Aurora Pinelli [she/her]
FRANCE | Legal/Justice
Aurora Pinelli holds a double degree in European Social and Political Studies from Sciences Po Paris and University College London. She is currently completing a joint law degree between Columbia Law School, Sciences Po Paris, and Université Paris-Sorbonne, specializing in transnational crime, war crimes, and international law.
Originally from Sicily, Aurora was shaped by a region marked by migration flows, systemic inequalities, and the legacy of organized crime. These early experiences instilled in her a deep commitment to justice, equality, and the rule of law.
She co-founded the Next Chapter Project under the United Nations Millennium Fellowship Class of 2021, fostering intercultural dialogue between migrants, refugees, and local communities in Palermo and London. She later worked on transitional justice, conflict-related sexual violence, and genocide prevention at the Post-Conflict Research Center in Sarajevo. Her undergraduate thesis on “Genocide Denial and Justifications of Free Speech Restrictions” was awarded and published by the Global Undergraduate Awards in 2022.
Aurora gained legal experience in white-collar crime at A&O Shearman, where she was awarded the firm’s Excellence Scholarship for Equal Opportunities. The scholarship supported her legal studies and the founding of Legal Change, an NGO promoting equity in the legal profession. At Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute, she contributed to the Clooney Foundation’s TrialWatch project and conducted research on sexual violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar.
She is currently interning at WJ Avocats, a boutique firm specializing in international sanctions, INTERPOL matters, and cross-border criminal litigation.
Aurora represented Italy at the Fora Global Summit in Toronto and contributed recommendations at the Commission on the Status of Women in 2023. In 2025, she returned as a youth delegate to CSW69 at the UN in New York.
A strong advocate for justice through an intersectional lens, Aurora aspires to become an international lawyer advancing global justice.
This bio is updated as of May 2025.