Emily Ott always envisioned going after her J.D. But after she earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy, she found herself immersed in politics and government work. Her early career years took her from Congressional offices to a lobbying firm on Capitol Hill to Illinois’s largest regulatory agency.
“I planned to spend a couple of years in the workforce before going to law school, but I ended up creating a career that I really enjoyed,” she said. “And then I had my daughter when I was 27 — life just kept happening.”
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
As the world paused, Ott looked at her 2-year-old daughter and decided there was no better time to start studying for the LSAT.
After applying to 30 law schools across the country, she chose University of Wisconsin Law School, a choice influenced by her boss at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Bryan Schneider ’92, who spoke highly of his alma mater.
“What really cemented my decision was the financial package that UW Law afforded me,” said Ott, who is now a 3L. “I received a lot of assistance that makes it possible for me to go here. I am so grateful to our alumni donors and to anyone who gives to the school. I definitely do not take it for granted.”
Ott had other vital support as she pursued her dream. Her parents even relocated from Illinois to the Madison area to help with her daughter.
“I have so much gratitude for my parents,” she said. “I have excellent support from my family.”
Because of Ott’s time in the workforce, she knew she wanted to tailor her academic experience to her interest in business law.
“What I love about corporate — and tax — law is that it allows you to intellectually engage with the actual law,” she said. “I’ve always been a very rules-oriented person. I really enjoy law that is very heavily reliant on statutory interpretation. So, the tax code just makes sense to me.”
Outside of class, Ott is co-president of the University of Wisconsin Business & Tax Law Association, treasurer of the campus chapter of the Federalist Society and treasurer of the St. Thomas More Society. She also works as a research assistant to Professor Yaron Nili, Smith-Rowe Faculty Fellow in Business Law.
“We do both qualitative and quantitative work,” Ott said of her research assistant experience. “Our team assists with the whole life cycle of research, from coding to writing things in narrative form and editing them for final submission to journals, which is my primary focus. That’s been a really great opportunity that I’m incredibly thankful to have had.”
As a parent, Ott couldn’t go just anywhere for a summer experience. Instead, she made the most of her time in Madison by taking extra credits and focusing on her research work. After her first year of law school, she worked for the Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic — a challenging but rewarding experience that affirmed that UW Law was the right place for her.
Being a student parent has also helped her keep the demands of law school in balance.
“I often tell people: Having a child in law school comes with built-in boundaries,” Ott said. “One-hundred percent of my time during my day simply does not belong to me. And that is sometimes an inconvenience, but often it’s something that I really appreciate because I see people who overextend themselves on everything that law school throws at us. I know that when I read to my daughter at night, I will never feel guilty about that as opposed to reading a law book.”
After graduation, Ott plans to practice transactional law and has considered obtaining an LL.M. in tax law after gaining more experience as a practicing attorney.
“Going on to more education is obviously something that I’m not afraid of,” she said. “It always excites me.”
By Nicole Sweeney Etter