Rachel Paulose, the former U.S. attorney for Minnesota, has joined the Minneapolis office of the international law firm DLA Piper as a litigator and partner.

Paulose served as U.S. attorney from 2006 until late 2007. She was appointed by former President George W. Bush and was confirmed by the Senate to become the first Indian-American to hold that position.

Paulose also worked as a special assistant to the attorney general and as a senior trial counsel for the Securities and Exchange Commission. Her career in private practice included stints with the Minneapolis firm of Dorsey & Whitney and the Washington office of Williams & Connolly.

"Rachel has significant white-collar crime and governmental investigatory credentials that will resonate with companies, particularly those in the Twin Cities that are doing business globally," said Alan Kildow, DLA Piper's managing partner in Minneapolis.

Paulose, 42, had a rocky 20-month tenure as the top federal law enforcer in the state. She was the youngest person to take the job of when she accepted an interim appointment in March 2006 to lead the U.S. attorney's office. Prosecutions went up during her tenure, but her time was marred by internal strife in the office. Several of her top managers quit their posts in a group protest of her management style.

Staff report