Udo Jude Ilo holds a Master of Laws degree from the Central European University Budapest majoring in international human rights and transnational corporations. Called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002, Udo worked as a program and legal officer with the Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS) in the area of justice sector reform, electoral system and Death penalty. Within this period, he also served as Nigerian Project Manager for the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) death penalty project for commonwealth Africa. Part of the job profile was to help and build a formidable network amongst African lawyers and activists for the abolition of death penalty.

Udo has published extensively in the area of electoral reform, death penalty and other governance related issues. He has to his credit more than twenty published works. During his studies in Central European University, Udo’s research work saw him working as a Research Assistant at the BIICL. His research which was done in collaboration with the Chattam House focused on transboundry liability of transnational corporations.

Presently Udo is a fellow of the Open Society Justice Initative. He worked as a Program Advisor and now Program Consultant to the Nigerian Bar Association charged with the duty of program design and implementation in the area of social justice, electoral reform and human rights. Udo is a partner in the law research based consultancy firm of Thoughts and Mace. He is also a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Law and Social Action (CLASA).

Udo sees the law as an instrument of social cohesion and believes development and economic empowerment can only be sustained by progressive laws.