‘Second gentleman’ to teach
The incoming second gentleman has landed a new job at the Georgetown University Law Center, school officials announced.
Doug Emhoff, husband to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, announced last month he would leave his Los Angeles law firm by Inauguration Day.
Emhoff is probably the first vice-presidential spouse to work at Georgetown Law, said Tanya Weinberg, a school spokeswoman. His appointment — along with incoming first lady Jill Biden's decision to return to teaching — represents a modernization of the roles typically played by first and second spouses.
Emhoff will serve as a distinguished visitor from practice when he joins the faculty in January. He'll bring with him nearly three decades of expertise in intellectual property, entertainment and media law. "I've long wanted to teach and serve the next generation of young lawyers," Emhoff said in a statement. "I couldn't be more excited to join the Georgetown community."
Emhoff, in addition to his official duties as second gentleman, will teach a two-credit course on entertainment law, according to a transition team spokesperson.
William Treanor, dean of the law school, said he was "delighted" to have Emhoff join the staff.
"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."
Lawyer Martin Ginsburg taught at the law school while his wife, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, served on the Supreme Court.
Paul Ohm, associate dean for academic affairs, said Emhoff will be one of a few faculty members specializing in entertainment law.
Ohm, who also serves as a faculty director of the Institute for Technology Law & Policy, called Emhoff a "premier litigator."
Emhoff will join the institute — which focuses on privacy and surveillance issues — and potentially start a speaker series, Ohm said.
"Given his client base, given some of the connections he's had in his career, bringing some of those people to come talk to our community — that would be a wonderful thing," Ohm said.
President-elect Joe Biden's wife, Jill, may be teaching soon as well. She has spent her career as an educator — most recently teaching English at Northern Virginia Community College — and said she will return to the field as first lady.