Paola Severino is President of the Luiss School of Law and Professor emeritus of Criminal Law at Luiss Guido Carli University, having formerly served as Vice President, Rector and Deputy Rector of Luiss University. She is also member of the Board of Directors of Luiss University and President of the Research Center “Law and Governance: Compliance, Security and Sustainability”.

From 1998, she was Full Professor of Criminal Law at Luiss, holding the Chair of Criminal Law at the Department of Law at the University. Since 2018, she also holds the Chair of Cybersecurity.

She is Professor of Criminal Law at the “Scuola Ufficiali Carabinieri” in Rome.

Since September 2021 she is President of the National School of Public Administration (SNA).

Since April 2025, she is Counsellor of the Council of the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. She was also appointed Co-President of the Scientific Committee and National Citizens’ Representative for Italy at the Conference on the Future of Europe.

She was awarded the title of Cavaliere di Gran Croce and of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. She received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree from the University of Glasgow and a PhD Honoris Causa in “Scienze delle Pubbliche Amministrazioni” from the University of Messina.

She was appointed by Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and by the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron as a member of the working group in charge of drafting what is commonly referred to as the “Quirinale Treaty”.

She was Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Corruption, Italy’s Minister of Justice in the Cabinet led by Mario Monti and Vice President of the Council of the Military Judiciary.

She participates as a speaker in numerous national and international conferences on criminal law, business criminal law, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

As a criminal lawyer admitted to practice before the Court of Cassation, she provides legal advice and defense in the field of Business Criminal Law.