Hugo Grotius Scholars
Academic Year 2009-2010
Joan De Venecia
Joan De Venecia studied law at the University of the Philippines where she graduated first in her class, cum laude. During her law studies, she was the team captain of several moot court teams, won Best Oralist and Best Memorial in the Asia Cup International Law Moot Court competition held in Japan in 2004, and was a semi-finalist and finalist best speaker in the Jean-Pictet IHL/Red Cross Competition held in France in 2005. She was also an active debater, and was a finals adjudicator in the Worlds Universities Debate Championships held in South Africa in 2002.
After graduation, she joined the biggest law firm in the Philippines, SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan, where she was a commercial and criminal litigation associate for three years. She took the Philippine bar exam in 2005, where she placed first among 1,526 bar passers. She was also a professor in international law at the Lyceum of the Philippines, as well as a regular lecturer in Procedural Law and Taxation for bar examinees from 2007 to 2009.
She is a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Asian Society of International Law. Her concentration at NYU Law will be in International Legal Studies. She has been selected as a Research Associate for Professor Philip Alston and is also a Fulbright grantee.
Mitra Ebadolahi
Mitra Ebadolahi received her J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law in 2008. While at NYU, Mitra served as the Senior Notes Editor of the New York University Law Review. She was also a Root-Tilden-Kern/Filomen D'Agostino Scholar as well as an Institute for International Law and Justice Scholar. During law school, Mitra focused her studies on human rights, particularly economic and social rights, in the U.S. and abroad. She spent her 1L summer in Johannesburg at the Constitutional Litigation Unit of the Legal Resources Centre, and her 2L summer in New York with the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project. In 2008-09, Mitra clerked for Judge Margaret Morrow of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in downtown Los Angeles.
Previously, Mitra completed an MSc in Politics of the World Economy in 2004 at the London School of Economics, where she was a Fulbright Scholar, received the department's award for best dissertation, and graduated first in her class. She received her BA in International Development Studies and History from the University of California at Los Angeles, graduating summa cum laude with election to Phi Beta Kappa. As an undergraduate, Mitra studied abroad in Cuba in 2000, returning to Havana in 2002 to conduct field research on tourism's impacts on developing countries. She now returns to NYU to complete a thesis-based LL.M. in International Legal Studies, with an emphasis on economic and social rights.
Ling Lin
bio and photo forthcoming
Eran Sthoeger
Eran Sthoeger graduated summa cum laude from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, where he completed a degree in law, history, and Jewish history. During his studies, Eran was an editor of the Israel Law Review and conducted research in the field of public international law for several professors at the Faculty of Law, as well as for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a student, Eran participated in the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, noted as best oralist in the Israeli National Rounds, and went on to co-coach the Hebrew University’s team for the competition. For two years, Eran served as a staff member in The European International Model United Nations (TEIMUN) held annually in The Hague. For his achievements, Eran was awarded the Fritz & Margaret Oberlander Endowment in International Law and the P.E.F. Prize Granted for Exceptional Written Submission to the Israel Law Review.
Following his graduation, Eran clerked for the honorable Justice Salim Joubran at the Supreme Court of Israel. During that period, Eran co-taught a course in Public International Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Academic Year 2008-2009
Mr. Fernando Lusa Bordin
Fernando Lusa Bordin is a Law Graduate from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre, Brazil), where he obtained his degree with honors in 2008 (ranking first in his class). While in Brazil, he worked extensively on research for which he received multiple awards, both as a research assistant and a teaching assistant for the Public International Law courses. He volunteered in a legal aid program at the University, and interned at the Brazilian Ministry of Justice as well as at the International Department of the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority. In 2006, he was awarded a scholarship from the Brazilian Federal Government to attend the University of Giessen (Germany), where he studied for one academic year and also worked as a research assistant. He was a visiting researcher at the Max-Planck Institute for Public International Law (Heidelberg, Germany), attended The Hague Academy of International Law, and participated in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, placing fifth at the Dillard Award (International Memorials Competition). His research interests attain mostly to general public international law, international legal theory and UN law.
