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July 14, 2023

019: Alamdar Hamdani on "the Mama Rule", entrepreneurial civil service, and the most underrated risk in the US

019: Alamdar Hamdani on

Alamdar Hamdani is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, one of the most important jurisdictions in the country. What I love about his story is that it’s the classic  American story of how the son of poor immigrants in small-town Texas became the US attorney for one of the most important jurisdictions in the country. 


But I discovered another equally American part of this story I hadn’t heard elsewhere - the story of the entrepreneurial civil service that led him to where he is today. 

  • (16:00) - the decision that changed his career
  • (19:00) - how selling Sesame Street books led to the decision that changed his career
  • (39:30) - how the South Asian bar led Alamdar to the US Attorney’s Office.
  • (42:30) - the shocking story of how Alamdar accepted his role as Assistant US Attorney
  • (47:00) - what role does taking big risks in your career
  • (58:00) - the lawyers Alamdar met early in his career
  • (01:11:30) - the “Mama rule”
  • (01:27:30) - what’s the most underrated risk the US faces
  • (01:32:30) - what are national trends in enforcement
Chapters

16:00 - the decision that changed his career

19:00 - how selling Sesame Street books led to the decision that changed his career

39:30 - how the South Asian bar led Alamdar to the US Attorney’s Office.

42:30 - the shocking story of how Alamdar accepted his role as Assistant US Attorney

47:00 - what role does taking big risks in your career

58:00 - the lawyers Alamdar met early in his career

01:11:30 - the “Mama rule”

01:27:30 - what’s the most underrated risk the US faces

01:32:30 - what are national trends in enforcement