Interpreting Statutes and Regulations (online) 2026

If you have queries about booking this course, please contact Lisa Penfold at UCL - lisa.penfold@ucl.ac.uk

About this course

As the volume of statute law continues to increase, lawyers spend much of their time reading - and trying to understand - the statutes and regulations which affect us all.

The purpose of this course is to explain how statutes and regulations are interpreted. That may sound straightforward. Surely we just read the words? But the cases show how difficult it can be in practice. Interpretation is ultimately a judgemental exercise, but the judgement needs to be made in accordance with the rule of law, and that means it must be made with an understanding of the principles of statutory interpretation. This course will explain what those principles are and how they are applied in practice.

The course is primarily aimed at lawyers - whether they are in private practice or work in-house or in universities or government - but it is also of relevance to non-lawyers.

Each seminar will concentrate on a small number of cases in order to understand how the principles of statutory interpretation work in practice. We will make the seminars as interactive as possible and we will encourage those attending to engage in a discussion of the rights and wrongs of the cases.

We will also examine the similarities and differences between statutory and contractual interpretation. Comparing statutory interpretation with contractual interpretation helps us to understand them both better.

This course will be held virtually on zoom over eight breakfast sessions from 08:45 to 10:00 from 19 - 29 January 2026.

The seminars will cover the following topics:

Monday 19 January

Seminar 1: The Problem

We will discuss a few contrasting cases which illustrate the problems of statutory interpretation and we will then discuss the guiding principle of interpretation.

Tuesday 20 January

Seminar 2: The Text

What is the text of a statute? Can the interpreter imply words or change them? It is commonplace that statutes must be read as a whole, but what does that mean in practice?

Wednesday 21 January

Seminars 3: The Context

Like any document, the words of a statute need to be read in context. But what counts as context and what can it be used for? How does it differ from contractual interpretation?

Thursday 22 January

Seminars 4: The Context continued

Like any document, the words of a statute need to be read in context. But what counts as context and what can it be used for? How does it differ from contractual interpretation?

Mondasy 26 January

Seminars 5 : Natural Meanings

The starting point for the interpretation of the words in a statute is to give them their natural and ordinary meaning in context. But what does that mean in practice, and how is it affected by the requirement to give the words a purposive interpretation?

Tuesday 27 January

Seminars 6: Natural Meanings continued

The starting point for the interpretation of the words in a statute is to give them their natural and ordinary meaning in context. But what does that mean in practice, and how is it affected by the requirement to give the words a purposive interpretation?

Wednesday 28 January

Seminars 7: Ambiguities and Absurdities

When the words of a statute are ambiguous, the interpreter has a choice to make. How is that done? And in what circumstances can the interpreter reject the natural meaning of clear words because they do not make sense or because they create an absurdity? How does the approach differ from contractual interpretation? How is it affected by the human rights legislation? And to what extent will the European approach to interpretation survive Brexit?

Thursday 29 January

Seminars 8: Case Study

About the tutor

Richard Calnan is a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP in London and a Visiting Professor at University College London.

He is the author of Taking Security (LexisNexis, fourth edition 2018), Proprietary Rights and Insolvency (Oxford University Press, second edition 2016) and Principles of Contractual Interpretation (Oxford University Press, second edition 2017). His book on Principles of Statutory Interpretation wss published by Oxford University Press in 2022.

Delivery and recordings

This course will be held using Zoom. You will be sent the zoom meeting details 48 hours before the start of the course, with reminders on the day of the session.

Each session will be recorded so that if you miss a session you will have 30 days to catch up.