Milena Apostolaki

Milena Apostolaki was born in Athens and hails from Crete. She attended Arsakeio of Psychiko, where she was active in the student movement in the early 1980s. She is a graduate of the Law School of the University of Athens and is fluent in English and French. She is a member of the Athens Bar Association and was active in the Association of Trainee and Young Lawyers. She worked as a lawyer and, in 1989, after passing exams, joined the Legal Service of Olympic Airways while also practicing law. She worked at one of the largest law firms in Washington D.C. (Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson), focusing exclusively on international contracts and aviation law, gaining expertise in this field. In 1993, she joined the Legal Office of Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, where she served until 1995. During this time, she worked on a series of bills and was primarily involved in contracts for major projects (Spata Airport, Rio-Antirrio Bridge, etc.), serving as Secretary of the Major Projects Committee, the competent inter-ministerial coordinating body. From 1995 to March 2000, she held the position of Special Associate to Minister of Development Evangelos Venizelos. She is a member of the Organizational Policy Sector of PASOK, focusing on the Prefectural Committees of Athens B. In the elections of April 9, she was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Athens B Electoral District. She was re-elected in the elections of 2004, 2007, and 2009. She served as Deputy Minister of Development from April 2000 to October 2001 and Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food from September 2010 to June 2011. In November 2011, she disagreed with the announcement of a referendum and became independent. In 2012, she returned to practicing law. She writes for print and online newspapers.