Legal title simply means actual ownership of property. When a person holds legal title, they have the right to maintain and keep that property, and if someone wants to make a claim against it (i.e., go to court saying that the property is theirs), then the owner of legal title has the right to defend such a claim and prove ownership of the property. For most people, they hold title to their car and their home (by virtue of a deed). Trustees of a trust hold legal title to the trust property.