Taft is pleased to announce today that former partner Sohan Dasgupta, Ph.D., has been appointed the new Assistant Secretary for Trade and Economic Security at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Trump Administration.

In this role, Dasgupta will oversee a range of trade and economic security policy issues that protect the country’s commerce on the global stage. His office plays a leading role in matters regarding Foreign Investment Risk Management (FIRM) and supply chain decisional matrices, in coordination with the White House and other agencies. These equities include the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), Team Telecom, and the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF).

“I’m forever grateful for the platform at Taft, helping create new opportunities for the firm while advising clients on key international trade and foreign investment issues, and high-profile appellate matters,” said Dasgupta.

“Sohan was a key member of our Washington, D.C. Office. We will miss his professionalism and expertise in complex matters, but are proud that he is now serving our great nation,” said Taft’s Chairman and Managing Partner Robert J. Hicks

While at Taft, Dasgupta focused his practice on representing clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, federal and state appellate and trial courts, government agencies, state legislatures, and Congress. In addition to arguing cases before multiple U.S. Courts of Appeals, his experience included investigations and regulatory compliance, international arbitration, foreign investment, and navigating the CFIUS review process.

Before Taft, Dasgupta previously served as the Deputy General Counsel at DHS and as Special Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). In these positions, he played a prominent leadership role in numerous consequential matters involving international trade (export controls, sanctions, customs compliance, CFIUS, Team Telecom, and supply chain), national security, intelligence, and domestic policy.

With its 135-year legacy rooted in the historic Taft family that gave the country a U.S. President, Senator, and Supreme Court Chief Justice, today Taft is one of the nation’s fastest growing law firms. Taft’s Washington, D.C. office is the Beltway home for members of the firm’s bipartisan Public Affairs Strategies Group, Litigation, including Compliance, Investigations, and White Collar Defense attorneys, Government Contracts, and Intellectual Property groups.

About Taft

As a modern law firm with a non-headquarter operating model, Taft is fully committed to delivering the highest level of service to today’s organizations and individuals. The legal performance of Taft attorneys is recognized nationally, with inclusion in the Am Law 100, Chambers USA, Best Lawyers®, Super Lawyers, and more.