Father-daughter honored as Most Influential People of African Descent in Law and Justice

Attorneys Zulu Ali and Whitney Ali, a father-daughter team, have been recognized as two of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD), Law and Justice Edition.

The two are the proprietors and partners of the Law Offices of Zulu Ali & Associates, LLP, the largest Black-owned legal practice in the Inland Empire, which includes the counties of Riverside and San Bernardino, as well as one of the leading Black family-owned legal practices in California.

In a statement, Attorney Zulu Ali expressed, “It is always nice to be recognized for your work. We face immense scrutiny from courts and others for challenging the system. I am deeply inspired by the late great civil rights attorney Avon Williams who was jailed more than once for not kowtowing to racist courts in the defense of his clients. Being in this fight with my daughter by my side ensures this type of advocacy spirit that was established by great black pioneers of the legal system continues.”

In 2007, Zulu Ali established the Law Offices of Zulu Ali, taking legal cues from Avon Williams, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and Charles Hamilton Houston, three prominent civil rights lawyers.

Zulu Ali’s practice concentrates on defending people seeking civil justice in state and federal courts throughout the United States; additionally, he represents immigrants, victims of discrimination, and defendants and victims in international criminal courts located in The Hague, Netherlands, and the African Court of Human Rights, Tanzania.

Since establishing his practice, Zulu Ali and his team have taken on exceedingly tough issues and problems that present an opportunity to amend the law through the courts when it is unjust.

The Law Offices of Zulu Ali & Associates, LLP, have since been noted as one of the top 10 law firms by Attorney and Practice Magazine. Additionally, the founder of the firm, Attorney Zulu Ali, has been acknowledged as one of the top 100 lawyers by National Black Lawyers and National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 10 Lawyer by the American Academy of Trial Attorneys, the American Jurist Institute, Attorney & Practice Magazine; Rue Ratings Best Lawyer in America, and Litigator of the Year by the American Institute of Trial Lawyers. He also serves as general counsel for the Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

In December 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 68/237, by which it proclaimed 2015 to 2024 to be the International Decade for People of African Descent. MIPAD is a global civil society initiative that supports the International Decade for People of African Descent. It celebrates top achievers of African heritage in the public and private sectors worldwide.

Attorney Zulu Ali, who has just been honored by MIPAD, graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy. A husband and father who is a native of Shelbyville, Tennessee, Zulu Ali is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who served with the Marine Security Forces.

His daughter Whitney Ali earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside, and a Juris Doctorate from John F. Kennedy University College of Law. In 2015, she started her legal career helping with her father’s firm’s criminal case management. She began doing this under the mentorship of her father.

In 2021, she was named a management-level partner, making the Law Offices of Zulu Ali & Associates, LLP one of the largest Black family-owned law firms in California, according to Black News.