1. Home
  2. |Professionals
  3. |Sharmistha Das

Sharmistha Das

Partner
Partner
c2Rhc0Bjcm93ZWxsLmNvbQ==
VCard
VCard

Areas of Focus

Overview

Sharmi Das’ experience at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DOJ), the White House, the U.S. Senate, and private practice positions her to guide clients through regulatory challenges, government-facing issues, and scrutiny from Congress and other oversight bodies. Sharmi has handled dozens of congressional inquiries and managed a program that developed hundreds of regulatory actions relating to homeland security matters, including technology, cybersecurity, contracts and grants, intelligence, health, and immigration. She participated in hundreds of policy discussions at the White House and DHS on high-profile issues that were often in the headlines, including domestic and international crises and emergencies. 

Sharmi brings over a decade of experience analyzing statutory and regulatory text to both challenge and defend agency actions in litigation. She uses her knowledge of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and federal rulemaking process to help clients shape regulatory authorities, comply with them, and challenge them. In both the executive and legislative branches, Sharmi crafted strategies to resolve inquiries from the Hill, other federal oversight bodies, and the public, often under immense public scrutiny.

Sharmi was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the Secretary of Homeland Security for exceptional service, the Department’s highest civilian honor. She was also recognized as an honorary Judge Advocate General by the U.S. Coast Guard. Sharmi values public service and maintains a diverse pro bono practice, including her time seconded to the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia.

Career & Education

    • Department of Homeland Security
      Deputy Chief of Staff, 2023–2025
    • Department of Homeland Security
      Deputy General Counsel, 2021–2023
    • Office of the Vice President
      White House, Associate Counsel, 2022–2023
    • Office of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris
      Senator Kamala Harris, Senior Counsel, 2019–2021
    • Department of Homeland Security
      Deputy Chief of Staff, 2023–2025
    • Department of Homeland Security
      Deputy General Counsel, 2021–2023
    • Office of the Vice President
      White House, Associate Counsel, 2022–2023
    • Office of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris
      Senator Kamala Harris, Senior Counsel, 2019–2021

    • Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., cum laude, 2014
    • Yale University, B.A., political science with distinction, 2009
    • Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., cum laude, 2014
    • Yale University, B.A., political science with distinction, 2009

    • District of Columbia
    • New York
    • Supreme Court of the United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
    • District of Columbia
    • New York
    • Supreme Court of the United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

    • Law Clerk, Department of Justice, 2013
    • Law Clerk, Department of Justice, 2013

    • Bengali
    • French
    • Bengali
    • French

Sharmistha's Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 11.09.26

Pentagon Oversight: Defense Companies Should Prepare for the Next Congress

Last week’s midterm election results have catalyzed swift statements on the congressional oversight agenda of potential incoming leadership, and oversight of the U.S. Department of War (DoW)1 — and the defense companies with which it does business — is high on the list. On November 4, 2026, Rep. Adam Smith sent a letter to his Democratic colleagues seeking their support to serve as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) in the 120th Congress convening in January 2027. Rep. Smith identifies “vigorous oversight” of the DoW and the Trump administration as his top priority if he is given the gavel, and his agenda expressly includes examining “contracts and other financial support awarded to private companies to ensure they are in the best interest of the taxpayers, are free from conflicts of interest or favoritism, and were awarded consistent with legal authorities and procedures.” ...

View All Insights

Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 11.09.26

Pentagon Oversight: Defense Companies Should Prepare for the Next Congress

Webinar | 11.05.26

What the Midterms Mean for Congressional Investigations

Speaking Engagement | 11.05.26

"What the Midterms Mean for Congressional Investigations," Crowell & Moring Webinar.

Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.04.26

CMS Proposal Would Overhaul Eligibility Rules for ACA Exchanges

View All Insights

Practices

Industries

Sharmistha's Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 11.09.26

Pentagon Oversight: Defense Companies Should Prepare for the Next Congress

Last week’s midterm election results have catalyzed swift statements on the congressional oversight agenda of potential incoming leadership, and oversight of the U.S. Department of War (DoW)1 — and the defense companies with which it does business — is high on the list. On November 4, 2026, Rep. Adam Smith sent a letter to his Democratic colleagues seeking their support to serve as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) in the 120th Congress convening in January 2027. Rep. Smith identifies “vigorous oversight” of the DoW and the Trump administration as his top priority if he is given the gavel, and his agenda expressly includes examining “contracts and other financial support awarded to private companies to ensure they are in the best interest of the taxpayers, are free from conflicts of interest or favoritism, and were awarded consistent with legal authorities and procedures.” ...

View All Insights