The present guide of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights deals with two separate but linked issues that the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and other NGOs face in their trial monitoring activities. The first is the question of what are the basic legal standards that should be used in evaluating the fairness of a trial. The second is how a trial observation mission should be prepared and carried out in practice. The main purpose of this guide is to assist Lawyers Committee trial observers. The Committee refers to the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers as a valuable source of the right to a fair trial.