Mr. Josh Masters
Josh Masters graduated third in his class from the University of Adelaide (Australia) in 2006 with the Honours Degree of Bachelor of Laws. He was a student editor of the Adelaide Law Review. He also graduated from the University of New England (Australia) with a bachelor of Economics, majoring in econometrics, in 2008, having received the grade of High Distinction in each course. He was appointed as associate to Justice John Mansfield in the Federal Court of Australia. In 2006, Josh interned at the Constitutional Litigation Unit of the Legal Resources Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he provided research on the effect that a proposed amendment to the South African Constitution would have on judicial independence and the separation of powers in that country. Josh will focus his studies at NYU Law on issues surrounding the transition of countries from violent and/or oppressive pasts to more stable forms of government.
Ms. Diane Morrison
Diane Morrison was born and raised in South Africa, where she studied at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Law and Philosophy, and received both the Gold Medal for the Faculty of Humanities (awarded to the top student in the Faculty of Humanities) and the Chancellor’s Medal (awarded to the top student in the Faculties of Humanities, Law, Education and Commerce). She then completed her Bachelor of Laws, qualifying with distinction and ranking second in her class. During her LLB she received several awards, including the Jane Ewing Memorial Prize for the Top Student in the course Public International Law.
Upon completion of her studies, she moved to Israel. In Israel she interned at the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs (JCPA) where she co-authored an article analysing the concept of safe passage between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The article was published in the Connecticut Journal of International Law. She also assisted in the legal research of a policy paper regarding the Genocide Convention and the possibility of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being found guilty for incitement to commit genocide. Following her work at the JCPA, she completed her legal internship at Herzog, Fox and Neeman, a leading Israeli law firm. In May of 2008 she became a member of the Israeli bar. Following admission to the Bar, she continued work for the JCPA, co-authoring an article on the recent Israeli/Hezbollah prisoner exchange. At NYU, her focus will be Public International Law.
Ms. Nina Rabaeus
Nina Rabaeus studied law in Geneva and in Berlin. She graduated in 2004 as one of the two top students of her class. During her studies, she was active in law students associations, organizing lectures on contemporary issues and providing legal advice to other students. After graduation, she completed her legal traineeship in a law firm in Zurich and conducted research for the International Organization of Employers in Geneva. She took the Zurich bar exam in 2007. She then clerked for a year at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Her concentration at NYU Law will be in International Legal Studies. She has been selected as a Research Associate for Professor Satterthwaite and is also a Fulbright grantee.
Ms. Maria Uliana
Maria Uliana studied law at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina where she graduated 4th in her class. During her law studies, she worked as a legal clerk at M. & M. Bomchil Abogados, an Argentine law firm, researching and drafting legal memoranda and opinions on competition law for firm clients and international publications. In 2003, she attended the Université d’ Orléans (Orléans, France) as an exchange student with the Faculté de Droit, Économie et Gestion.
Since graduating, she has worked for the law firm Fortunati & Asociados in Buenos Aires where she has advised investment banks and foreign investors on corporate and securities law, project finance and natural resources law. She has also received a diploma from the Cornell/Sorbonne Summer Institute of International and Comparative Law, passing all related exams with honors, and attended The Hague Academy of International Law’s Private International Law summer session in 2007. She is fluent in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Mr. Wenzhao Zhuo
Wenzhao Zhuo is presently enrolled in the Masters Program in International Legal Studies under the NYU-NUS LLB-LLM program. He was placed on the Deans list (top 5%) during all 3 years of his studies at NUS and was the top student during 2 of them. He has also won subject prizes in criminal law, company law and public international law.
He was an assistant editor of the Singapore Journal of Legal studies from 2007 to 2008. He also led NUS to victory at the Asian Law Students Association Moot 2008 and emerged as the top mooter in the competition. In 2006, he was selected to take part in a clerkship program at the Singapore Subordinate Court where he clerked for the principal district judge of the Family Court. He has interned at various law firms, both local and international, as well as in the legal department of a bank throughout the course of his studies.
