Ali Spotlighted in Veterans Day Feature

Partner Mir Ali was featured by Law360 in a special Veterans Day article celebrating veterans now in the legal profession. 

Mir served in the U.S. Army from 2000-2007 before being honorably discharged at the rank of Captain. He was a Detachment Commander in the Special Forces (Green Berets). He shared one of his most poignant memories from his time in service:

 “In 2005, our Special Forces team was driving through a remote area of Afghanistan when our Humvee’s tire ripped on a sharp rock. When we dismounted to replace the tire, we spotted two Afghan men running towards us carrying a pickax and shovel.

Through our interpreter, the men explained that vehicles didn’t take the path because the terrain was too dangerous, and they had come to help us move the vehicle. When we asked if they knew who we were, they inquired, “Are you Russians? We’ve heard of the Russians but have never seen them.” We laughed and explained that we were Americans. They looked puzzled and said they had never heard of America.

We were shocked that they had never heard of America or seen the Russians, who had occupied Afghanistan for a decade. Afghanistan has experienced armed conflict since 1979, yet these men lived in a village so remote that they had remained isolated from everything going on in the rest of their country. Without knowing who we were, the men happily assisted us.

I experienced this hospitality from total strangers countless times in Afghanistan, and it is part of the Afghan people’s code of life.”

Read the full article here. (Subscription required)

Read more about Mir’s journey from armed service to client service here.