Doug Emhoff will be joining the Georgetown Law faculty this January. The husband of Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris—meaning the future second gentleman—will be a “Distinguished Visitor from Practice” at Georgetown University Law Center, and a distinguished fellow of the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy.
The veteran entertainment litigator will be teach a two-credit course on entertainment law disputes this spring. Emhoff’s most recent gig was as a partner at DLA Piper — a position he will permanently give up prior to inauguration day.
In a statement, Emhoff said he’s “long wanted to teach and serve the next generation of young lawyers,” and Georgetown Law Dean William M. Treanor said he’s “delighted” to have Emhoff join the faculty. “Doug is one of the nation’s leading intellectual property and business litigators, and he has a strong commitment to social justice,” Treanor said. “I know our students will greatly benefit from his experience and insight, and I am eagerly looking forward to his arrival.”
First Lady-Elect Jill Biden will also keep her day job—teaching at Northern Virginia Community College— during her husband’s time in office. Both Biden and Emhoff are expected to conduct typical presidential spousal duties on top of their jobs. For his part, Emhoff has previously said he wants to focus on issues involving access to justice, and also food insecurity.
Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.
