This SQE1 revision guide covers the requirements of the SRA SQE1 2026 specification for criminal practice, which will be examined within the FLK2 assessments in January and July 2027. Designed specifically to help you prepare for the SQE1 assessment, it provides a clear, concise and highly focused overview of the subject, and considers the law, procedure and processes involved in advising a client at the police station, pre-trial considerations and magistrates’ court and Crown Court trials, including sentencing and appeals.

The book is clearly structured around the SRA specification and focuses only on the content you need to revise for the SQE1 assessment. It provides plenty of opportunities to test your functioning legal knowledge as defined in the SQE1 syllabus. Each chapter includes five practice questions, demonstrating how to apply the relevant legal principles to SQE-style single best answer multiple-choice questions.

Revise
SQE Criminal Practice is available as a print book, ebook and audiobook, and is suitable whether you are following an SQE preparation course, a self-study route, or preparing to retake the SQE1 assessment.

"Revise SQE Criminal Practice 2027" was written by Mark Thomas and James J Ball.

Mark Thomas is a practising barrister in criminal law. He has taught law for several years at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including the Legal Practice Course. He is also the editor of Revise SQE: Ethics and Professional Conduct and of the two Revise SQE FLK 1 and 2 Practice Assessment books, as well as the co-author of Revise SQE Criminal Law and Revise SQE: Criminal Practice. He acts as the MCQ Advisor and Reviewer across the complete Revise SQE series.

James J Ball is a lecturer in law at Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University. James teaches across both the undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including Criminal Litigation on the Legal Practice Course (LPC). He has a particular interest in both substantive and procedural criminal law, as well as the law of evidence. He also has considerable expertise in mooting and advocacy skills.

Advising clients, including vulnerable clients, about the procedure and processes at the police station

Bail applications

First hearings before the magistrates’ court

Plea before venue and allocation of business between magistrates' court and Crown Court

Case management and pre-trial hearings

Principles and procedures to admit and exclude evidence

Trial procedure in magistrates’ court and Crown Court

Sentencing

Appeals procedure

Youth Court procedure