2021-2022 Cohort
ARTALE, Ruggero
Ruggero was born in Palermo, Sicily, but moved to Rome. He studied law at LUISS Guido Carli in Rome where he specialised in business law and economics. During his university path, Ruggero attended a study period at the London School of Economic and Political Science (LSE) and took part of the Erasmus programme for a semester at Leiden University. In addition, during his time at university, he worked in a law firm specialised in criminal law and collaborated with an international Italian firm on commercial law.
The desire to work in an international context and to broaden his knowledge of EU law led Ruggero to apply for the LL.M. in European Law at the Panthéon-Assas University. For the future, Ruggero wants to qualify as a lawyer in Italy and then work in the field of corporate law by considering opportunities in both law firms and European institutions.
ARTY, Kristi
Kristi Arty is a law student from Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor's in Law and Political Science with an Emphasis on Law and Public Policy in 2018. In addition to obtaining her master's in European Law at Paris II, she is also currently a law student at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, where she served as president of Villanova's International Law Society. She worked as a criminal law teaching assistant, a student attorney for refugees, and a law clerk for a business immigration firm. She recently co-authored a book chapter that assesses the current state of criminal law sentencing in the United States. Kristi is passionate about human rights, international law, and the French language which is why she decided to pursue a master's at Panthéon-Assas University.
BENGAL, Kacey
Kacey Bengel is a dual-degree student at Indiana University Maurer School of Law and Panthéon-Assas University. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from Michigan State University. Prior to attending the LL.M. program, Kacey worked at the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Warsaw, Poland, and the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services, Investigations Division at the New York Headquarters. In addition to her current studies, Kacey is serving as an Article Editor on the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies and interning with Lex Justi in Brussels, Belgium, where she is analysing corporate obligations to fulfill human rights protections in the context of international human rights law. Her interests are in the field of immigration, refugee, and asylum law, and she hopes to work with an NGO following graduation.
CAMERON, Heather
Heather Cameron is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada who lives in New York City. She is a 2022 JD/LL.M candidate at Fordham University School of Law and Panthéon-Assas University. Heather earned a BA in philosophy with a minor in linguistics from the University of Maryland, College Park, and prior to law school, worked as a Visual Merchandising Manager for a women’s lifestyle brand.
In 2020, Heather worked as a legal intern at the International Center for Conflict Prevention and Resolution where she published several articles following arbitration cases before the United States Supreme Court. She also worked as a researcher in the Leitner Center of International Law and Justice’s International Human Rights Clinic, where she helped, in partnership with UN Women, to draft and edit a domestic violence resource guide for the Kuwaiti government. Heather was a competitor in the 2021 Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and is an Associate Editor and published member of the Fordham Law Review. Her student note dealt with standards of bias in commercial arbitration.
Before studying European Union Law at Panthéon-Assas, Heather worked as a summer associate in the dispute resolution group at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s New York office where she will return as an associate upon graduating.
CLARK, Debbie
Debbie earned double undergraduate degrees of Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) at Monash University, Australia. Passionate about legal research, she has presented papers at the International Conference of Undergraduate Research, and completed a research placement with TradeLab. She volunteers for a community legal centre and has interned at one of Australia’s major banks. Debbie has previously served on UN Youth Australia’s Board, and National and Victorian State executives. In her aspirations for an international legal career, the LL.M. at Panthéon-Assas University offers her the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of European law and improve her French proficiency.
CODSI, Laurence
Laurence Codsi is a French-Canadian from Montreal, Québec. Prior to attending the LL.M. program, Laurence graduated from the University of Montreal with a civil law degree in 2019, and a Juris Doctor in North American common law the year after. In 2021, Laurence passed the Quebec Bar.
At the University of Montreal, Laurence was awarded with the Quebec Bar’s Participatory Justice Award, as well as the Social Life Contribution Award. She acted as the President of the Access to Justice Committee for two years. She also did a research internship at the Superior Court of Quebec, where she attended trials and conducted legal research for two judges. In 2018, she participated in a summer school in France on the European approach on environmental and societal governance of businesses, at Aix-Marseille Université. This experience motivated Laurence to pursue a master's at Panthéon-Assas University.
Since 2019, Laurence works for the international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, where she will return as an articling student after the program.
De SCHEPPER, Sophie
Sophie De Schepper is from Bruges, Belgium. In 2021, she obtained her law degree from KULeuven University. In the course of her studies, and especially during her masters, she further specialized in private and economic law. She wrote her master seminar in the field of private international law (Consumer protection in international private law) and her master thesis in the field of European competition law (pay for delay and potential competition in the pharmaceutical sector). The writing of her thesis and the research she did in order to complete her thesis enhanced Sophie’s interest in European law even more, reason why she applied for the LL.M. in European law.
