Interpretation and construction

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Interpretation and construction breaks down into:

• interpretation — how one should generally construe generic phrases: should singulars include plurals; masculine include the feminine and non-binary shades between; should references to principals include their agent or even affiliates, should references to contracts, statutes and regulations be understood as originally executed/enacted or as subsequently amended from time to time — don’t giggle at the back, Blenkinsop Minor: this might seem obvious to the point of banality to you, but it keeps ERISA attorneys awake at night, and populates and animates their most gruesome nightmares.
• Construction — whether to pay any attention to headings, and which section prevails should one part of the agreement conflict with another — in a single unitary agreement, a bit of a bish, needless to say, but in a hierarchically-structured master agreement, a part of the design)
• Definitions. Now there is one thing we all know. Commercial lawyers luuuuuurve definitions.