All You Need to Know About Doug Emhoff
Uncover in-depth perspectives surrounding All You Need to Know About Doug Emhoff in this special report.
Emhoff began his career as an entertainment lawyer with Pillsbury Winthrop’s litigation practice. He then joined the boutique company Belin Rawlings & Badal in the late 1990s. Emhoff founded his own firm with Ben Whitwell in 2000; six years later, it was purchased by the firm Venable, and Emhoff became managing director of Venable’s West Coast locations.
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His clientele at the time included Merck, Walmart, and Taco Bell. Emhoff’s greatest case was representing an advertising firm in a lawsuit over the Taco Bell chihuahua, which the firm claimed to have invented. Ultimately, Emhoff won the case for his client, requiring the fast-food giant to pay $42 million in damages.
Emhoff joined the worldwide law firm DLA Piper in 2017 as a partner, working in its offices in California and Washington, DC. He later took a leave of absence once it was revealed that his wife, Kamala Harris, would be Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020. After Biden and Harris won the election, Emhoff left DLA Piper permanently to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
Emhoff’s wife, Kamala Harris, was a Democratic presidential candidate before dropping out in late 2019, and was officially named as Joe Biden’s running mate in August 2020. Emhoff became only the third man in American history to be the husband of a major party’s vice presidential nominee, joining John Zaccaro and Todd Palin.
Emhoff became the first-ever second gentleman of the United States after Biden and Harris were elected and subsequently inaugurated. In addition, he is the first Jewish husband of a US vice president. As a result, he helped celebrate Passover at the White House and placed a Mezuzah on the front door of the vice presidential residence.
As the second gentleman, Emhoff has used his legal training to argue for equitable access to legal representation. He has attended pro bono clinics, organized legal assistance seminars, and met with legal aid providers and clients. Emhoff has also gone around the country to speak with healthcare providers, parents, caregivers, business owners, community leaders, and others. He visited various immunization clinics in churches, schools, and health centers to promote COVID-19 prevention.
Emhoff accepted a distinguished visiting professorship at Georgetown University Law Center in March 2021, while serving as second gentleman. He started teaching a course about legal problems in the entertainment sector.