Decoding Forensics for Legal Professionals

Explore commonly relied on disciplines in forensics

Today, forensic evidence is integral to criminal investigations and trials. Therefore, it is important for legal professionals to have an understanding of the scientific foundations and limitations of different types of forensic evidence, in order to engage more meaningfully with such evidence.

On this six-week course, you’ll explore the scientific principles underlying forensic pathology, medical examination in sexual offence cases, bite mark analysis, and forensic DNA profiling. Using mock case scenarios, this insightful online course will help you develop the skills you can immediately apply in your career as a legal professional.

Delve into the legal standards of forensic evidence

You’ll explore the law on expert evidence and the procedures that courts follow in examining such evidence. With this knowledge, you’ll understand the limitations with the current forms of legal inquiries and how they can be improved.

Lastly, you’ll scrutinise the law of expert evidence and forensic science landscape in India.

Develop your scientific inquiry skills alongside experts

Through this course, you will develop a keen sense of scientific inquiry and aptitude and learn how to apply these scientific principles and evidentiary standards to forensic disciplines beyond the course.

The videos, articles and quizzes have been curated on the basis of the extensive research and criminal defence work conducted by Project 39A, a criminal justice initiative based out of National Law University, Delhi. This course will help you develop essential skills which you can use in your career as a legal professional.

This course is designed for judges, lawyers, forensic scientists, and students of law and forensic science.

It will be particularly useful if you are interested in learning the science behind different forensic disciplines and the legal standards which apply in examining forensic evidence.

• Forensic pathology
• Introduction to the course
• Basics of forensic pathology
• Decomposition and time since death
• Understanding injuries
• Determining cause of death
• Forensic pathology and the legal system
• Medical examination in cases of sexual offences
• Debunking myths on medical examination
• Examination of medical evidence and opinions by lawyers
• Bite mark evidence
• Understanding bite marks
• Methods of analysis of bite marks
• Expert opinion on bite marks
• Forensic DNA Profiling: Part I
• Crime scene examination and forensic serology
• Understanding the human cell and DNA
• Understanding electropherograms
• Forensic DNA Profiling: Part II
• Process of Forensic DNA profiling
• Interpretation of DNA profiles
• Issues with forensic DNA profiling
• Law on expert evidence
• Introduction to expert evidence
• Challenging expert evidence in court
• Forensic evidence in India