AMAL RAMZI CLOONEY
G'day folks,
Welcome to some background information on a very talented lawyer, who just happens to be married to George Clooney. George who?
Amal
Ramzi Clooney, born Amal Ramzi Alamuddin, is a Lebanese-British barrister,
human rights activist and philanthropist. A graduate of Oxford University and
New York University School of Law, her long and accomplished career in the
fields of international law and human rights have won her international
acclaim. Her high-profile clients have included several nation-states,
including the country of Armenia in its fight for recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by the Turkish government. Amal Alamuddin became engaged to and
married American actor George Clooney in 2014, instantly becoming a household
name in popular culture. Years before this, though, she was already well-known
and respected in legal circles for consistently representing her clients with
skill and success. The scope of her work ranges from tackling social justice
and human rights issues to representing several multinational corporations in
their negotiations and court actions regarding government regulation. As of
2015, she is a barrister—one type of legal representative in British courts—at
London-based Doughty Street Chambers.
Childhood & Early Life
- Born on February 3, 1978, in Beirut, Lebanon, right in the middle of the deadly Lebanese Civil War, Alamuddin moved to London with her family at age 2.
- Her father, Ramzi Alamuddin, is of Lebanese-Druze descent, and worked as a University professor and as the owner of a travel company. Her mother, Bariaa Alamuddin, is a Sunni Muslim and an internationally recognized journalist.
- Amal was raised in the Sunni Muslim faith. She has three siblings: her sister, Tala, as well as two half-brothers via her father's previous marriage, Samer and Ziad. Her pre-college education came at Dr. Challoner's High School.
Career
- Amal attended Oxford University on an Exhibition Scholarship. She graduated from St. Hugh's College at Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence in 2000.
- She attended New York University School of Law beginning in 2001 and graduated with a Masters in Laws degree.
- During her time at NYU, Alamuddin worked clerkships in both the International Court of Justice and United States Court of Appeals.She carried out one of her clerkships in the offices of Sonia Sotomayor, who is today a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
- Amal worked for 3 years for Sullivan & Cromwell in New York City on cases representing Enron and Arthur Andersen, among others.
- She moved to London in 2010 to begin work as a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers. Different than a lawyer in U.S. courts, a barrister can speak in court on behalf of clients but does not seek out or work with them directly. That role is held by a solicitor, another type of legal representative.
- From 2010 to the present day, Amal has had a strong but controversial presence in international court proceedings, having represented former Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al Senussi in a war crimes trial at the Hague.
- She has served as a special adviser to former U.N. security general Kofi Anaan as well as on several UN human rights investigation and conflict resolution panels.
- Her representation of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his fight against extradition brought her strong recognition in the international law community, even as she had been plagued by controversy earlier in her career.
- Her recent work as of 2015 has been in the field of advocating for the protection of women against physical and sexual violence in conflict zones.
Major Works
- Amal has co-authored the book "The Law and Practice of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon", published in 2013 by the Oxford University Press.
- She has written chapters for several high-profile works on international law, plus countless advisement papers for judges, politicians and corporations from many nations.
Awards & Achievements
- While a student at St. Hugh's College of Oxford, Alamuddin received the prestigious Shrigley Award given for excellence in law studies.
- At NYU, she was presented with the Jack J. Katz Memorial Award, given to the student displaying the highest level of proficiency in the field of entertainment law.
- Amal was appointed special counsel to a United Nations inquiry on counter-terrorism and human rights regarding the use of drones in wartime.
- In 2014, she was offered another position at the UN, this time on a panel investigating war crimes in Gaza. She declined, citing her commitment to her current caseload.
Personal Life & Legacy
- Amal's engagement and subsequent marriage to George Clooney rocked the entertainment media with the news that Clooney, a notorious bachelor, would be settling down.
- The couple's official wedding ceremony took place on September 27, 2014 at Venice, Italy's city hall, though they held a lavish ceremony attended by many celebrities a few days earlier in Venice.
- When not traveling, the Clooneys live in London on a large estate occupying an island along the River Thames. The Clooneys' considerable combined wealth has allowed them the ability to take part in philanthropy work. The issues they share in common include protecting human rights during times of international conflict.
Amal with a famous Aussie lawyer.
Net Worth
- Amal Clooney's personal net worth is unknown, though entertainment news website Zseek estimates it to be around $2 million. Her husband's net worth is reportedly more than $180 million, though the couple do not make public their financial arrangements since their 2014 wedding.
Trivia
- In 2015, an entertainment reporter asked Amal Clooney what designer label she would be wearing to an upcoming event. Her response of "Ede & Ravenscroft" - the centuries-old maker of official robes and garments for British judges and legal professionals - went viral, and spoke volumes about her stance of being much more than just a famous actor's wife.
Clancy's comment: Great talent, eh? Stunning woman. How lucky is George?
I'm ...
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