Exhibit (l)

                                                               November 27, 2001


BlackRock Core Bond Trust
100 Bellevue Parkway
Wilmington, Delaware19809

                          Re: BlackRock Core Bond Trust
                              Registration Statement on Form N-2
                              ----------------------------------

Ladies and Gentlemen:

            We have acted as special counsel to BlackRock Core Bond Trust, a
business trust formed under the Delaware Business Trust Act (the "Trust"), in
connection with the initial public offering by the Trust of up to 30,000,000
shares (including shares subject to an over-allotment option) of the Trust's
common shares (the "Shares") of beneficial interest, par value $0.001 per share
(the "Common Shares").

            This opinion is being furnished in accordance with the requirements
of Item 24 of the Form N-2 Registration Statement under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the "1940 Act").

            In connection with this opinion, we have examined originals or
copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of (i) the
Notification of Registration of the Trust as an investment company under the
1940 Act, on Form N- 8A, dated October 18, 2001 as filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "Commission") on October 18, 2001, (ii) the
Registration Statement of the Trust on Form N-2 (File Nos. 333-71836 and
811-10543), as filed with the Commission on October 18, 2001, and as amended by
Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 on October 25, 2001, and Pre-Effective Amendment
No. 2 on November 27, 2001, under the 1933 Act (such Registration Statement, as
so amended and proposed to be amended,




BlackRock Core Bond Trust
November 27, 2001
Page 2




being hereinafter referred to as the "Registration Statement"); (iii) the form
of the Underwriting Agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement") proposed to be
entered into between the Trust, as issuer, and UBS Warburg LLC, as
representative of the several underwriters named therein (the "Underwriters"),
filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement; (iv) a specimen certificate
representing the Common Shares; (v) the Certificate of Trust and Agreement and
Declaration of Trust of the Trust, as dated and currently in effect; (vi) the
By-Laws of the Trust, as currently in effect and (vii) certain resolutions of
the Board of Trustees of the Trust relating to the issuance and sale of the
Shares and related matters. We also have examined originals or copies, certified
or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such records of the Trust and
such agreements, certificates of public officials, certificates of officers or
other representatives of the Trust and others, and such other documents,
certificates and records as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis
for the opinions set forth herein.

            In our examination, we have assumed the legal capacity of all
natural persons, the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all
documents submit ted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of
all documents submit ted to us as certified, conformed or photostatic copies and
the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents. In making our
examination of documents, we have assumed that the parties thereto, other than
the Trust, its directors and officers, had or will have the power, corporate or
other, to enter into and perform all obliga tions thereunder and have also
assumed the due authorization by all requisite action, corporate or other, and
execution and delivery by such parties of such documents and the validity and
binding effect thereof on such parties. In rendering the opinion set forth
below, we have assumed that the share certificates representing the Shares will
conform to the specimen examined by us and will have been manually signed by an
authorized officer of the transfer agent and registrar for the Common Shares and
registered by such transfer agent and registrar. As to any facts material to the
opinions expressed herein which we have not independently established or
verified, we have relied upon statements and representations of officers and
other representa tives of the Trust and others.




BlackRock Core Bond Trust
November 27, 2001
Page 3



            Members of our firm are admitted to the bar in the State of New York
and we do not express any opinion as to the laws of any jurisdiction other than
the Delaware Business Trust Act.

            Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that
when (i) the Registration Statement becomes effective; (ii) the Underwriting
Agree ment has been duly executed and delivered; (iii) certificates representing
the Shares in the form of the specimen certificate examined by us have been
manually signed by an authorized officer of the transfer agent and registrar for
the Common Shares and registered by such transfer agent and registrar; and (iv)
the Shares have been deliv ered to and paid for by the Underwriters at a price
per share not less than the per share par value of the Common Shares as
contemplated by the Underwriting Agree ment, the issuance and sale of the Shares
will have been duly authorized, and the Shares will be validly issued, fully
paid and nonassessable (except as provided in the last sentence of Section 3.8
of the Amended and Restated Agreement and Declara tion of Trust).

            We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission
as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to
our firm under the caption "Legal Opinions" in the Registration Statement. In
giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are included in the
category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the 1933 Act or
the rules and regula tions of the Commission.

                                                Very truly yours,



                                    /s/ Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP