Graduated from the University of Antioquia with a Bachelor of Law in 1961, he earned a Ford Fellowship that allowed him to attend Harvard Law School, studying under professors such as Carl J. Friedrich, Paul A. Freund, and Lon L. Fuller, and where he graduated in 1971 with a MA. He returned to Colombia to enrol in the Doctorate Program of the University of Antioquia, where he earned his Doctorate of Law and Political Science in 1965 with his thesis titled "Notes on an Introductory Course on the Study of Law", which earned him an Honourable Mention.