Zainal Arifin earned his Bachelor’s degree in Law from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in 2003, followed by a Master of Law (LL.M.) from Northwestern University in Chicago, USA, in 2006. He completed his doctoral studies (Ph.D.) in Law at UGM in 2012. He also participated in several summer school programs, including Administrative Law at UGM-Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and the American Legal System at Georgetown Law School in Washington, D.C.

Since 2014, Zainal has served as a Constitutional Law lecturer at the Faculty of Law, UGM. He is deeply engaged in anti-corruption efforts and legal reform initiatives. In 2007, he was a member of the task force responsible for drafting the Law on the Corruption Court and later served for nearly a decade as Director of Advocacy at Pusat Kajian Antikorupsi (PUKAT). He was also appointed as a member of the Satuan Tugas Sapu Bersih Pungutan Liar (Saber Pungli), an illegal fees eradication task force under the decree of Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs.

As a Teman Serikat of Partnership for Governance Reform (KEMITRAAN), Zainal Arifin Mochtar plays a key role in advancing transparent, accountable, and integrity-driven governance. His academic background and extensive advocacy in constitutional and anti-corruption law contribute significantly to shaping clean, effective public policy and governance, fully aligned with KEMITRAAN’s mission to strengthen democratic and just governance in Indonesia.