Biography

Overview

Before joining Makkobilli, Jetu Edosa held diverse roles including that of a judge, public prosecutor, private attorney, legal consultant, and legal academician. The breadth of experiences acquired through these positions has equipped him with the capability to adeptly address the legal needs of his clients in an effective and efficient manner.

As a seasoned lawyer, he has provided successful counsel and advocacy for numerous renowned local and international enterprises. Notable businesses he has represented include C.M General Contractor PLC (a Chinese company), Alibaba Trading PLC, Zemen Bank S.C., Oromia Insurance S.C., Waliif Construction PLC, and Ethio-Samuel PLC. Additionally, Jetu has extended consultancy services to various local and international organizations, contributing to projects such as the preparation of the Ethiopian National E-commerce Legal framework and E-commerce Policy, delivering legal aid to refugees and asylum seekers funded by UNHCR, and participating in research on critical topics like women's human rights, gender-based violence, water abstraction charges, and domestic work inclusion in labor law.

As a distinguished member of the legal academia associated with Addis Ababa University School of Law, Jetu is a prolific writer and researcher on a broad spectrum of legal issues encompassing investment, construction, energy, mining, public project finance, and labor matters pertinent to business operations. His scholarly works have been widely acknowledged, with presentations at national and international research conferences, along with securing multiple Research Grant Awards and holding pivotal roles such as Research and Publication Coordinator at University of Gondar School of Law. Additionally, he founded and served as Editor-in-Chief of The International Journal of Ethiopian Legal Studies (IJELS).

His dedication to providing legal assistance extends to counseling refugees and asylum seekers at university-based legal aid centers and offering consultancy services to the Norwegian Refugee Council on matters related to tenancy, property, and employment rights. Furthermore, his expertise was pivotal as the national immigration law expert for documenting Ethiopia's legal frameworks and enforcement within the Migrant Rights Initiative Project undertaken jointly by Cornell and George Mason Universities.

Bar Admission

Licensed to practice law at all Federal courts of Ethiopia

Licensed to practice law at all Oromia Regional State courts of Ethiopia

Education

LL.M in Business Law (Hons), Addis Ababa University School of Law (2014, Ethiopia)

LL.B Degree in Law (Hons), from Mekelle University Faculty of Law (2008, Ethiopia)

Languages

English

Amharic

Afaan Oromoo

Selected Experience

Successfully litigated a construction dispute case on behalf of a Chinese Construction Company at federal Courts;

Served as an outside general counsel of Zemen Bank S.C. for litigations in Oromia Regional State Courts;

Successfully handled a labor dispute case on behalf of a Chinese multinational company at federal and Oromia Courts;

Handled a corporate crime case for a well-known company in Ethiopia;

Served as an Arbitrator in a case in which a leading insurance company is involved;

Handled performance bond guarantee disputes for a prominent company in Ethiopia;

Delivered judicial rulings on a variety of legal disputes as a judge at Oromia State First Instance Court;

Handled prosecution of varies types of crimes as a public prosecutor at Oromia Justice Bureau District Office;

Provided consultancy services on investment, construction, energy, mining and public project finance matters to a number of global and local businesses; and

Handled construction contract management and disputes, construction machineries rental disputes, and public procurement disputes on behalf of clients.

Areas of Practice

Investment

Construction and Engineering Law

Energy and Mining

Land and Natural Resources

Bidding and Public Procurement

Litigation, Arbitration & Other ADR

Regulatory Compliance

International Trade

Business & Human Rights

Immigration, Refugee & Citizenship

Capital Markets

Antitrust/Trade Competition

Publications

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, the Economic Regulation of Water Supply in Ethiopia: A Review of Constitutional and Legal Bases, JOURNAL OF WATER LAW, Vol. 27:3 (2021)

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Urban Land Use Disputes Resolution Methods in Ethiopia, in Muradu Abdo (ed), Urban Land Question in Ethiopia, 10 ETHIOPIAN CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL LAW SERIES (2020).

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Judicial Recognition of Outlawed Bigamous Marriage in Ethiopian Federal Supreme Court Cassation: Legal Gap-Filling or Judicial Lawmaking? 13 AFRICAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL STUDIES (2021).

Tadesse Kassa Woldetsadik, Fasil Mulatu & Jetu Edosa, Ethiopia’s refugee policy overhaul: Implications on the out of camp regime and rights to residence, movement and engagement in gainful employment, 4 JOURNAL OF ETHIOPIAN HUMAN RIGHTS LAW (2019).

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Mediating Criminal Matters under Ethiopian Criminal Justice System: The Prospect of Restorative Justice System, 1 OROMIA LAW JOURNAL (2012).

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Perspectives on Common Property Regimes in Ethiopia: A Critical Reflection on Communal Land Holding Rights in Borana Oromo Pastoralists Context, 2 OROMIA LAW JOURNAL (2013).

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Commercial Contracts under the Ethiopian Law: Is it Different from other Contracts?” 4 ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY STUDENT LAW REVIEW (School of Law Golden Jubilee Anniversary Special Edition, 2013).

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Bigamous Marriage and the Division of Common Property under the Ethiopian Law: Regulatory Challenges and Options. 3 OROMIA LAW JOURNAL (2014).

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Criminal Sanctions of Commercial Deceptions under Ethiopian Law: Could it contribute to the Reduction of Commercial Disputes? 3 HARAMAYA LAW REVIEW (2014).

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Legal Aspects of Stock Market Development in Ethiopia: Comments on Challenges and Prospects”, 8 MIZAN LAW REVIEW (2014).

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Revisiting Legal Pluralism in Ethiopia: The Oromo Restorative Criminal Justice as a Point of Departure,” 22 THE JOURNAL OF OROMO STUDIES (2015).

 Jetu Edosa Chewaka, The Protection of Core labour Rights in Ethiopian Industrial Development Zone: A Case Study in Eastern Industrial Zone, in Getachew Assefa et al. (eds) Social, Cultural and Economic Rights in Ethiopia, (Book Chapter 5: pp-101-134; Addis Ababa University, School of Law, 2016).

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Web Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in Ethiopia: Legal and Policy Frameworks, in Getachew Assefa et al. (eds) Disability and Law in Ethiopia (Book Chapter: Forthcoming, 2017).

Jetu Edosa Chewaka, Global Labour Flexibilization Conditionalities: Implications for Ethiopian Labour Law Regulatory Space, In Mehari Redie (Edn) Labour Relations Law In Ethiopia, 9 CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL LAW SERIES (2019).