Sarah Fulton is a dual-qualified lawyer and Senior Legal Officer at the Australian Law Reform Commission. She has previously practised as an international arbitration lawyer at a top-tier London law firm, and in non-government organisations focused on improving individuals’ access to justice for international crimes.
For a number of years, Sarah was International Legal Advisor at REDRESS, a human rights organisation based in the United Kingdom, leading its programme to promote standards at the international level on the prohibition of torture and provision of remedy and reparation to victims. She has also worked as a research consultant for other international NGOs, including advising on the drafting of anti-torture laws in Afghanistan, conducting a comprehensive survey of European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence on torture, and co-authoring country-specific supplements to the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict for Burma and Sri Lanka. Prior to this, she worked in Timor-Leste as a legal researcher and trial monitor at the Special Panels for Serious Crimes with a leading East Timorese NGO.
Sarah has successfully represented clients in cases before domestic mechanisms, regional human rights courts and international bodies including United Nations human rights committees, often in partnership with victims’ rights organisations. She has also led the drafting of amicus curiae briefs in leading cases on human rights, including before UK, Canadian and US courts and the European Court of Human Rights.
Sarah is a graduate of UQ (Arts/LLB (Hons I)) and received a Commonwealth Scholarship to complete her Masters of Laws at University College London. She was previously Associate to Justice Margaret McMurdo, President of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Queensland, and Research Assistant to Lord Justice Lawrence Collins in the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
Select publications
Book Chapters
Fulton, Sarah and Mandira Sharma (2020), ‘Raahat ki Ahaat: Reparation in Post-Conflict Nepal’, in Reparations for Victims of War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide, Carla Ferstman et al. (eds.), 2nd ed. Brill, Nijhoff.
Hodges, Paula; Kirby, Jennifer; Parker, Christopher and Fulton, Sarah (2010), ‘ICC International Court of Arbitration’ in Arbitration World: Jurisdictional Comparisons, J William Rowley QC (ed.), 3rd ed., European Lawyer, London.
Fulton, Sarah (2005) ‘Rosemary Hunter’ in A Woman’s Place: 100 years of Queensland Women Lawyers, S Purdon and A Rahemtula (eds.), Supreme Court of Queensland Library, Brisbane, 265-275.
Journal Articles
Fulton, Sarah (2014), ‘Redress for Enforced Disappearance: Why Financial Compensation Is Not Enough’, 12 (4) Journal of International Criminal Justice, 769-786.
Fulton, Sarah (2012), ‘Cooperating with the enemy of mankind: can states simply turn a blind eye to torture?’, 16(5) International Journal of Human Rights, 773-795.
Fulton, Sarah (2003), ‘Book Review: Maconochie’s Gentlemen: The Story of Norfolk Island and the Roots of Modern Prison Reform’ (2003) 22 UQLJ 276.
Fulton, Sarah (2003), ‘Case Note: Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Al Masri’ 22 UQLJ 251.
Reports and Manuals
REDRESS and Institute for International Criminal Investigations (authors Isabelle Lassee and Sarah Fulton) (2018), Supplement to the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict: Sri Lanka-Specific Guidance for Practitioners, March 2018.
REDRESS and Institute for International Criminal Investigations (author Sarah Fulton) (2018), Supplement to the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict: Myanmar-Specific Guidance for Practitioners, March 2018.
REDRESS and Institute for Security Studies, 2015, (author Sarah Fulton), Victim Participation in Criminal Law Proceedings - Survey of Domestic Practice for Application to International Crimes Prosecutions, August 2015.
REDRESS (author Sarah Fulton) (2015), Istanbul Protocol Handbook, June 2015.
REDRESS (author Sarah Fulton) (2013), Redress for Rape: Using international jurisprudence on rape as a form of torture or other ill-treatment, October 2013.
REDRESS and IRCT (author Sarah Fulton) (2013), Bahrain: Fundamental reform, or torture without end?, April 2013.
REDRESS and Torture Victims Association of the Maldives (main author Sarah Fulton) (2012), This is what I wanted to tell you: Addressing the Legacy of Torture and Ill-Treatment in the Maldives, June 2012.
REDRESS and Advocacy Forum Nepal (authors Sarah Fulton and Ingrid Massage) (2011), Held to Account: Making the law work to fight impunity in Nepal, November 2011.
REDRESS (main author Sarah Fulton) (2010), Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in the 27 Member States of the EU, December 2010.