Academic Year 2007-2008
Mr. Olivier Barsalou
Olivier Barsalou studied law at the Faculty of Political Science and Law where he earned a B.A. (2005) in International Law and International Relations and an LL.M. (2007) in International Law. While attending the Faculty, Olivier has been a research assistant and a teaching assistant in Public International Law and Constitutional Law as well as a member of the team who won the 2005 edition of the Charles-Rousseau moot court competition in public international law. He also worked for the last three years for the Quebec Journal of International Law as an Executive Editor. He is interested in the areas of history, philosophy, and theory of international law. At the New York University School of Law, he will prepare an LL.M. thesis on the history of the Geneva Conventions of 1949.
Mr. Yunpeng Fan
Yunpeng Fan received his LL.B. from Wuhan University magna cum laude and graduated from Peking University with an LL.M. in international law. Mr. Fan provided legal aid to the underprivileged as a volunteer of the Centre for the Protection of Rights of Disadvantaged Citizens of Wuhan University. Mr. Fan conducted field research on the human rights of minorities in the Sichuan province of China and on environmental protection in Inner Mongolia, China. In 2007, Mr. Fan placed 5th as an oralist in the Chinese round of Jessup Moot Court. Mr. Fan attended summer courses at the Macau Academy of International Trade Law, Xiamen Academy of International Law and the University of Tokyo.
Ms. Mary Hernandez
Mary Tere Hernandez received her Law Degree in 2006 from Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA) in Mexico City, where she graduated first in her class. Mary was recognized for her Academic Excellence and was also granted a Honorific Mention. She was also valedictorian for the class of 2006. While attending law school, Mary actively participated in the organization of a non-profit center created by the law faculty of the UIA to provide free legal assistance and to promote mediation in Mexico. During her studies, Mary also worked as an intern in the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago collaborating mostly in the criminal and civil law areas. Before graduation, Mary worked as an intern in a law firm dealing mostly with International Arbitration and Corporate Law.
After graduation, Mary Tere worked as an Associate at Baker & McKenzie in Mexico City, in the Banking and Finance Law Department.
In August 2007 Mary will join the LL.M. in International Legal Studies at NYU Law School as a Grotius Scholar.
Ms. Michelle Ann Juan
Michelle Ann Juan earned her J.D. in 2002 from the Ateneo de Manila School of Law. She graduated 3rd in her batch, earned a special commendation for her J.D. thesis (on the use of force in international law), and was the recipient of the St. Thomas More Award – the highest award bestowed by the University. She was also Editor-in-Chief of the Law Journal, and oralist of the Jessup Team. Michelle went on to place 4th in the 2002 Philippine National Bar Examinations, and then, aside from teaching at her alma mater, worked at a leading Philippine law firm, specializing in domestic and international arbitration, cross-border transactions, capital markets, and commercial litigation.
She then worked with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, as well as various foundations and non-governmental organizations in the Philippines, focusing on the rights and integral development of indigenous peoples. She also currently serves as the Legal Director of the World Youth Alliance – an international non-governmental organization based in New York City that is committed to promoting the dignity of the person in international policy.
Ms. Nadia Kalb
Nadia Kalb studied law in Vienna, Austria and Geneva, Switzerland, specializing in International Law. She received her Master's degree from the University of Vienna in 2005, and was awarded several scholarships for outstanding academic achievement. Nadia also represented her University at the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in 2005.
During most of her studies, Nadia worked in a Vienna law office and was active in the Austrian Students' Union. She interned at the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations in New York and at the Austrian Trade Commission in Montreal, Canada.
After completing her law degree, Nadia clerked for several judges in Vienna before becoming a legal adviser to the Senate of the University of Vienna. She is a member of the Austrian Society of Women in International Law.
Nadia is also a Fulbright scholar and an LL.M. candidate in International Legal Studies. She has been selected as a Research Associate for Professor Philip Alston.
Ms. Elisabetta Morlino
Elisabetta Morlino graduated magna cum laude in Law (2005) from the Universita degli Studi di Firenze, Italy, defending a dissertation in Comparative Administrative Law. In 2003 she participated in the Exchange Program between NYU and the Universita di Firenze, ranked first among candidates and received a scholarship for a semester of study at NYU School of Law. In 2006 she entered-with a three year merit-based fellowship, ranked first among candidates-the Ph.D. program in 'Global Law: History and Theory' at the 'Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane', Universita di Firenze-Universita di Roma 'La Sapienza'. Professor Sabino Cassese, current Justice of the Italian Constitutional Court, is her Ph.D. dissertation supervisor. Her research focuses on contracts between international organizations and private/public subjects, with a special view on accountability problems.
