President Alar Karis was born on 26 March 1958 in Tartu.

She earned her BA and magister iuris (both cum laude) from the University of Tartu and completed her PhD at Tallinn University of Technology in 2007. She served as Estonia’s Chancellor of Justice from 2015 to 2026.

President Madise has held key roles in academia, public administration, and constitutional law. She worked at the Ministry of Justice, advised the Constitutional Committee of the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament), served as Legal Adviser to the President of Estonia, and was Director of Audit at the National Audit Office. She was also Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Tartu and Professor of Public Law at Tallinn University of Technology. Since 2012, she has been editor-in-chief of the commented edition of the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia.

She has also been active in international and national organizations, including the International Ombudsman Institute, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, and Estonia’s Council of Ethics of Officials.

Beyond her legal career, she has contributed to public discourse through radio programmes, public appearances, and scholarly and opinion articles.

President Madise is married to Lauri Madise.