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Emily Haus is a commercial litigation associate at Foley & Lardner, LLP. She has been involved in several complex litigation and arbitration cases, involving construction disputes and post-closing merger disputes. Emily has also been very involved with pro bono work at her firm and has chosen projects inspired by her work as a Dutko Fellow at the National Partnership For Women & Families. She has been involved with impact litigation with the ACLU for same-sex parental rights and has helped individuals expunge and seal minor offenses from their records in order to obtain employment.
Emily was recently awarded a Distinguished Service Award by Chicago Volunteer Legal Services for her work as a guardian ad litem for four siblings in the middle of a difficult guardianship dispute.
“I think it's best to start the description of my Dutko experience with when I received the news that I had been selected. I knew right then that I had been selected for something very special. As one of the first Dutko fellows, I felt both a sense of excitement and a sense of responsibility. I had been told so much about Dan in the interview process and Deb already felt like family. I knew that this was about more than gaining experience in Washington for a year. This would also be about making my life meaningful and understanding the value of being a good citizen.
I knew that I wanted to work somehow in health care policy, but did not have the traditional political science background or any real knowledge of Washington activities to hone my search. Deb worked with me to find the perfect place, the National Partnership for Women & Families. There, as part of the Health Policy Team, I did everything from attending conferences on Medicare Reform, to researching the state sick leave policies of all 50 states, to attending Congressional hearings on health matters. I had guidance from a mentor within the National Partnership, but felt very autonomous. It felt like a job, which was of immeasurable value. There were periodic lunches and dinners with Deb and members of the Dutko Group checking in, giving us advice, making sure our experiences were living up to our expectations. From my time at the National Partnership and just living in Washington, I became much more conscious of the day-to-day workings of our government and the real impact that decisions made on the Hill have on people’s day-to-day lives. My interest in the process and how to make it better continues. Even more so, my experiences gave me the desire to be an active citizen in all of the communities that have touched my life.
I continue to stay connected to Tufts through the alumni interview program for the admissions committee. At University of Chicago Law School, I served as Vice President of the Law Students Association, was a student liaison for the Admissions Committee, and was a member of the Employment Discrimination Clinic. I serve as a mentor to a first year female associate from University of Chicago Law School and also as an advisee to a new female lawyer at Foley & Lardner. I also am on the Planning Board for the Women Lawyers’ Forum at Foley. Wherever my career path takes me, I will always be looking for a way to make Dan proud. I will not look at my career choices or my life choices the same way after being a Dutko Fellow.”
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