Kamala Harris’s Husband Doug Emhoff Takes Leave From Job As High-Profile Hollywood Attorney

Doug Emhoff, the husband of expected Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, has announced a leave of absence from his Los Angeles law firm, DLA Piper, and the many high-profile cases he has handled for some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

As a major attorney at one of the world’s largest law firms, staying on at DLA Piper could potentially present serious conflicts of interest for Emhoff’s wife. Were Harris, 55, to be elected in November, her husband’s work could run the risk of conflicting with government policies.

There is also the risk, according to Washington University legal ethics specialist Kathleen Clark, that clients could attempt to gain influence with Harris by hiring Emhoff.

“What you don’t want is for DLA Piper to become the law firm version of the Trump hotel in D.C., where people go and pay tribute,” Clark told the Washington Post.

The spouses of presidents and vice presidents are not required to disclose any clients with whom they have worked. By contrast, anyone nominated for office must disclose clients who pay upward of $5,000. Don Fox, general counsel and acting director of the Office of Government Ethics under Barack Obama, said the law might be worth reconsidering.

“I’m sure it never occurred to drafters of that law in 1978 that a partner in a major international law firm would be the spouse of a president or vice president,” Fox said. “It is probably worth Congress taking another look.”

Emhoff, 55, received his law degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 1990 and has worked for DLA Piper since 2017. The firm’s website notes Emhoff defended Hollywood production companies in an insurance dispute over a plane accident on a major film shoot, represented a company in a trademark dispute involving a famous animated character and prosecuted a trademark dispute for a “renowned wine brand.”