Following the opening day of the 2026 Intellectual Property Institute, hosted by the USC Gould School of Law, planning committee members, sponsors and speakers gathered for an intimate dinner at Hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica. The evening featured a conversation between Douglas Emhoff (JD 1990), partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher and former Second Gentleman of the United States, and Tamerlin Godley (JD 1996), Institute Chair, fellow partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher and recent appointee to the USC Board of Councilors.
Emhoff, who spent more than 30 years as a litigator and trusted advisor to companies and leaders across entertainment, media, sports and technology before entering public life, reflected on how his legal background shaped his approach to public service and how that experience has informed his return to practice.
“I approach everything the same way, with the same level of intensity. Whether it’s giving a speech on the world stage or visiting third-graders, it was the same level of preparation and diligence — I treated it all like a client matter or an important hearing,” said Emhoff. “Everything I did as Second Gentleman, I took the same level of seriousness in preparation.”
The conversation focused on artificial intelligence and its implications for the legal profession. Emhoff described himself as a cautious optimist, drawing a parallel between the arrival of early personal computers at the start of his career and the current moment. In both cases, he argued, technology shifted the nature of legal work rather than replacing it.
“We are not in the business of providing information, we are in the business of providing advice,” said Emhoff. “My day used to be spent trying to find information, and now it is spent advising clients and helping our team help clients.”
He encouraged junior lawyers in particular to adopt AI tools quickly and thoughtfully, while noting that the core value lawyers provide — judgment, strategy and counsel — remains unchanged. He noted that client expectations have accelerated alongside the advancement of AI, placing a premium on lawyers who can move with agility.
On the rule of law, Emhoff spoke directly to the responsibilities of attorneys. He pointed to the interagency group he led during the Biden-Harris Administration that coordinated counsel to help Americans navigate courts and government benefits. He called on lawyers to treat their professional skills as a civic resource through pro bono work, support for public interest law firms and engagement with elections at the state level.
Now teaching entertainment law and alternative dispute resolution as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at USC Gould, Emhoff said his years in public service reinforced something he had long believed from practice: that the discipline of thorough preparation, as well as commitment to the rule of law, is among the most transferable skills a lawyer can develop.
“We have power as lawyers,” he said. “We can organize — everyone has a network.”
USC Gould School of Law offers continuing legal education opportunities for professionals who want to learn and network with leading experts in their industries. A fixture of the Los Angeles legal community since 1948, USC Gould Continuing Legal Education hosts six annual conferences for professionals at every level to learn from, and network with, the biggest players in entertainment, estate planning, business, tax and intellectual property. To learn more, visit or subscribe at gould.usc.edu/cle – and follow on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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