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Amal Clooney to lecture on human rights law at Columbia University

Amal Clooney arrives at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 11, 2015. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney will join Columbia Law School as a visiting faculty member this spring, the New York-based university said on Friday. Clooney, wife of Hollywood actor George Clooney, will deliver lectures on human rights law during the current spring semester. Amal Clooney, who is based in London, said in a statement that it was "an honour" to teach at the Ivy League institution. "I look forward to getting to know the next generation of human rights advocates studying here," she said. Lebanese-born Clooney, 37, may have shot into the public eye as the partner of George Clooney, whom she married in a lavish Italian ceremony last year, but she has forged a notable career as an international human rights lawyer. She previously served as an adviser to Kofi Annan in his role as a United Nations special adviser for Syria, and she also represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his extradition proceedings. She is currently representing jailed Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy, who was sentenced last year on charges that include spreading lies to help a terrorist organization. (Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Ken Wills)