Simeona Kostova

The prize was awarded by the Centre for Private International Law in memory of the late Professor Fitchen, a renowned scholar in the field.

Ms Kostova said: “I am beyond grateful to have received the first Jonathan Fitchen Private International Law Dissertation prize. It was during our second-year EU Law course that I was first introduced to Professor Fitchen who taught lectures on EU competition law. 

“At the time the lectures were pre-recorded and not in-person, but it was enough for me to enjoy his teaching style; fun and enticing. So much so that when it was time for me to choose my honours courses I opted for private international law with commercial as Professor Fitchen was the main lecturer and course coordinator. Two years later and I dedicated my dissertation to exploring a private international law topic focusing on the doctrine of party autonomy under the Rome I Regulation. 

“More specifically, I examined the parties’ express, implied and non-state choice of applicable law, as well as dépeçage and the limitations imposed onto party autonomy under the regime to make an all-round evaluation of how effective the Regulation is in preserving the doctrine’s prominent role in the conflict of laws. 

“Smart contracts as an extension of party autonomy also took a prominent part of my graduation thesis. Now that I have received this prestigious award for my dissertation, I cannot help but be grateful not only for all the support from the School of Law, my dissertation supervisor Dr Patricia Zivkovic and my family and friends but also Professor Fitchen, who sparked my interest in private international law. This award has both reinforced my passion for private international law and has been a wonderful commemoration of Professor Fitchen’s passion for this subject.”