Research. In 2006, Ms. Morlino took part in a research project on 'The Global Limits to National Administrative Laws' directed by Professor Cassese and sponsored by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. Currently, in addition to the research for her dissertation, Ms. Morlino is involved in a new research project on 'The Italian Administrative System in the XXI century' directed by Professor Luisa Torchia (Universita degli Studi Roma Tre) and sponsored by the Istituto di Ricerche sulla Pubblica Amministrazione- IRPA.
Working experience. In 2006, Ms. Morlino entered into a two-year internship at the Studio Legale Chiti, a law firm that specializes in Italian and European Administrative Law issues, as a pre-requisite for the Italian Bar exam. In Spring 2007 Ms. Morlino taught an advanced course on Administrative Law at the Facolta di Scienze Politiche, Universita degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Italy.
Publications. 2007– "La 'vita senza pareti' nello spazio giuridico globale", (A 'no-walls' life' in the global arena), Giornale di diritto amministrativo, 4, pp.433-443; 2006 – " Giocare oltre lo Stato: il caso Antigua contro USA" (Gambling beyond the State: Antigua vs. USA), Giornale di diritto amministrativo, 9, pp. 1021-1031; 2006 – "La relazione annuale dell'Ispettorato Generale di Finanza" (Comment on the Annual Report of the General Inspection Office of the Finance Ministry), Rivista trimestrale di diritto pubblico, 3, pp.896-898; forthcoming – (co-authored), "Armonizzazione e mutuo riconoscimento nel General Agreement on Trade in Services" (Harmonization and Mutual Recognition in the General Agreement on Trade in Services), Rivista trimestrale di diritto pubblico. In addition, Ms. Morlino has made several translations of legal and political science texts.
Ms. Morlino will be pursuing at NYU her Master of Laws in International Legal Studies as a Hugo Grotius Scholar.
Ms. Deyong Yin
Ms. Deyong Yin obtained her L.L.B. and L.L.M. degree from China University of Political Science and Law, where she specialized in international economic law. Ms. Yin graduated first in her class for undergraduate study and was awarded multiple university scholarships including first-class scholarships for her academic performance during undergraduate and graduate studies. She was one of the ten winners of the Freshfields Prize for outstanding legal articles in English by PRC law students in 2001, and won third prize in the China National College Student English-writing Contest in 1999. As a graduate student, Ms. Yin was selected to work as a proof-reader for the Compiling Office of the English-Chinese Dictionary of Anglo-American Law.
Ms. Yin passed the Chinese Bar Examination in 1999. After graduation in 2001 she served as in-house counsel in PetroChina Company Limited, the biggest state-owned corporation in China, where she was in charge of legal affairs related to foreign cooperation. In particular, Ms. Yin acted as chief negotiator in several major petroleum contracts on cooperative exploitation of petroleum resources in China with foreign companies and conducted due diligence and negotiated in several offshore M&A projects. For about six months during 2004 and 2005, Ms. Yin was seconded to Baker & Mackenzie in London as an associate.
While working as in-house counsel, Ms. Yin was also writing her doctorate article on WTO Subsidy Rules and obtained her Doctor’s degree from China University of Political Science and Law in 2004. She published quite a few academic articles in the area of international and comparative law in well-known Chinese legal journals.
She joined the Help-Education group to provide support to poor rural students in China and also provided support and volunteered with some of the orphan houses in China.
Ms. Yin will begin her studies in the NYU School of Law as a candidate of LLM in international legal studies, and after completing her studies, she would like to return to China to pursue a career in law teaching or with international organizations situated in China.
