A London law firm confirmed on Monday the big news that had swirled all weekend — that two-time Oscar-winner and serial dater George Clooney is engaged to Amal Alamuddin.
"The barristers and staff of Doughty Street Chambers offer their best wishes and congratulations to Ms. Amal Alamuddin, a member of Chambers, and Mr. George Clooney on their engagement to be married," the firm said in a statement, reported by Reuters.
Clooney, 52, and Alamuddin, 36, have been reported as dating since last October, but have not issued any personal confirmation of the engagement; over the weekend when asked about the speculation, Clooney's rep declined to comment.
But who is this woman Clooney is ready to take a trip down the aisle with long after having sworn off marriage? (The actor was married to Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993, and told Barbara Walters in 1995 that he wouldn't wed again "because I wasn't very good at it.")
Alamuddin is Oxford-educated, with a New York University of Law degree, and speaks Arabic and French fluently, according to Chambers' website (which crashed after the news was made public). As NBC's Keir Simmons reported on TODAY Monday, she once clerked for current Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor; has advised on high-level international issues relating to Syria and Ukraine; and represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in extradition proceedings. She joined Chambers in 2010, and earned headlines of her own last year when she led an online "hot list" of British female barristers.
Robin Jackson, the chief executive of her law firm, also issued personal congratulations, Reuters reported. "She brings a bright light to everything she is involved in, and I am so delighted at her happy news," he said.
Following Simmons' report, TODAY anchors joked that all of Alamuddin's achievements might get a little lost in the big news. But Savannah Guthrie noted the actor's attraction likely had something to do with her being "an incredibly impressive and brilliant lawyer," adding, "Law school, Oxford, Supreme Court — all just preamble to landing Clooney."
True enough. But that last one is a pretty unique achievement in and of itself. Congratulations to the couple!