Legislative Studies/Law Reform

The Sir William Dale Centre for Legislative Studies specialises in teaching and research in the field of legislative drafting and law reform.

The Centre plays an immensely important role in the development of legislative drafting as an academic discipline worthy of specialised study. It seeks to spread the Sir William Dale ideas for simple, precise and accurate legislative texts which are accessible to lawyers and non-lawyers alike in all jurisdictions.

The IALS Law Reform project in the Centre explores how law reform is delivered within different types of jurisdiction; how effective that delivery is, in terms of governmental acceptance and implementation; how a programme of law reform is developed; and how good practice across the different agencies may be identified, disseminated and shared.

The Institute offers an LLM in Drafting Legislation, Regulation, and Policy. 

A regular series of events are hosted by the Centre, and Institute, in the area of legislative studies and law reform. For example, an IALS Inns of Court Fellow, Rt Hon Justice Mark Weinberg, delivered a guest presentation on ‘Modern Drafting and the Criminal Law – Does Codification Work?’