As part of the Hauser Global Law School Program, the Hauser Global Scholarship was founded in 1995 at the initiative of alumna Rita Hauser and NYU School of Law. Since its inauguration, the Hauser Global Scholarship has become the leading initiative pursuing the adaptation of legal education in the United States towards an increasingly global perspective. It reflects the Law School's conviction that the practice of law and legal research has escaped the bounds of any particular jurisdiction and that legal education can no longer ignore the interpenetration of legal systems.
Each year, 10 of the finest students from countries across the world are selected as Hauser Global Scholars by the distinguished members of the Hauser Scholars Selection Committee. These select individuals — all of whom are LLM students — share their perspectives and experiences from their own legal systems with the rest of the Law School academic community. The Hauser Global Scholars receive a full-tuition scholarship and a living stipend for the year of their studies at NYU and are integrated intellectually and socially in the events of the Hauser Global Law School Program and NYU School of Law.
The Hauser Global Scholars reflect the breadth and diversity of NYU School of Law’s Graduate Division. In the last 10 years of the Program, 93 Hauser Global Scholars have been selected from approximately 41 countries and all continents. After intensive screening of applications by NYU School of Law faculty and admissions officers, Hauser Global Scholars are selected by a committee of distinguished international leaders. They are chosen on the basis of their intellectual and leadership ability and their capacity to participate productively in a global community of scholars and practitioners.
For information on application to the Graduate Division and to the Hauser Global Scholarship, please see the Office of Graduate Admissions.
2022-2023 Hauser Global Scholars
Moureen Akatunihiza
Uganda
Moureen pursued a Bachelor of laws Degree (LLB) at Makerere University School of Law and graduated in January of 2020 with a second Class Upper Honors degree top of her class. While at Makerere School of Law, she served as the President of Makerere Environmental Law Society where she advocated for a right to a clean and healthy environment and organized several public lectures on environmental related topics like Paris Agreement on climate change in Africa. she also worked as a Legal Research Assistant to the Judge of the High Court of Uganda (Land Division) where she advised on many cases like temporary injunctions, land rights and taxing bill of costs.
In 2019, Moureen joined Law Development Centre (LDC) to pursue a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. She graduated in 2021 with a second Class Upper Honors Diploma and is set to enroll as an advocate of the High Court of Uganda.
In 2020, she joined Kampala Associated Advocates, one of the leading top law firm in Uganda specializing in tax legal services. While at the firm, she conducted internal and external tax due diligence on clients, drafted tax pleadings and was involved in negotiations with Uganda Revenue Authority on behalf of the clients.
In 2022, she joined Ernst and Young (Uganda) where she has been practicing as a Tax Legal Associate, advising on Transfer Pricing and Double Taxation Agreements, conducting tax litigation, and claiming tax refunds for clients.
As a Hauser Global Scholar, Moureen will pursue an LLM in International Taxation.
Eve Bain
New Zealand
Eve graduated from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington with a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours and a Bachelor of Arts (French and International Relations). Eve was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the New Zealand High Court in 2018. During her studies Eve tutored public law and was also a research assistant and assistant editor for the European Journal of International Law. She also worked for a Member of Parliament and later as a law clerk at the New Zealand Law Commission.
Eve was heavily involved in the charity United Nations Youth New Zealand and led the organisation of the national conference as well as international delegations. Eve has also represented New Zealand at the Red Cross Asia-Pacific Humanitarian Law Moot and the Brown Mosten International Client Consultation Competition, in which New Zealand placed first. She spent her final year studying at Universidad EAFIT in Medellín, Colombia as an inaugural recipient of the Prime Minister's Scholarship for Latin America.
After graduating, Eve worked in the public law team of leading national firm Bell Gully. During that time she coached the Victoria University of Wellington team for the Vis Moot 2020. Eve later moved to Stout Street Chambers where she worked as a junior barrister, appearing on a range of significant public law and general civil litigation matters. In 2021 the New Zealand Law Foundation awarded Eve the annual Cleary Memorial Prize for outstanding future promise to the legal profession.
As a Hauser Global Scholar, Eve will pursue an LLM in International Legal Studies with a particular focus on transitional justice and international organisations. Eve is taking part in the UN Diplomacy Clinic in Fall 2022 and is also a Transitional Justice Scholar.
