Overview
Theodor Karlsen is a Doctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Public and International Law, University of Oslo. His PhD project is in legal methodology, with a particular focus on statutory interpretation. He teaches courses in both public and private law and has a professional background as a lawyer.
Research Interests
Karlsen’s primary research interest is legal methodology, especially how difficult questions of interpretation can and should be resolved. He is currently working on an article-based PhD thesis, where the overarching theme is statutory interpretation and the relationship between language and law (in a Nordic context).
Karlsen also maintains a keen interest in land law and has published both a textbook and articles within this field. His textbook in land law, Tingsrett: En innføring [Land Law: An Introduction], 2nd ed. 2026, is required reading at the Faculty of Law, University of Bergen.
Background
Karlsen began his PhD in September 2025. He has previously worked as a Senior Associate at the law firm Haavind (one of Norway’s leading law firms), a part-time University Lecturer at the University of Oslo, and as a editor at Scandinavian University Press for the law journal Jussens Venner.
As an attorney, he specialised in dispute resolution. He has experience in international arbitration and has litigated several cases before the Norwegian courts. His areas of practice included EU/EEA law, private international law, and real estate.
As a student, he won the international moot court competition EEA Moot Court, where he was also awarded the prizes for Best Speaker and Best Written Brief.
Teaching
Karlsen teaches the following courses:
- JUS4111 – Legal Methodology and Ethics (methodology)
- JUS2211 – Administrative Law and EEA Law (environmental law)
- JUS1211 – Private Law II (land law)
He has contributed to the exam in JUS4111 – Legal Methodology and Ethics by authoring a grading guide, and he has served as an external examiner in JUR3545 – EEA Law at BI Norwegian Business School. Karlsen has also supervised a master student.
Selected Publications
For a full list of publications, please see below. Selected publications in Norwegian include:
- Tingsrett: En innføring [Land Law: An Introduction] (Fagbokforlaget, 2nd ed. 2026)
- ‘Statens skjønnsmargin ved nasjonal domstolsprøving av inngrep i EMK – en kursendring fra Høyesterett’ [The Margin of Appreciation in National Judicial Review of ECHR Interference – A Change of Course from the Norwegian Supreme Court], Lov og Rett 9/2023, pp. 551–567.
- ‘Grunnbokens troverdighet om begrensede rettigheters innhold’ [The Reliability of the Land Register Regarding the Content of Limited Rights], Tidsskrift for eiendomsrett 2/2023, pp. 141–172 (with Matias Tvermyr Holmen).