Academic Year 2006-2007
Ms. Ivanna Bilych
Ivanna Bilych was accepted to Shevchenko University by the Results of Interview as a four-time winner of the National and Regional Legal Competition for Pupils and obtained a merit-based scholarship. She received her LL.B. degree (summa cum laude) and LL.M. degree from Kyiv National T. Shevchenko University. During her study at the Law School, Ivanna constantly participated in student law conferences, and became a winner of the National Student Research Paper Competition in 2000, 1999, and 1998. In 2004 she wrote a comparative study on the Deutsche Bundesbank and Central Bank of Ukraine. Ivanna was recognized by the faculty for superior LL.M. work and received the maximum grade. She has also published professionally 12 articles in the area of international financial and banking law in leading Ukrainian law journals. Also, Ivanna was the co-founder of the pro-bono program in Shevchenko University and an active member of the Scientific Society for graduate and Ph.D. students. For a short period she interned for the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
Ms. Ester del Valle Izquierdo
Ester del Valle Izquierdo graduated with first class honors in Law and Economics from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in 2004, and has since then practiced as a lawyer in Madrid, Barcelona and Sao Paulo's headquarters of the Iberian law firm Cuatrecasas. Having lived in Peru, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Ireland--where she attended University of Limerick, within the Erasmus Program--her fields of interest include intellectual property and, more generally, the search of efficiency in legal institutions and through legal institutions, specifically with a view to the role that law plays in aligning people incentives. Ms. Del Valle is also a Vogelstein and a Fulbright Scholar.
Dr. Monika Heymann
Monika Heymann studied law at the University of Hanover, the Christian Albrechts University of Kiel and the University of Surrey (England). In 2001 she graduated in the first 3% of her class. Subsequently, she worked for two years as a Research and Teaching Assistant at the University of Basle (Switzerland) and wrote her doctoral thesis on interpretative declarations to multilateral treaties, which was marked summa cum laude. In 2004 she started her two-year mandatory practical training in the state of Bavaria and clerked, amongst other places, for the German Embassy in Beijing. After her second state exam in 2006, which ranked her in the top 5 % of her class, she joined the litigation department of an international law firm in Munich. She has published several articles on international law issues, particularly in the areas of international treaty and human rights law.
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Ms. Gisela Paris
Gisela Paris graduated with high honors from the University of Buenos Aires, School of Law, in June 2004 in the top 1% of her class of over 2,500 graduates. She was also awarded an International Public Law Specialization degree from the same university in June 2004. While attending the School of Law, and also after graduation, Gisela was a teaching assistant in an International Public Law course.
She was awarded a full scholarship for her achievements at the School of Law, by the "Fundación Carolina" to participate in an Executive Program for the Updating and Modernization of the Judiciary, sharing this experience with judges from all over Argentina.
Gisela started practicing law in February 2000, long before her graduation, as a Law Clerk at a local boutique law firm, where she worked for 5 years and was promoted to an associate position upon graduation. She has worked both in the private sector, as an associate at one of the leading law firms in Argentina; and in the public sector, at the Industry, Commerce and Small and Medium Businesses Secretariat of the Ministry of Economy of the Argentine Republic, as a legal consultant to the Secretary.
She is interested in the areas of International Law, International Relations, and Trade and Alternative Dispute Resolution, particularly in their application to development-related concerns. She will be pursuing an LL.M. in International Legal Studies at NYU School of Law, combining courses from these disciplines. Her intention is to work for either an international organization, the government or an international law firm.
Gisela speaks Spanish, English, Hebrew, Portuguese and French; and has been admitted to the City of Buenos Aires Bar Association.
Ms. Luciana Ricart
Luciana Ricart graduated first in her class from the University of Buenos Aires Law School in July 2004, obtaining a lawyer degree (abogada) with a concentration on public international law. While a law student, Ms. Ricart was part of the Editorial Board of the university law review, Lecciones y Ensayos. She has also actively participated in international law competitions, representing her law school both in the Jean Pictet and Philip C. Jessup competitions. She has achieved remarkable results by her participation in these competitions. Some of these include being a finalist at the 2002 Pictet Competition, a quarterfinalist at the 2003 Jessup Competition, and obtaining a prize for the second best memorial at the 2004 Jessup Competition. She has in addition coached the 2005 Jessup team of her university, which reached the semi-finals of the international rounds in Washington, D.C.
