Personal Statement
Rudi Fortson KC has been an independent practising Barrister since 1976 (‘taking silk’ in 2010). He was appointed an Honorary Visiting Professor of Law at the SLSJ, University of Liverpool, in 2022. He is also a Visiting Professor of Law, at Queen Mary University of London.

Rudi is noted for his work in relation to serious crime, including fraud, confiscation, asset-recovery, money-laundering, and drug law. Among other publications, he is the author of ‘Misuse of Drugs and Drug Trafficking Offences’ (Sweet & Maxwell, 6th ed., 2012), and ‘The Serious Crime Act 2007’ (OUP, 2008). He is a contributing author to Blackstone’s Criminal Practice (two chapters, ‘Weapons’, ‘Drug Offences’), and he regularly writes for Criminal Law Review.

Rudi served on the Police Foundation ‘Independent Inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971’, and he was a member of the Criminal Justice Forum for the Institute for Public Policy Research (Report: ‘Them and Us’).

Rudi was a consultant to the Law Commission for England and Wales in respect of its firearms project (2015); its Anti-Money Laundering project (2018-2019); and its recent project ‘Confiscation under Part 2 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002’ (September 2020 to current).

Rudi is a Friend of the Academy of European Law (ERA), Trier, Germany, and he is a member of the Criminal Bar Association (England and Wales), the Forensic Science Society (Great Britain), the British Academy of Forensic Science, the Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association, and the Financial Services Lawyers Association.

Research Overview
GENERAL CRIMINAL LAW

Particularly in relation to the general principles of criminal law, joint-enterprise, evidence, drug law, pharmaceutical law, weapons, intoxication, security, and artificial intelligence.

DRUGS AND THE LAW

A specialism since the start of Rudi’s career. Rudi has collaborated with The Loop (Professor Fiona Measham, University of Liverpool); ‘DrugScience’; ‘Release’’; and other organisations.

ASSET-RECOVERY AND MONEY LAUNDERING

Initially a subset of Drugs and the Law, but which has extended to all criminal activity (especially since the enactment of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002)

WEAPONS

Notably firearms, other offensive and defensive weapons, offences relating to pyrotechnics and explosive substances.


SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

1. ‘Misuse of Drugs and Drug Trafficking Offences’ (Sweet & Maxwell, 6th ed., 2012; book).

2. ‘The Serious Crime Act 2007’ (OUP, 2008; book).

3. ‘The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005’ (Sweet & Maxwell)

4. ‘Criminal Justice Act 2003’ (Sweet & Maxwell; Current Law Statutes Annotated).


OTHER PUBLICATIONS:

1. Contributing chapter: ‘Drug Science and British Drug Policy: Critical Analysis of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971’; eds., I. Crome, D. Nutt, A. Stevens; Waterside Press; 2022).

2. Contributing chapter: ‘Research Handbook on Transnational Crime’ (V. Mitsilegas, S. Hufnagel, A. Moiseienko; Edward Elgar Publishing; 2019).

3. Contributing chapters: (‘Money Laundering Offences’, and ‘Terrorism money laundering’): ‘Banks and Financial Crime: The International Law of Tainted Money’ (Sir William Blair; R. Brent and T. Grant, OUP; 2017).

4. Introductory chapter: ‘Abuse of Process’ (ed., Colin Wells, 2017; OUP; 2nd edn in preparation).

5. Contributing chapter: ‘New Psychoactive Substances and the Criminal Law’: ‘Forensic Toxicology: Drug Use and Misuse’ (eds., S. Davies, A. Johnston, D. Holt; Royal Society of Chemistry; 2016).

6. Contributing chapter: ‘Mental Condition Defences and the Criminal Justice System Perspectives from Law and Medicine’ (edited by B. Livings, A. Reed and N. Wake, Cambridge Scholars Publishing; 2015).

7. Contributing chapter: ‘Participation in Crime’ (specifically ‘Inchoate Liability and the Part 2 offences under the Serious Crime Act 2007’: edited by A. Reed and M. Bohlander, Ashgate Publishing; 2013).

8. Contributing chapter on Diminished Responsibility: ‘Loss of Control and Diminished Responsibility, Domestic, Comparative and International Perspectives’ (edited by A. Reed and M. Bohlander, Ashgate Publishing, November 2011).

9. Contributing chapter ‘The Sentencing of Drug Couriers’ (ed. P. Green, ‘Drug Couriers: A New Perspective’, 1996, Quartet Books).