Zainal Abidin has been practicing law since 2002. He obtained his law degree from the Law Faculty of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and his Masters in Law and Development from Melbourne Law School, Melbourne University Australia. Zainal has been working as a lawyer, legal researcher, and trainer in a number of prominent organizations in the past, including The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI).

Zainal is a co-founder of Datum Indonesia, an organization that primarily focuses on  law and technology. Zainal is well-known for his studies on a number of legal issues including transitional justice, international human rights and criminal law, business and human rights, internet freedom, to name a few. Through his work Zainal maintains a vast network in government institutions and non-governmental organizations dealing with legal practice, human rights and development, judicial reform, and technology law. He is currently a lecturer at Jentera Law School and Head of Research Department at PERADI.