Mir Y. Ali

Partner

Clients seek out Mir to solve their business and legal problems.

Mir Ali

As a creative and skilled litigator, Mir has achieved success for his clients by winning jury verdicts and judgments at trial, obtaining favorable rulings through dispositive motion practice, and resolving matters through alternative dispute resolution.

Mir practices in many areas of litigation, including the following:

  • Environmental litigation
  • Complex commercial litigation
  • SAP litigation
  • Construction litigation
  • Mortgage fraud and Closing Protection Letter litigation
  • Mediation and alternative dispute resolution counseling
  • Veterans issues

Mir has litigated dozens of complex cases and is experienced with initial pleadings, discovery, e-discovery, fact and expert witnesses, motion practice, and trial in both federal and state courts. When litigation is not in the best interests of Mir’s clients, he has counseled them through alternative dispute resolution to quickly resolve problems efficiently and outside of court.

Before he was a lawyer, Mir served for seven years active duty in the United States Army as an infantry officer and Special Forces Detachment Commander with two combat deployments to Afghanistan.

As a veteran himself, Mir also serves as co-head of the firm’s military inclusion network (AFSVets), organizing military appreciation events and leading initiatives to serve the legal needs of veterans pro bono.

Mir was a 2008 Bergstrom Fellow and worked as a student attorney for the University of Michigan Child Advocacy Law Clinic throughout law school. Before joining private practice, Mir was a law clerk for Chief Judge Gerald E. Rosen, Eastern District of Michigan.

Client Work

Mir has achieved many notable victories for his clients, including the following:

  • Won a $2.3 million jury trial verdict in closing protection letter lawsuit. Trial verdict was affirmed by Sixth Circuit. (Case No. 9-cv-14891 E.D. Mich.).
  • Served as senior associate at 3-week liability trial in a $1 billion Clean Air Act lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice. United States v. Ameren Missouri Case No. 11-cv-00077 (E.D. Mo.).
  • Settled, at a fraction of potential exposure, two $100 million complex breach-of-contract claims against $9 billion technology company client. First claim was resolved before client incurred substantial discovery costs, and second claim was settled before costly and risky fast track arbitration.
  • Obtained speedy court order in patent litigation case prohibiting our client’s competitor from selling of 70,000 units of its product. (Zippysack LLC v. Ontel Products Corporation, 182 F.Supp.3d 867 (N.D.Ill. 2016)).
  • Won sole custody and full child support for single mother in pro bono representation against a father who owed over $40,000 in support.

Boards, Memberships & Certifications

  • American Bar Association
  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Playworks Illinois, Board of Advisors
  • Team Red White & Blue, Founding Member

Publications, Presentations & Recognitions

  • “FIRREA: An Old Acronym is Turning into the Government’s New Hammer on Banks and Other Financial Institutions,” (co-author) The Banking Law Journal (July/August 2012)
  • “Afghan Sponsorship,” Webinar (Sep. 22, 2021)

Awards

  • Pro Bono Attorney Award, South Asian Bar Association of Chicago (2021)

Celebrating ArentFox Schiff’s Veterans: Mir Ali on Going From Military Service to Client Service

After four years in ROTC at the University of Illinois, Mir began serving on active duty in 2000. He first served as an Army infantry officer and later was accepted into the Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and served as a Detachment Commander from 2004 to 2007 before starting law school at Michigan.

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  • Languages
    Arabic
    French
    Urdu
  • Bar & Court Admissions
    • Illinois Bar
    • US District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar)
    • US District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
  • Education
    University of Michigan Law School, JD, Journal of Law Reform, Associate Editor, 2009
    University of Illinois, BA, Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 2000

Perspectives