GW Law congratulates Antonina Mangiola, JD ’21, and Ariel Overton, JD ’20, who have been selected as stagiaires for the Court of Justice of the European Union (2021-2022) through the Dean Acheson Legal Stage Program.
Designed to foster mutual understanding between the United States and the European Union in the area of law, the program is organized through the United States Embassy in Luxembourg and offers graduates of U.S. law schools the opportunity to intern for a Judge at the Court of Justice, with an Advocate General of the Court of Justice or with a Judge of the General Court.
Both Ms. Mangiola and Ms. Overton were nominated through the International and Comparative Law program at GW Law. “We are honored that two of our graduates have been selected for the program. They are very talented and accomplished law graduates, and we are proud that they will be contributing to the tradition of EU-US relations,” said Professor Francesca Bignami, Leroy Sorenson Merrifield Research Professor of Law. Professor Bignami was formerly a stagiaire in the Dean Acheson program.
“Founded in 1952, the Court of Justice of the European Union is one of the world's oldest supranational tribunals. Both then and now, it has played an essential role in establishing peace, democracy, and the rule of law in Europe and beyond,” said Professor Bignami. “The Dean Acheson program, named after the US Secretary of State who was instrumental to the drafting of the EU's very first treaty, is a testament to the vitality of the EU-US relationship.”
For Ms. Mangiola, the experience will prove uniquely rewarding. “I am grateful and honored to be given the opportunity to clerk for the General Court of the European Union. After studying International and Comparative Law, this opportunity will give me unique insight into the civil law system within the context of the European Union,” said Ms. Mangiola. “I look forward to witnessing the application and enforcement of E.U. Law, while also understanding its functionality as both a supranational and intergovernmental institution.”
Antonina Mangiola, JD ’21
Ariel Overton, JD '20
Ms. Overton, who thanks her family, friends, and faculty for their support, feels excited for the next step in her professional journey. “I am so incredibly excited and honored to have been selected to work at the General Court of the European Union,” said Ms. Overton. “I never imagined that I would have this amazing opportunity to work for one of Europe’s highest courts so soon after graduating from law school. I cannot wait to see what I will learn from the astute legal minds of the Court.”
“Our program is so proud of Antonina and Ariel and this great accomplishment. We are grateful to the European Court of Justice for giving our JD the opportunity to obtain this invaluable exposure to the workings of the Court,” said Rosa Celorio, Associate Dean for International and Comparative Legal Studies and Burnett Family Professorial Lecturer in International and Comparative Law and Policy.
About the Dean Acheson Legal Stage Program
The three categories of the program include:
1) With a Judge of the Court of Justice: The Dean Acheson stagiaire works in the Chambers of a Judge of the Court of Justice in association with his or her referendaires (law clerks).
2) With an Advocate General of the Court of Justice: The Dean Acheson stagiaire works in the Chambers of an Advocate General of the Court of Justice in association with his or her referendaires.
3) With a Judge of the General Court: The Dean Acheson stagiaire works in the Chambers of a Judge of the General Court in association with his or her referendaires.