Miriam González Durántez
Encyclopedia
Miriam González Durántez (born 10 May 1968) is a forthcoming partner of international legal practice Dechert and the wife of Liberal Democrat
Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
, Rt Hon Nick Clegg
MP
. She was born in Olmedo
, Spain
, and now lives and works in Britain with her husband and their three children.
, in the Spanish province of Valladolid. Her father, José Antonio González Caviedes
, was also Mayor
of Olmedo and served as a Senator for Valladolid from 1989 until his death in 1996. She studied law at the University of Valladolid
and then won a postgraduate scholarship to the College of Europe
in Bruges
, Belgium. She met Nick Clegg
in Bruges
, and continued to work there.
to both the European Union
and the British Government, González Durántez is now a forthcoming partner
of Dechert. Prior to that, she was a partner of DLA Piper
where she worked as the head of EU Trade.
She is considered an expert on EU Law and co-authored the book Regulatory Aspects of the WTO Telecoms Agreements.
Since 2009 she has been a Vice-President of Canning House in London (the home of the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Council).
On 8 June 2010 the Board of Directors of Acciona
, S.A., the Spanish renewable energy infrastructure projects and water management conglomerate, announced its intention to table the appointment of Miriam González Durántez as a non-executive Director at its forthcoming AGM to be held on 10 June 2010.
alike expressed concern, including European Parliament
Foreign Affairs Committee member Richard Howitt.
before they decided to marry. They married in 2000 and have three sons. She insisted on Spanish names if they were to have the family name "Clegg". She is a Roman Catholic, and together with her husband they agreed that their children will be raised as such, though her husband has said he does not believe in God
.
became increasingly involved in the media and 2010 United Kingdom general election campaigns, the spotlight turned to Miriam González. González publicly said that she would be "willing to help" with the campaign but, unlike Samantha Cameron, she would be unable to take time off from work and her family life to take part, although linguistic barriers seem also to have influenced this decision. Asked by a Spanish newspaper whether she would quit her job, González said, "If Nick were Prime Minister and I had to give up my job to support the country, I would have no problem in doing so."
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a senior member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not a permanent position, existing only at the discretion of the Prime Minister, who may appoint to other offices...
, Rt Hon Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
MP
MP
MP or mp may refer to:*Machine pistol*Malayo-Polynesian languages*Manu propria, a Latin expression for with one's own hand*Martinair IATA airline designator or reservation code*Maximum parsimony, a term used in statistical analyses...
. She was born in Olmedo
Olmedo, Spain
Olmedo is a municipality in the province of Valladolid, Spain.-Transport:Olmedo is on the N-601 road ....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and now lives and works in Britain with her husband and their three children.
Early life
Miriam González Durántez was born to two teachers in OlmedoOlmedo, Spain
Olmedo is a municipality in the province of Valladolid, Spain.-Transport:Olmedo is on the N-601 road ....
, in the Spanish province of Valladolid. Her father, José Antonio González Caviedes
José Antonio Gonzàlez Caviedes
José Antonio González Caviedes was a Spanish politician, who served as Partido Popular senator for Valladolid from 1989 until his death in 1996....
, was also Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Olmedo and served as a Senator for Valladolid from 1989 until his death in 1996. She studied law at the University of Valladolid
University of Valladolid
The University of Valladolid is a public university in the city of Valladolid, province of Valladolid, in the autonomous region of Castile-Leon, Spain...
and then won a postgraduate scholarship to the College of Europe
College of Europe
The College of Europe is an independent university institute of postgraduate European studies with the main campus in Bruges, Belgium...
in Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, Belgium. She met Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
in Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, and continued to work there.
Career
Having previously worked as an advisor on trade law, economic relations and the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
to both the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and the British Government, González Durántez is now a forthcoming partner
Partner
A partner is:*A friend who shares a common interest or participates in achieving a common goal*A Significant other in an intimate relationship*A member of a partnership*A business partner...
of Dechert. Prior to that, she was a partner of DLA Piper
DLA Piper
DLA Piper is a global law firm with 76 offices across 30 countries and more than 4,200 lawyers. As of May 2011, it was the largest law firm in the world by number of attorneys. The firm's global revenues were $1.92 billion in 2009-2010. The firm is composed of two partnerships, DLA Piper...
where she worked as the head of EU Trade.
She is considered an expert on EU Law and co-authored the book Regulatory Aspects of the WTO Telecoms Agreements.
Since 2009 she has been a Vice-President of Canning House in London (the home of the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Council).
On 8 June 2010 the Board of Directors of Acciona
Acciona
Acciona, S.A., is a Spanish conglomerate group dedicated to civil engineering, construction and infrastructure.The company was founded in 1997 through the merger of Entrecanales y Tavora and Cubiertas y MZOV. The company's headquarters is in Alcobendas, Community of Madrid, Spain. The company's U.S...
, S.A., the Spanish renewable energy infrastructure projects and water management conglomerate, announced its intention to table the appointment of Miriam González Durántez as a non-executive Director at its forthcoming AGM to be held on 10 June 2010.
Libyan controversy
In February 2011, controversy arose surrounding DLA Piper's lobbying efforts on behalf of the Libyan government. Liberal Democrats and LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
alike expressed concern, including European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
Foreign Affairs Committee member Richard Howitt.
Personal life
González Durántez dated Clegg for several years in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
before they decided to marry. They married in 2000 and have three sons. She insisted on Spanish names if they were to have the family name "Clegg". She is a Roman Catholic, and together with her husband they agreed that their children will be raised as such, though her husband has said he does not believe in God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
2010 UK General Election campaign
When Sarah Brown and Samantha CameronSamantha Cameron
Samantha Gwendoline Cameron , often known simply as "Sam Cam", is a British business executive and wife of David Cameron, the current Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom....
became increasingly involved in the media and 2010 United Kingdom general election campaigns, the spotlight turned to Miriam González. González publicly said that she would be "willing to help" with the campaign but, unlike Samantha Cameron, she would be unable to take time off from work and her family life to take part, although linguistic barriers seem also to have influenced this decision. Asked by a Spanish newspaper whether she would quit her job, González said, "If Nick were Prime Minister and I had to give up my job to support the country, I would have no problem in doing so."