Laura DeHaan grew up in Elgin, Illinois, and graduated from Elgin High School's first Gifted and Talented Academy. She played tennis at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, completed Belmont's Honors Program, and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English. She married Paul Haske in 2004 and his love for the law spilled over into her life. Following in his footsteps, she graduated magna cum laude from Hamline University School of Law in 2008. During law school, she served as a managing editor for Hamline's Law Review and took home a third place finish in the National Health Law Moot Court competition.