In the context of her participation in professional events, organized by ELSA, Sophie also took part in a litigation, hosted by Linklaters Brussels. She obtained a certificate for her participation to this litigation.
Sophie interned with the city of Bruges and with a Belgian real estate company, both in the field of economic and contract law. These internships made clear that knowledge of foreign languages is essential when working as a lawyer or company attorney. This is also the reason why she applied for a LL.M. in Paris, in order to further improve her knowledge of the French language.
ESPONDA, Natasha
Natasha Esponda received her Juris Doctor (J.D) from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2021, shortly after moving to Paris. There she was awarded both the Meskill Fellowship and the William F. Starr fellowship for her dedication to public-interest law. During her time at law school she focused on criminal law, where she worked for the Department of Justice, the State’s Attorneys office, and at a boutique criminal defense firm. Among other things, she has worked as a specialized research assistant focusing on the rise of fascism online in the international community, and as a research assistant for a data driven project regarding probable cause and the fourth amendment. In the last year, she has taken a great interest in critical race theory.
FERRINI, Vincenzo
Vincenzo is originally from Italy and now lives in Rome. He studied Law at the Luiss Guido Carli University of Rome with a major in economic and business Law. As part of his major, Vincenzo attended the Fordham Summer Institut at Fordham Law School, New York. Afterward, he spent six months in Zurich, Switzerland, as an exchange student. In addition to the academic experiences abroad, he worked as an intern in a Law firm in Rome, in the employment area, and in these last months of his degree he collaborated with another law firm for the draft of a stock option plan. The interest, new culture and the experience of studying abroad convinced him to apply for the LL.M. in European Law at Pantheon-Assas University, and his plan is to go back to Italy to take the Bar exam and than to move definitely abroad to work in the field of antitrust and competition law.
LAMUNYON, Scott
Scott Lamunyon is originally from the United States, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Kansas State University. Following his undergraduate studies, he started working toward his Juris Doctorate at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Throughout his education, Scott felt drawn to the international legal field. While in university, Scott spent time living in London, where he studied United Kingdom law and played volleyball for his school. In law school, he furthered his international experience in the legal field through involvement in the Moot Court Honor Society, International Law Society, and extensive work in the world of international human rights. Before beginning at Panthéon-Assas University, Scott developed and presented a thesis on a method to increase global LGBTQ+ acceptance based on international law and economic factors. These experiences and his desire to live and work in Europe motivated Scott to apply to Paris II LL.M. After finishing the program, Scott will receive a joint J.D. and LL.M. in the United States. He then plans to take the U.S. Bar Exam before returning to Europe to practice as a lawyer.
LEE-SANCHEZ, Gabriel
Gabriel Lee-Sanchez is originally from Nicaragua, but is now based in San Francisco, California. Before beginning his legal studies, Gabriel graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Philosophy. Gabriel is currently pursuing dual degrees. Gabriel will complete both his J.D. degree at the University of California, Hastings, and his LL.M. in European Law at the Panthéon-Assas University in 2022. At Hastings, Gabriel acts as an editor for the law school’s flagship journal: the Hastings Law Journal. During his time in Paris, Gabriel works for a legal technology company on contract intelligence. Upon his return to San Francisco, Gabriel will work at a corporate litigation firm in securities, maritime, employment, and business litigation, as well as continuing his work in legal technology and contract intelligence. Gabriel holds multiple citizenships, has lived in multiple continents, and communicates in English, Spanish, and basic French.
LEGGEN, Jana
Jana is originally from Germany and studied Law at the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn, the National Taiwan University in Taipei, and the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. She specialized in International and European Law on Economic Relations and wrote her thesis on Humanitarian Law before graduating in 2020. In 2020 and 2021, she worked as a legal intern in Energy Law at an international law firm. Both her specialization and practical experience working in Energy Law deepened Jana’s interest in European Law. Realizing that a thorough knowledge of European Law is highly beneficial for a lawyer in the EU, she decided to study the LL.M. in European Law at Panthéon-Assas University. Apart from European Law, she is very passionate about Energy and Environmental Law as well as Human Rights. Besides her academic and professional activities, Jana was Vice President of ELSA Bonn, a member of the student group of Amnesty International, and an English teacher for Taiwanese school children. She speaks German, English, French, and Spanish.