Dr. Hilda Thopacu

Qualifications: LL.B. (Upper class) (Mak); LL.M. (Cum laude); Dip. L.P. (LDC); Ph.D. (Witwatersrand)

Lecturer

Dr. Hilda Thopacu is an advocate admitted to the Ugandan Bar, an international trade and business lawyer, legal academic, and policy consultant with expertise in international trade law, policy analysis, sustainable development, and the digital transformation of legal processes. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Law from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in International Trade and Business Law (Cum laude) from the University of the Western Cape, She earned her Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Second Class Upper from Makerere University Kampala and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from Uganda’s Law Development Centre (LDC).

Hilda has served in both the private and public sectors, handling research, the regulation of legal service provision, education and training with expertise including qualitative legal research, legal education through face-to-face and online instruction, and business operations management. 

Her three-year role as the research and publications officer at the Law Development Centre immensely contributed to the revival and launch of the Uganda Law Focus Journal and the publication of the two Volumes in 2024 and 2025, As a legal scholar, she explores the intersection of law, foreign trade policy, national development priorities, technology, and commercial transactions at the local, national, and international level. 

Her publication titled ”Implementation of Electronic Court Case Management Information System,” published in the Uganda Living Law Journal examines the digital transformation of court operations in Uganda; In ‘The Necessity for Zambia’s Vitamin A Sugar Fortification publication in the Journal of Law, Democracy and Development, she explores the intricate balance between regional trade restrictions, national development, and health protection. 

Through her legal practice, consultancy, research, and academic engagement, Dr. Thopacu is committed to advancing legal scholarship, promoting evidence-based policy development, strengthening legal and business institutions, and contributing to sustainable business operations within Uganda and beyond the African borders.