Aleš Zalar studied law at the University of Ljubljana and served as a judge and president of the District Court of Ljubljana as well as president of the Slovenian Judges Association.
He was also Minister of Justice and acting Minister of Home Affairs in Slovenia.
During recent 12 years he served as president of the European Centre for Dispute Resolution (ECDR), mediator, arbitrator and as independent consultant in international rule of law reforms and dispute system design projects.
As policy adviser, trainer and lecturer he has been engaged in more than 30 countries worldwide.
As of September 2024, he has been serving as the Director of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
He is a member of various international institutions, inter alia, Mediation Centre Stakeholders Network of the EUIPO, International Institute for Justice Excellence, and of Council of the European Law Institute (ELI).
For his contribution to development of mediation he received many special recognitions and awards, including from the Council of Europe (Crystal Scale of Justice) and from the US State Department (International Visitor Leadership Gold Star).