Hailing from Asunción, Paraguay, Mauricio Marengo Irala has been named the 2023-2024 Young ICCA Scholarship winner.
Upon being selected, Marengo Irala described the Young ICCA Scholarship as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study in the United States, to have the chance of meeting extraordinary colleagues, to learn from outstanding professors that are experts in their practicing field, and the possibility of further immersing myself in the International Arbitration world.”
Before attending Miami Law and pursuing an LL.M. in the White & Case International Arbitration Program, Marengo Irala served as a senior associate at VINCLUM Abogados & Consultores in Paraguay. While at VINCLUM, he advised clients on such matters as alternative dispute resolutions and corporate responsibility and advocated before Paraguayan administrative courts and the Supreme Court of Justice of Paraguay.
“I have always been passionate about solving disputes and serving as a tool to reach agreements,” said Marengo Irala.
Marengo Irala received his bachelor’s degree from National University of Asunción in Paraguay and his master’s degree in international law, Trade, and Arbitration from Universität Heidelberg in Germany, where he was the recipient of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Scholarship.
Marengo Irala serves as an international arbitration law clerk at Squire Patton Boggs, an opportunity made possible thanks to Miami Law.
While learning to navigate a new legal system, Marengo Irala has enjoyed his time at Miami Law. “I am convinced that anything worth pursuing, as a career in international arbitration, will demand the best of me, and I am working toward building what I once dreamed of,” he said. “The excitement of moving toward my goal keeps me motivated, and it’s what I think of at the end of the day: to learn, enjoy, and trust the process.”
Miami Law partnered with the Young International Council for International Arbitration to launch this scholarship, as Young ICCA is a worldwide arbitration knowledge network for young practitioners and students, which aims to promote arbitration by exposing new practitioners from all corners of the globe to the international practice of arbitration.
Previous winners of the Young ICCA Scholarship, who hailed from Bangladesh, Canada, Georgia, India, Italy, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela, have found trainee positions and permanent placements with White & Case in Washington, D.C.; Three Crowns in Washington, D.C.; Hanotiau & van den Berg in Brussels, Belgium; Reed Smith (formerly Astigarraga Davis) in Miami, Florida; the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes in Washington, D.C.; and Bacardi Martini in Miami, Florida.
After completing his LL.M. in International Arbitration, Marengo Irala plans to sit for the New York and Florida Bar. He also hopes to complete an Optional Practical Training Program and continue to work in Miami.
Further down the road, Marengo Irala wants to become a leader within the international arbitration field and mentor other young lawyers from Latin America, serving as an example and helping them through whatever challenges or obstacles they may face. Miami Law is serving a crucial role in equipping Marengo Irala with the necessary skills to achieve his goals.
“If it weren’t for the Young ICCA Scholarship, I would not be in Miami taking giant leaps in my International Arbitration career. I could not be grateful enough for this chance,” said Marengo Irala.
Read more about the White & Case International Arbitration LL.M. Program.
