This is a module in forensic linguistics which explores the ways in which the study of language can help us understand legal cases and the legal process. The last twenty years have witnessed a marked growth in work in forensic linguistics, evidenced by numerous academic publications, the advent of new scholarly associations, and the rise of many high profile international trials in which linguists have featured as expert witnesses. The published work of these academics often details the ‘hands on’ experience of the professional linguist working in the legal context, and such publications makes for insightful, compelling and often disturbing reading . The remit of Forensic Linguistics is wide, with linguists being tasked to report on all areas where language intersects with the legal process. Thus, as the techniques of linguistics analysis and discourse analysis have developed, so has the variety of the roles that linguists have played in the legal process. This module offers a solid grounding in these techniques of analysis and is informed by a broad range of legal case studies from around the world.