Upon graduating, Ms. Ricart worked as a junior legal adviser for the Consulate of the Republic of Colombia in her country, ensuring the protection of due process of law to the Colombian citizens deprived of their liberty. Before joining NYU School of Law's LL.M. program in International Legal Studies, she worked as a law clerk at the Federal Appeals Chamber for Administrative Law Matters in Buenos Aires city. Ms. Ricart has been teaching Public International Law at the University of Buenos Aires since 2001, first as a student teaching assistant and, since graduation, as an assistant lecturer. She is a member of the Argentinean Branch of the International Law Association and of the Argentine Council for International Relations. Ms. Ricart is also a Fulbright scholar.
Ms. Galia Rivlin
Galia Rivlin received her LL.B., magna cum laude, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2006. Ms. Rivlin was cited on the Faculty of Law Dean's List for outstanding academic achievements in each year of law school. In 2005 Ms. Rivlin also received the Faculty of Law Award for Outstanding Academic Achievements and the Faculty of Law Jonathan Greenwald Award for excellence in family law. During her second and third year of law school Ms. Rivlin was a member of the editorial board of Mishpatim, the Hebrew University Law Review. Ms. Rivlin served as a research assistant and teaching assistant to Dean Eyal Zamir in contract law and as a research assistant to Professor Israel Gilead in tort law. Upon graduation, Ms. Rivlin worked for a year as a law clerk at the Supreme Court Division: Constitutional and Administrative Affairs of the Israeli State Attorney Office in Jerusalem. As a law clerk, Ms. Rivlin conducted legal research and wrote drafts in response to petitions in the areas of constitutional law, administrative law and public international law. After the conclusion of her clerkship, Ms. Rivlin was admitted on June 2006 to the Israeli Bar. Upon her admission to the International Legal Studies program of NYU Faculty of Law as a Grotius Scholar, Ms. Rivlin has also been awarded a scholarship from the Hebrew University toward her LL.M. studies.
Mr. Fernando Tupa
Fernando Andrés Tupa graduated with honours (in the top 1% of his class) from the University of Buenos Aires, School of Law, in July 2003 and was admitted to the Buenos Aires Bar in December 2003. Due to his academic achievements, he was awarded the Academic Excellence Distinction by the Buenos Aires City Bar. He also received a Master degree in Business Law from the University of San Andrés, a two-year program with a thesis presentation, where he graduated summa cum laude in August 2006. Fernando carried out extensive legal research in various subjects related to Business Law, published several articles and collaborated in the book titled Business on the Internet. He was also a member of the Young Lawyers' Commission of the Buenos Aires City Bar. Before joining NYU School of Law's LL.M. program, Fernando worked as an associate at Hocsman & Abogados, a law firm in Argentina. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese, English and German. His main interests are Regional Integration, International Commercial Arbitration, Conflicts of Law and International Corporate Law.
Academic Year 2005-2006
Mr. Benjamin Dalle
Benjamin Dalle graduated summa cum laude from the Ghent University Law School in July 2005 where he was awarded the Alumni Association “Gandaius” Prize for graduating first in his class. He also received the Ghent Court of Appeal Prize for his papers in the field of European competition law, European foreign policy and public private partnerships. He completed his final year in the Socrates Exchange Program at the University René Descartes (Paris V), where he received the “Prix Erasmus” for the best foreign student of the Law Faculty. During that year, he specialized in public law both on the national and the international level. He participated in several international programs, particularly the International Human Rights Academy (Ghent University, 2003), the English Legal Methods Summer School (University of Cambridge, 2004) and the Foundations of American Law Program (Georgetown University, 2005). He was a summer associate at the Antwerp office of Allen & Overy LLP and a fellow worker of a respected Belgian journal on public law. Mr. Dalle is a Fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation (B.A.E.F.) and an honorary Fulbright Fellow.
Ms. Marjolein De Backer
Marjolein De Backer graduated as a top student from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, in July 2005. As part of her studies in Leuven she spent one term at Michigan Law School as an exchange student. She wrote a comparative study on the implementation of European directives and on the weaknesses of the UN and the possible corrections. She was a leading member of a student organization giving clients first advice regarding judicial issues. She worked as a summer associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters De Bandt and as an intern at Cleary Gottlieb, mainly focusing on European and European Competition Law. Ms. De Backer is a Fulbright and B.A.E.F. Scholar.
