Professor Sam Erugo is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria [SAN], Professor of Law, Notary Public for Nigeria and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators [FICMC]. He has served as Professor of Law since 2015, Dean of Faculty of Law, 2015-2020, and Director, Law and Justice [2020-2021], at the Abia State University, Uturu. Among others, he is currently on the Board of Abia State Education Trust Fund and the Network of University Legal Aid Institutions (NULAI), Nigeria.
Professor Sam Erugo, SAN, called to the Nigerian Bar in November 1988, holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B) degree from old Imo (now Abia) State University [1987], Master of Laws (LL.M) degree from the University of Lagos [1990], and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree of the University of Ibadan[2010]. In 2004 Professor Erugo attended the International Centre for the Study of International Humanitarian Law, Geneva, Switzerland for an advanced certificate course in International Humanitarian Law. He also attended the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary on three different occasions, for three Summer courses and obtained specialized certificates in Mediation/ADR (2006), Public Service/Interest Lawyering (2008), and in Leadership and Management for Integrity-Education (2014). Again, Professor Erugo trained in Project Evaluation and Impact Assessment at INTRAC, Oxford, United Kingdom in 2011. Professor Erugo is as well trained in clinical legal education methods as a law teacher and clinician. As member of the Nigerian clinical legal education movement, he was part of Nigerian delegation to the African Legal Clinics Roundtable Meeting at Cape Town (2007); on advocacy visit to two Universities in Ghana, in 2012; and served as Nigerian coach at the International Client Counselling Competition, at University of Hong Kong in April 2010. Professor Erugo has presented papers and lessons and conducted sessions at several clinical legal education teacher training workshops, and at Conferences of Nigerian Association of Law Teachers. He similarly presented at the International Legal Ethics Conference VII, July 2016, at Stein Center, Fordham Law School, NY, USA, and at the 3rd UNITAR-Yale Conference on Environmental Governance and Democracy, at Yale University, USA 2014.
Professor Erugo is widely published in clinical legal education, human rights, access to justice and labour law. His popular publications include Introduction to Nigerian Labour Law, Public Interest Lawyering: Theory and Practice, The Lawyer or Liar? The Myths and Realities of a Misjudged Profession and Distribution of Intestate Property among the Ngwa People of Abia State. Some of the joint publications, include – Clinical Legal Education: Curriculum Lessons and Materials, Impact Assessment of Clinical Legal Education in Nigeria, Handbook on Prison Pre-Trial Detainee Law Clinic, Freedom of Information Handbook for Law Clinic, and Street Law: Freedom of Information Manual.
Sam has been in active legal practice, bringing with him over three decades experience, including 25 years of teaching, legal research, writing, mediation, and legal practice generally.