Today we’d like to introduce you to Imran.
Hi Imran, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Houston, Texas. I am the oldest son of Indian immigrants who had come to this country for more opportunity with nothing but determination and a willingness to outwork anyone. I was raised side by side with my cousins since my dad and his brothers lived together.
By the time I was a teenager, my dad and uncles turned all their hardwork into a buying a small car audio business—our family’s livelihood taking care of their 4 families. From the time I could drive at 16, I’d go to school during the day, then help make deliveries to retailers or take inventory at night. I wasn’t really expected to go to college. In fact, I was probably expected to continue on in the family businesses.
And I did. On the outside, everything looked great. But on the inside, something kept tugging at me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was meant to build something of my own. The idea of leaving the business felt a little like betrayal.
But I also knew that if I didn’t take that chance, I’d spend the rest of my life wondering what could have been. I took the leap and decided to go to law school. I started studying for the LSAT. I eventually got into a decent school, and never looked back. When I got into law school, I was 28 years old. Most of my classmates were younger, polished. I felt out of place at first. But slowly, I found my rhythm. I was a first-generation college student. I had no roadmap. No alumni connections. Most of my classmates had lawyers in their families or mentors who’d guided them for years.
Nonetheless, now I’m a lawyer. I work with clients who remind me of my family—tenacious, resourceful, stubborn. I help my clients navigate what to do after unfortunate incidents that leave them with injuries, like car accidents, slip and falls, 18 wheeler accidents, or even food poisoning. I work with clients who might not know exactly how insurance works and the justice system works, or people who wont have access to medical care after an injury.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely been an uphill battle.
One of my biggest challenges in getting to where I am now was just figuring out how to balance everything. Like I mentioned I was 28 when I entered law school. I got married right before graduating during the pandemic. I had to finish my last semester completely virtually and didn’t actually even attend the graduation ceremony because of COVID restrictions. As soon as classes ended, I went on a small honeymoon and then went right back to studying for the bar and my wife got pregnant with our first! I was navigating the transition from student to professional but also adding on real responsibilities of being a husband and father.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
After 3-4 years working for other big law firms, I finally went all in to start my own personal injury law firm. Most people don’t know this but PI lawyers work on a contingency basis. In other words, we only get paid for our services if we are able to get our clients compensated. We all know the big names from billboards but I pride myself on being accessible and communicative with my clients. We are with our clients every step of the process, from the start ofnwhatever caused their incident.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Be open and humble! My first job out of law school was for an awesome attorney named Chris Cordell, I really valued the experience and opportunity to learn from her even though I was working “for free”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Dhananilawtx.com
- Instagram: Dhananilawtx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15gVsiQGXo/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
Aisha from Ama by Aisha
