Solving problems

Emily Waltz loves the thrill of mastering tax law puzzles

Emily Waltz’s phone is full of puzzle apps. She loves the thrill of solving a problem, the satisfaction of figuring out the correct answer. So, it makes sense that when she started law school, she was quickly drawn into the world of tax law. “I think of tax law like a puzzle,” she says. “When you figure it out, it’s like, ‘Yes! I did it!’”

Waltz will graduate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law—with her certificate in tax law—in May. She already has a job lined up as a tax group associate with Chicago law firm Winston & Strawn. Through her law school experience, she’s learned an important lesson: You can pursue a legal career while still prioritizing kindness and compassion.

Waltz grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and went to undergrad in New Orleans. When she visited Chicago, she felt right at home. “Chicago reminds me a lot of the South,” she says. “People say hello on the street.” She found that same welcoming energy at Loyola. Stories of other law schools’ cutthroat atmospheres intimidated her. She loved Loyola’s focus on collaboration instead of competition.

At Loyola, Waltz found her community. She served on the executive board of the Women’s Law Society and competed on the Willem C. Vis International Moot team. Her classes and extracurricular activities taught her the importance of leaning on her peers—and showed that her Southern friendliness could vibe with her future legal work.

“I think of tax law like a puzzle. When you figure it out, it’s like, ‘Yes! I did it!’”

When she took a federal income tax course at Loyola, the work clicked with her brain. Waltz began working with a property tax appeals firm after her first year, which connected her to Winston & Strawn for an informal meeting. “I’m always impressed when people with very little time can still take the time to talk with someone, and do it in a way that doesn’t feel rushed,” she says. “It felt like a perfect fit.” In summer 2022, she’ll join the firm to help with mergers and acquisitions, trust and estate cases, and transactional groups.

She’s ready for the challenge. “Going into my career,” she says, “I want to keep carrying the idea that you can be a good, kind, caring person and still do really well.” –Megan Kirby (March 2022)