Sarah Bandini
Italy
Sarah received her law degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Bologna in 2014. She was among the top graduating students in her class and was awarded several merit-based scholarships during her studies. She has built her career on the belief that integrating the theoretical study of the law with hands-on experience is crucial to understanding today’s social and juridical issues. Upon graduation, she began working in private practice as a lawyer and in academia as a scholar at the same time.
She collaborated with one of the most renowned Italian boutique law firms, specializing in the criminal defense of banks and joint-stock companies that took part in some of the most important corporate crime cases connected to the largest financial scandals that occurred in Italy in the last two decades (e.g., Parmalat, Cirio, and Carim Bank). As an associate attorney at the firm, she further developed her expertise in business crime, tax evasion, and corporate compliance and handled several cases involving international transactions and criminal liability.
She has also served as a member of the Compliance Board for BPER Factor, a company specializing in factoring and financial transactions, part of the BPER Group (the third-largest banking group in Italy).
From November 2017 to March 2021, she pursued a Ph.D. Program in Legal Studies at the University of Bologna. In May 2021, she graduated with a Final Dissertation on Corporate Control and Criminal Liability, deemed «Excellent» by the Examination Board.
Sarah’s research focuses on Corporate Governance and Corporate Compliance. In particular, she is developing a study on Global Compliance to implement programs and risk-assessment schemes that multinational corporations can adopt to prevent wrongdoing in cross-border investments. She carried out part of this project as a Visiting Scholar at Duke University School of Law and at the University of London’s Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.
She is an academic member of the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) and a fellow of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies at the University of London.
At NYU, Sarah will pursue an LL.M. in Corporation Law, with a focus on cross-border transactions and corporate compliance.
William Bruffey
Australia
William holds a BA (Distinction) and LLB (First Class Honours) from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, where he was President of the Student Representative Council.
William worked as a paralegal in the litigation team for law firm Gilbert + Tobin, and then as the Tipstaff to a Supreme Court justice in Sydney. He was a criminal defence lawyer for the Aboriginal Legal Service and Legal Aid in disadvantaged communities in rural Australia, before working as a prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW), responsible for prosecuting historical crimes against children.
As a Hauser Global Scholar and Fulbright Scholar, William will build on his diverse prosecution and defence experience to undertake a traditional Master of Laws, with a particular focus on criminal justice, evidence, and constitutional law.
Maria Florencia Garcia
Argentina
Florencia graduated from University of Buenos Aires in 2018. She was ranked in the top 1% of a class over 2300 students and received academic excellence awards for her performance at moot court competitions. During her law studies, she represented the University of Buenos Aires at the 2016 edition of the Foreign Direct Investment International Arbitration Moot, where the team reached the Round of 16th and Florencia was ranked among top advocates. One year later, she represented the University of Buenos Aires at the 2017/2018 edition of the Willem C. Vis Moot, where the team received an honorable mention at the Werner Melis Award for Best Memorandum for Respondent. She was admitted to the program NYU Law Abroad: Buenos Aires, where she took a course on dispute resolution in Latin America and a course on constitutionalism and democracy.
After graduation, Florencia was promoted to associate at Mitrani, Caballero & Ruiz Moreno Law Firm (Buenos Aires office), where she has been practicing corporate law, focusing on cross-border M&A transactions, antitrust and securities filings, domestic and international contracts, and compliance with economic sanctions, export control regulations, and AML/CFT regulations. Florencia is an active member of the firm’s corporate social responsibility committee, where she has promoted several activities, including a campaign to collect school supplies.
She has contributed to the pilot clinic organized by TradeLab and the University of Buenos Aires, where Florencia and her classmates advised the South Centre. The focus of the clinic was to advance research on the misappropriation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge. More recently, Florencia has co-authored a book review that was published at the American Review of International Arbitration. Further, she has contributed to several editions of the newsletter published by the International Arbitration Observatory of the University of Buenos Aires. Florencia is a founding member of the Equidad Consultora project, an initiative that focuses on raising gender awareness in corporate environments by carrying out workshops.
As a Hauser Global Scholar, Florencia will pursue the LL.M. program in International Legal Studies, where she will combine her interests in corporate law, gender matters, and international law.
