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