Biden appoints two tristate Indian-Americans to Office of White House Counsels in incoming administration

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The transition office of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris announced a slew of new appointees to the Office of White House Counsel in the incoming administration that comes into office Jan. 20, 2021. Among them are two Indian-Americans, New York native Neha Gupta and Reema Shah as Associate Counsels.

“These experienced and accomplished individuals have a wide range of knowledge from various fields and will be ready to get to work on day one,” said the press release from the transition office.

Gupta is already serving as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel for the Biden-Harris Transition.

Prior to that, Gupta served as a Deputy City Attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, where she was general counsel to several city agencies, litigated constitutional and statutory challenges to city laws and administrative decisions, and participated in the office’s affirmative public protection advocacy.

Previously, Gupta clerked for Judge Michael Daly Hawkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Richard Seeborg of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

She is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School.

Shah served on the debate preparation team for President-elect Biden on the Biden-Harris Campaign.

Prior to that, she was an associate at Latham & Watkins and a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General at the Department of Justice.

Shah served as a law clerk to Justice Elena Kagan on the U.S. Supreme Court and Indian-American Judge Sri Srinivasan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Originally from New Jersey, Shah is a graduate of Harvard College, Cambridge University, and Yale Law School. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband.

Both Gupta and Shah as well as the other candidates announced Jan. 11, will work under the direction of White House Counsel Dana Remus.

“This qualified and crisis-tested legal team will ensure that this administration is accountable and always operates in service of the American people,” Biden is quoted saying in the press release.