Attorney Zulu Ali Selected as 2024 Criminal Defense Litigator of the Year by the American Institute of Trial Lawyers

Attorney Zulu Ali, founder and principal of the Law Offices of Zulu Ali & Associates, LLP ( https://zulualilaw.com ), the largest Black-owned law firm in California’s Inland Empire, has been selected “Criminal Defense Litigator of the Year” for 2024 by the American Institute of Trial Lawyers (AIOTL).

Membership in AIOTL is by invitation-only. The professional organization is comprised of trial attorneys who exemplify the highest standards of practice in each field. Chosen through a combination of peer nominations and independent research, each lawyer is a leading representation of ethical and exceptional practice. As such, the AIOTL serves as a comprehensive and objective database of the most qualified legal professionals in the country.

The “Litigator of the Year” award is reserved for less than .03% of lawyers. Recipients are leaders in their fields and possess outstanding levels of skill, knowledge, and experience. Attorney Ali earned this recognition through years of dedication to his clients and his practice.

A former police officer and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Attorney Ali earned a juris doctorate in law (J.D.) from Trinity International University; a degree with a focus on African studies from Regents College through a consortium with Tennessee State University; and is a doctoral candidate (D.B.A.) researching pan-African and Black social entrepreneurship at California Southern University.

Attorney Ali’s law firm focuses on representing persons accused of crimes, immigrants, and persons seeking civil justice in state and federal courts. Ali is on the list of counsel at the African Court of Justice and Human Rights in Tanzania, Africa and the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands.

He served as Director of the American Committee for United Nations Oversight, an advocacy group that lobbied the United Nations for police reform in 2015. He is the Director of the Linda Reese Harvey Stop & Frisk Youth Leadership Academy, which mentors and trains at-risk youth to deal with police encounters ( https://stopfriskacademy.com/ ); Director of the Southern California Veterans Legal Clinic ( https://zulualilaw.com/?page_id=1539 ), a legal clinic offering no cost legal services to military veterans; and a member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. ( https://iotaphitheta.org/leadership ) serving on the international governing body (Grand Council) as General Legal Counsel.

Attorney Ali, a distinguished biographee of Marquis Who’s Who and a recipient of the Neilson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 ( wwlifetimeachievement.com/2021/06/21/zulu-ali/ ), received the Marquis Who’s Who Humanitarian Award for 2022. In 2017, he was recognized as one of the most influential African American Leaders in Los Angeles by the National Action Network founded by Reverend Al Sharpton.

In 2022, Attorney Ali, along with his daughter Attorney Whitney Ali, were recognized as two of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD), Law and Justice Edition. MIPAD is a global civil society initiative in support of the International Decade for People of African Descent, proclaimed by the United Nation’s General Assembly resolution 68/237 ( https://www.mipad.org/files/MIPAD-ANNOUNCEMENT-2022-Online-Version.pdf )

He has been honored as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in his area by the National Black Lawyers and National Trial Lawyers; a Top 10 Lawyer by the American Academy of Trial Attorneys, American Institute of Legal Counsel, American Jurist Institute, and Attorney & Practice Magazine; and Rue Ratings Best Lawyer in America.

He is the founder and CEO of 10 Nubian Queens & 5 Kings Media ( 10nubianmedia.com/), a mass media production company focusing on black family and social justice content in film, radio, theater, music, and book publishing.

Additionally, Ali is the host of the radio talk show Justice Watch with Attorney Zulu Ali ( https://www.justicewatchradio.com/ ), which broadcasts from NBC Radio studio in Redlands, California; and he is a member of the National Black Radio Hall of Fame (Chicago chapter).

A devoted family man, Ali has been married to his wife (Charito) since 1986, has four adult children (Christine, Whitney, Ashley, and Lynda), four grandchildren (Amayah, Tye, Izem, Amina, and Nasira), and resides in Southern California with his family.