Student Aurora Dell’Elce Bueno receives the IE White & Case End of Degree Prize for her exceptional research paper that explores EU unfair commercial practices, specifically the individual remedies that EU law provides to consumers, and how it affects private law regimes at Member State level.
Eight years ago, White & Case, one of the world’s top law firms, and IE University, signed an agreement to create the first “IE White & Case End of Degree Prize”, a result of a joint commitment of both institutions to foster talent and a culture of excellence among law students, who will be leading the legal counsel sector in the near future. The winner receives a scholarship funded jointly by the IE Foundation and White & Case to study a postgraduate program, in this case, Aurora is continuing her journey at IE and pursuing the Double Masters in Abogacía and Asesoría Jurídica de Empresas Bilingüe (LL.M.)
This year the winner of the White & Case prize is Aurora Dell’Elce Bueno, graduated student of the Dual Degree in Laws and International Relations, who presented an exceptional research thesis entitled ‘EU unfair commercial practices: Implications of Article 11a Directive (EU) 2019/2161 on private law regimes in light of the contra legem limitation.’
We are proud and congratulate student Aurora Dell’Elce Bueno for sharing the results of her thorough work and her innovative approach to law and technology.
Why did you decide to study law?
During my senior years of high school, I was a member of the European Youth Parliament. The projects we worked on allowed us to present our findings to the Parliament in Luxembourg. This is one of the reasons why I had initially decided to study International Relations as it was a logical extension of my initial interest for the political world; but I was immediately drawn to the dual degree curricula that IE offered, particularly the comparative LLB.
I decided to add it, as I knew it would give me a solid understanding of the institutional and legal framework in which states operate. So, my initial reason for studying law came from an indirect interest in how our societies and business’ function.
What do you highlight from the five-year experience in the LLB at IE University? Did you get involved in extracurricular activities?
Throughout this dual degree, I have been fortunate to have incredible professors in all subjects. Studying at IE has also allowed me to be surrounded by students from whom I continue to learn every day. I would say that the combination of the two made the experience all the more memorable.
Outside of class, IE provided us with the tools and opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities of all kinds. I co-founded the Madrid branch of the consulting company 180 Degrees Consulting, which aims to provide consultancy services to NGOs in Segovia and Madrid. I am especially happy that the club is still going strong today.
What are your hobbies?
Sport has always been very present, very important in my family, so from a very young age I have been swimming, cycling, and hiking. I also enjoy reading and playing piano.
What was your final project about?
The subject of my thesis was on EU unfair commercial practices, specifically the individual remedies that EU law provides to consumers, and how it affects private law regimes at Member State level.
The project undertook a comparative study of the legal frameworks in France and Germany and explored the extent to which they provide an adequate structure of individual EU consumer remedies, concluding that both systems are not in line with EU law. Once this analysis was completed, an assessment was made on the implications for the role of national judges.
Given the increasing role of the European legislator in the harmonization of private law and remedial actions, it has become all the more important to analyze the consequences at Member State level and to demonstrate the difficulties involved.
What are your plans after graduation? What areas of law are you interested in?
Having graduated last July, I started the Doble Máster en Abogacía y Asesoría Jurídica de Empresas Bilingüe (LL.M) in September, and I am very much enjoying it. My interests are still in the banking sector and EU law.