Book excerpt: The Criminal Litigation Handbook offers a comprehensive and practical guide to the areas of criminal litigation covered in the Legal Practice Course. Making effective use of realistic case studies backed up by online documentation, the text combines theory with practical considerations and encourages students to focus on putting their knowledge into a practical context. Written in an informal and accessible style, it covers all procedural and evidential issues that arise in criminal cases. The more complex areas of criminal litigation are examined using numerous diagrams, flowcharts and examples, while potential changes in the law are highlighted by specially designed 'Looking Ahead' boxes. Chapters end with key points summaries and self-test questions, enabling students to quickly sum up what they have read and test their own knowledge. The comprehensive Online Resource Centre offers vital support to students throughout their course. Updates are freely accessible to enable students to keep up to date with developments in the field, while links to other useful websites and legislation encourage students to explore the subject area fully. An additional online chapter exploring the practice and dynamics of police station practice is also included for students interested in pursuing police station accreditation as a qualification. An interactive timeline distinguishing between the three classifications of offences (summary-only, either-way and indictable-only) helps students to see how the whole criminal litigation process fits together and the issues that they need to keep in mind at particular points. Lecturers are able to access video clips of fictional but realistic court proceedings that follow the case studies included in the text; documentation supporting these case studies is also provided via the site. Additional videos cover the procedure at the police station and sentencing in the Crown Court. Online Resource Centre Student Resources Answers to self-test questions Bad character case compendium Case study documentation Police station checklist Criminal Litigation Express Train timeline Updates Web links Additional chapters on: Advising at the Police Station - Practical Steps Regulatory Crime Sentencing in Road Traffic Cases Lecturer Resources Video case studies