Cairo University Graduate is The First Recipient of AUC Mostafa El Baradei Law Fellowship

November 26, 2014, Cairo – Cairo University Law School graduate Farida Ibraheem, has become the first recipient of the Mostafa El Baradei Fellowship in International and Comparative Law (LLM), The American University in Cairo (AUC). Ibraheem received her bachelor’s degree and first master’s degree in law in 2008 and 2010 respectively from Cairo University. “I am proud that I won the Mostafa El Baradei Fellowship, named for the famous president of the Egyptian Bar Association who had always believed in the critical role of lawyers and the legal profession in shaping a just society,” said Ibraheem. “Sharing the same belief with the distinguished Egyptian lawyer — who was also an ex-judge — I believe that an effective legal and judicial system is a central pillar of rule of law and a key component of long term development. Change and development can only happen by reinforcing the rule of law and introducing law and development in Egyptian public law schools. “Acknowledging the value of law as an effective instrument for economic development, Ibraheem sought to obtain her second master’s degree in law from AUC to explore the intersection of law and development, a subject area that is not taught at public law schools in Egypt, according to Ibraheem. Since 2012, she has been working as a public prosecutor in the Administrative Public Prosecution Authority, a judicial body responsible of investigating public officials and civil servants indicted in corruption felonies and reporting them to the Disciplinary Court. Her goal after completing her master’s degree at AUC is to continue to strengthen her knowledge of law by pursuing a PhD. “I want to research the key questions that need to be asked in relation to the position of developing states, such as human rights, rule of law and development realization on the basis of understanding of socioeconomic grounds of law.” As the first recipient of the Mostafa El Baradei LLM Fellowship, Ibraheem takes both pride and responsibility in this distinct opportunity. “Through this fellowship, I am taking the first step in the right direction as a young woman having the opportunity to take on a leadership role and contribute to the future development of Egypt,” she said.  According to Ibraheem, one of the top privileges you get as an AUC student is the variety of its campus and student activities, most of which are organized by the students and for the students, to address a wide variety of social, political, and economic issues affecting the community. Another feature that Ibraheem noticed as she walked through the doors of the AUC campus is its cultural diversity. In terms of academic excellence, Ibraheem believes that AUC has an excellent reputation as one of the region’s leading centers of innovative teaching and research that provides education at the highest academic level with diversified curriculum and multinational academic staff. “As an AUCian, I am aware that I am a student of one of the region’s leading and distinguished universities that has been educating the region’s leaders since 1919 and continues to attract students from around the world.” Named in memory of the late Ibrahim Shihata, general counsel and senior vice president of the World Bank, AUC's LLM program in comparative and international law is the first of its kind in the Arab world to offer American-style legal education. The program is intended for law school graduates who seek the necessary legal skills to contribute effectively in a global economy and to develop the critical capacities necessary to engage in public policy debates over law and development. In addition to the already existing Dr. Nabil Elaraby LLM Endowed Fellowship, AUC’s LLM program established two new fellowship programs in 2014 with the generosity of El Baradei Foundation and Zaki Hashem and Partners.