As members of civic society, we are all of us subject to the formal, legal rules enacted by governments. However, these rules are conveyed through a language that has developed a reputation for being overly technical and consequently impenetrable to non-specialists. Language use in other legal domains like the courtroom is similarly opaque. This course aims to develop students’ understanding of the relationship between language and the law and crime by offering a discourse analytical perspective to English legal texts and practices, especially language use in the construction and interpretation of legislation, and in the criminal justice system, including the courtroom. It considers the way that language may function as a forensic tool in particular legal cases. In addition it looks at the way that language is used to talk about law and crime, and aims to foster language and critical thinking skills that can be applied to related topics.