws; provided, however, that such determination shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of these Bylaws or render invalid or improper any action taken or omitted prior to such determination. If any provision hereof shall be held invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall attach only to such provision only in such jurisdiction and shall not affect any other provision of these Bylaws.

7.6 Headings. Headings are placed in these Bylaws for convenience of reference only and in case of any conflict, the text of these Bylaws rather than the headings shall control.

ARTICLE 8

Amendments to the Bylaws

8.1 General. These Bylaws may be amended, supplemented, amended and restated, or repealed, in whole or in part, by a majority of the Trustees then in office at any meeting of the Trustees, or by one or more writings signed by such a majority.

 

- 10 -

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Trustees

Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust

We consent to the use of our report dated June 16, 2011, with respect to Legg Mason Capital Management All Cap Fund, a series of Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust, as of April 30, 2011, incorporated herein by reference, and to the references to our firm under the headings “Financial highlights” in the Prospectus and “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in the Statement of Additional Information.

 

LOGO

New York, New York

August 22, 2011