Kateryna Kolesnik
Ukraine
Kateryna Kolesnik graduated from Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Ukraine, in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in Jurisprudence (with Honours) and in 2014 with a Master’s degree in Jurisprudence (with Honours). During her studies Kateryna successfully completed the 2011-2012 Global Undergraduate Exchange Program, attending Chadron State College, USA, for one academic year (majoring in Criminal Justice). She also was a student advisor at the University’s Legal Aid Clinic, where she consulted with clients from vulnerable groups.
After graduating, Kateryna worked as a prosecutor in Ukraine for almost 4 years, supervising investigating authorities, prosecuting criminal cases, and representing interests of vulnerable people and the state before the courts of civil, administrative, and commercial jurisdictions. Since 2018 Kateryna has been working as an assistant lawyer at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. In this role, she was mainly engaged in dealing with applications against Ukraine, conducting legal research on pressing human rights issues and drafting decisions, judgments, and other legal documents. Kateryna was also involved in providing trainings to newly-arrived lawyers and developing different mechanisms and tools to optimize case processing.
As a Hauser Scholar, Kateryna is pursuing the LL.M. in International Legal Studies, with a particular focus on international criminal law and transitional justice.
Zongyao Li
China
Zongyao received his LL.B. degree from Xiamen University in 2013 and LL.M. degree from Xiamen University in 2016, where he graduated at the top of his class and was awarded scholarships and honors for academic excellence. He was the leader of the moot team that won the champion of the Chinese national round of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in 2014, the first time in the history of Xiamen University. He was also awarded the prize for Best Oralist.
Since 2017, Zongyao has been an associate in the international arbitration practice of Shearman & Sterling LLP. Zongyao has extensive experience advising and representing companies, State-owned entities and governments in commercial and investment treaty disputes. His practice includes disputes related to energy, infrastructure, joint ventures, M&A, construction, technology and real estate. Zongyao has acted on arbitrations conducted under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), as well as ad hoc proceedings under the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) arbitration rules and emergency arbitrator proceedings. Zongyao has published several articles on international arbitration and investment. He has also been invited to give speeches on matters involving international arbitration.
At NYU, Zongyao will be pursuing an LL.M. in in International Business Regulation, Litigation and Arbitration with a particular focus on international commercial and investment arbitration.
Precious Okedele
Nigeria
Precious obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree with First Class Honours from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, in 2018. She was a recipient of the University’s award for first class graduates.
She proceeded to obtain a B.L from the Nigerian Law School in 2019, graduating Summa Cum Laude in the class of over 5,000 students. After her admission to the Nigerian bar in 2019, Precious joined a leading full-service law firm in Lagos, Nigeria as an Associate where she advised on several corporate and commercial transactions ranging from project finance to corporate investments, debt restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance and tax. She represented both individual and corporate clients in complex commercial transactions before superior courts of record in Nigeria. Precious was seconded to Resort Savings and Loans Plc, Lagos as an in-house legal counsel where she provided legal support to the public quoted company on its debt restructuring and investment deals across Africa.
She thereafter joined KingMakers, a multinational gaming company with its Central office in London, UK, as its in-house Legal and Compliance Officer, where she handled the vast compliance obligations of the company. She was responsible for the AML/CFT, data protection compliance, and provision of internal legal advisory to the organization.
As a Hauser Global Scholar, Precious will be pursuing the LLM Program in Corporation Law at New York University.
Stefan Schäferling
Germany
Stefan studied law at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany) and at the University of Edinburgh. He was a member of the team that represented LMU Munich at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court in Vienna and Hongkong in 2011/12. Stefan received various recognitions for his scholarship, including by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes), both for his first law degree and later for his doctoral studies. He graduated in 2016 among the top 2% in the State of Bavaria and went on to pursue his practical legal training, working – among other positions – in the arbitration department of an international law firm and as a Junior Legal Advisor at the German Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.
He passed the Second State Exam in 2018 in the top 3% in the State of Bavaria, after which he returned to LMU Munich to work as a research and teaching assistant to Professor Dr. Christian Walter at the Institute for International Law and to pursue a doctoral degree. His dissertation examines the human rights challenges of governmental automated decision-making.
As a research assistant, Stefan taught courses in public international law and European Union law, contributed to various publications in the fields of German constitutional law and international law, worked on advising the German Government in international legal matters, and acted as junior counsel drafting submissions in proceedings before the Federal Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights. He has published articles in German and international journals in the fields of constitutional law and public international law with a focus on human rights law.
As a Hauser Global Scholar at NYU, Stefan will pursue an LL.M. in International Legal Studies.