Ortubay Fuentes graduated in law from the
University of Deusto in 1980, and holds a Ph.D. in law from the same university. Her 1994 doctoral thesis was entitled, . She holds a diploma in Criminology from the
Complutense University of Madrid, and did postgraduate studies in criminology at the university of
Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium). After completing her education, Ortubay Fuentes began her career as a lawyer. In 1982, she was the co-founder of Salaketa, the association of support to prisoners, located in Vitoria. From 1995 to 2006, she was legal advisor to the (
Ombudsman of the
Basque Country) being responsible for the areas of Justice and Equality of women and men. Ortubay Fuentes is a full professor at UPV/EHU in the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of
Social Work. She teaches, among others, the subject Violence against Women: Prevention and Intervention. She is a member of the and collaborates with groups such as and the (ONGD) (ASDHA). Ortubay Fuentes is a member of the Board of Trustees of the . Ortubay Fuentes, Lohitzune Zuloaga, and Estíbaliz de Miguel have participated together in the study (Experience of Police Detention of Women in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country). ==Awards and honours==