Contract Interpretation in the ROI - Drafting, Disputes & More

Introduction

The primary aim of this webinar is to provide legal professionals with an overview of the rules of contract interpretation, ambiguity and its impact on contract interpretation, the interpretation of limitation and exclusion clauses, and the canons of construction.

This webinar will equip you with an overview of the rules and principles of contract interpretation, and examples of the practical application of those rules and principles in contract disputes.

Contract drafting and negotiation is central to business and law and is frequently a source of tension between getting the agreement right and getting the agreement done. Ambiguity and errors in contract drafting can give rise to costly disputes and this webinar will help you keep your drafting clear and avoid those costly errors as well as protect your client’s interests in contract disputes that turn on contract language.

This webinar will help contract lawyers and litigators identify the rules of contract interpretation, will give practical examples from case law of how those rules work and will enable contract lawyers and litigators to understand and advise on the meaning of contractual terms and on contractual disputes that turn on interpretation.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• ICS Building Society v Grant ‘ICS' Case - A Refresher
• Five principles
• Beware hindsight
• Brief background knowledge
• A word on precedents
• Is background knowledge relevant?
• Exclusions from background knowledge
• Limits on background knowledge
• Business commonsense
• Limits on business commonsense
• Mistakes
• What to Avoid - Ambiguity
• Exclusion and Limitation Clauses
• Contra Proferentem
• Curtailing of the Contra Proferentem Rule
• Contractually restricting the Rule
• The Canada Steamship rule
• Gilbert Ash
• Insurance Contracts
• Fundamental breach
• Canons of Construction
• Presumption against surplusage
• Ejusdem generis (Limited Class Rule)
• Noscitur a sociis (Associated Words Rule)

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Thursday 25th September 2025

Alternatively, you can gain access to this webinar and 1,700+ others via the MBL Webinar Subscription. Please email webinarsubscription@mblseminars.com for more details.