About

Sciences Po, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies, is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. It has a long and illustrious history during which it has educated a number of the foremost thinkers in Europe, possessing one of the finest lists of alumni of any further education institution currently in operation. Marie de Boynes, general counsel, describes Sciences Po as a ‘very unique university’, due to the fact it consists of both ‘a private and public entity’, which in turn provides exceptional challenges for the in-house legal team. She is, however, experienced enough to be able to handle the challenge, having worked at private practice firms Holman Fenwick Willan and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, which allowed her to hone her technical legal skills to a very high degree. de Boynes now oversees a team of eight individuals divided into two teams, ‘one for private issues and one for public matters’. She has drawn on her private practice experience as much as possible during the process of building up the legal team, and has looked to mirror the corporate sense of organisation and precision that law firms deploy. The legal team has supported the Sciences Po’s drive to entice a more diverse student body, with de Boynes explaining that the institution is looking to have ‘a very social orientation, and try to welcome young students from the suburbs’ and other areas as much as possible.