Now in its second edition, this book written by an experienced human rights practitioner, provides practical and accessible advice and guidance on taking cases to the European Court of Human Rights. It incorporates a step by step approach to the litigation process which covers areas such as lodging the initial application, legal aid, costs, interim measures, friendly settlement, third party intervention, just satisfaction, enforcement of judgments, and Grand Chamber referrals. An explanation of the key principles underlying the European Convention on Human Rights precedes a concise and up to date article by article analysis of the substantive law of the European Convention, including derogation, reservation, and damages (with a table of illustrative damages awards in recent cases). It includes key substantive case law developments since 2000, commentary and guidance on the amended Court rules and new practice directions and recent changes in the Court's processing of cases, together with advice and information on drafting pleadings (with precedents included), fact-finding and merits hearings before the Court. The Court's admissibility criteria, a critical aspect of the Convention system, are dealt with in depth and a comprehensive set of Court forms and other precedents are included in the appendices.