Ms. Liliana Jubilut
Liliana Jubilut received her Master in Law degree at Universidade de São Paulo, where she is currently seeking her Ph.D. researching the legitimacy of international interventions. She has researched the United Nations and International Refugee Law in her previous works. Since 1999 she has volunteered and worked as a Lawyer at the Refugee Center of Caritas Arquidiocesana de São Paulo, an implementing partner of UNHCR. As part of her commitment to human rights, she has helped to establish a Human Rights Clinic in São Paulo and has published papers on the subject. She has also been teaching International Law, International Relations and Human Rights at two private colleges. She has sought to deepen her knowledge of International Law by taking courses and completing internships abroad at Harvard University, University of Oxford and the United Nations. She speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and French; has been admitted to the Brazilian Bar Association and is a member of both the Brazilian Branch of the International Law Association and the American Society of International Law.
Ms. Karen Piddo
Karen Piddo obtained her first law degree, Licenciada en Derecho, at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 1999. She graduated summa cum laude and receiving the Fernando Rozas Award for the Best Student in Civil Law. Her thesis, which received the maximum grade, referred to the International Criminal Court and the due process of law.
Currently, and since 2001, Karen is an associate professor of International Public Law and Constitutional Law at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She has also taught Civil Law during 2001 at the same university as assistant professor. Karen is a member of the Chilean bar association and admitted as abogado (attorney at law) by the Chilean Supreme Court since 2000.
Before joining NYU School of Law's LL.M. program in International Legal Studies, Ms. Piddo worked in the Chilean Ministry of Justice as adviser in issues related to equal access to justice. She has also worked as associate in Alvarez Hinzpeter Jana & Valle, a Chilean leading firm in international arbitration and in Carey y Cia, the largest law firm in Chile.
Ms. Arina Popova
Arina Popova graduated first in her class from Syktyvkar State University, Russia, where she obtained her Bachelor Degree with Honors in Economics (2002). She also graduated from St. Petersburg State University Law School, Russia, in the top 1% of her class (2005) and was awarded with the St. Petersburg City Mayor Scholarship that is annually awarded to the best Russia's law students.
During her study at the Law School Arina constantly participated in international student law conferences in dispute resolution and international law areas and published articles in a number of Russian law reviews. Being committed to international commercial arbitration and international contract matters Arina also was chosen to participate as a team member in a prominent Willem C. Vis Moot Court in Vienna, Austria, and afterwards coached a student team that successfully represented St. Petersburg State University Law School in 2005.
Arina started practicing law in November 2003, long before her graduation. She worked both in the United States and Russia contributing to the legal practice of Intellectual Property Group (San Jose, California), KPMG, and the leaders of the St. Petersburg legal market, Baker & McKenzie and Coudert Brothers LLP, where she specialized in international law, corporate law, investment and litigation.
Mr. Quang Trinh
Quang Trinh graduated in 1998 from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, with a LL.B. with First Class Honours and a B.Com. in Accountancy. Mr. Trinh was a top mooter at law school: he won his law school competition twice, and led his team to victory in the national mooting competition in 1997, at which he was awarded the best oralist prize. He also has a long history with the Jessup international law mooting competition in Washington: semi-finalist and 12th-placed oralist in 1998, competition judge since 1999, co-presenter of an international law and Jessup mooting clinic in Armenia in 2002 sponsored by the American Bar Association's CEELI program, and co-author of the 2005 Jessup problem. Upon graduating, Mr. Trinh worked as a consultant for a number of years at Accenture, the international consulting firm. He then returned to law and was called to the New Zealand bar in 2003. Mr. Trinh then worked as a litigator in one of New Zealand's leading law firms, Chapman Tripp, specialising in fisheries and maritime law, and was a member of his district law society's Public Law and Legal Education committees.
Ms. Fan Zhang
Fan Zhang excelled through her undergraduate and graduate courses as the top student at Wuhan University Law School. She also received a second Bachelor Degree in Economics from Wuhan University Business School and took a broad range of humanities and social science courses in the graduate-level joint program at Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese & American Studies. During her LL.M., Fan was a research assistant to the executive director of Institute of International Law of Wuhan University and did research on the conflict of laws rules in the first Draft Civil Code of China. In 2003, Fan represented Wuhan University to participate in the 10th Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court Competition in Vienna.
Academic Year 2004-2005
Ms. Cristina Chiomenti
Cristina Chiomenti was born in Rome on December 15, 1976. She focused on classical studies at high school and then enrolled in the Law Faculty of the University of Rome-La Sapienza where she graduated with the highest grade in 2000 producing a thesis in Criminal Law. She has subsequently practiced law in Italy for three years, first in the litigation field and then in the corporate area, and was admitted to the Italian Bar in 2003. She has always kept close contacts with the international environment, in particular through frequent stays abroad, thereby acquiring a fluent knowledge of the English, German and French languages.
Mr. Alejandro Gordano
Alejandro Gordano graduated with honors from the University of Buenos Aires Law School in December 2000 in the top 1% of his class. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the UBA law review, Lecciones y Ensayos. He practiced law in the biggest Argentine law firm, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal, for over three years as an associate in its financial and banking law department. He has also been teaching private international law at UBA since 2001.
Ms. Marianna Gurrado
Marianna Elisabetta Gurrado graduated summa cum laude from the University of Milan in October 1999 in the top 1% of her class. Her final year thesis was on insider trading and damages relief. During her time in Milan, she was awarded a full tuition scholarship to study at University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall for a semester as an exchange student. In addition, she was an exchange student for a semester at Paris V, Université René Descartes. Marianna has practiced law since October 1999 and worked in three law firms in Milan: Libonati Jaeger, NCTM and Santa Maria in association with Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel LLP, where she specialized in international law, corporate law and litigation. She was admitted to the Milan Bar in November 2002. She has published articles on corporate and international law in Italian law reviews. Marianna also speaks fluent German, English and French.
Ms. Qian Hu
Qian Hu was a top student at Peking University Law School during her LL.M. (2004) and LL.B. (2001) graduating with honor and awards. She was also the Honorary Graduate of Beijing Municipality in 2001. From 2001 to 2003, as the graduate editor, Qian ran a column in Peking University International and Comparative Law Review to introduce the leading cases of the European Court of Human Rights. She was also the assistant editor for the Chinese Journal of International Law and conducted the first attempt in mainland China since 2002 to publish the annual English survey of China's Practice Relating to International Law. She studied in the 5th Asia-Europe University (2001, Portugal) as one of the two representatives of China and attended the summer course of the Hague Academy of International Law (2003).
Mr. Paul Quigley
Paul Quigley graduated first in his class from the School of Law at Trinity College Dublin, where he was a gold medalist in 2003 and a scholar in 2001. As part of his LL.B., he spent a year specializing in international law and trade law at the University of Helsinki (2001-2002). Prior to coming to NYU School of Law, Paul completed an M.Litt. (post-graduate law degree by research) and was the recipient of a Trinity College Postgraduate Fellowship while also tutoring in both EC law and jurisprudence. He is co-editor of a legal practitioners' guide to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board of Ireland, a new quasi-judicial body. Paul has worked as a researcher on the interaction of EC law and the law of the WTO, an advisor in the European Consumer Center in Dublin, and was a 2004 Summer Associate at the New York office of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
Mr. Keith Robinson
Keith Robinson graduated from the University of Oxford in 1993 with a First Class honors degree in Jurisprudence and again in 1995 with a First Class Bachelor of Civil Law degree. Before commencing legal practice, he also obtained an LL.M. from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Keith was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1996 and the Bar of Ireland in 2000. Keith practiced at the Bar of Northern Ireland, mostly in the fields of civil, commercial and chancery litigation, from 1996 until 2004.
Ms. Alexandra Smithyman
Alexandra Smithyman obtained an LL.B. (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies from the University of Otago, located in Dunedin. Upon graduation, Alexandra began working as a Judge's Clerk at the High Court in Wellington, a position she held for two years before coming to New York University. Alexandra is a Fulbright Scholar.
Mr. Antonios Tzanakopoulos
Antonios Tzanakopoulos holds an LL.B. (2002) and an LL.M. (2004) from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece. Prior to studying at NYU School of Law, Antonios worked for two years as a research assistant at the Special Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, while currently he is working as a research assistant at the Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations. Antonios has published articles and book reviews on international law in Greek and English, and has been admitted to the Athens Bar Association.