Aida Dismondy was born and raised in Albania during the communist regime. Before she was 20, she witnessed the fall of the Iron Curtain, the demise of a totalitarian system, and the rise of a new free market system. Soon after finishing undergraduate studies, she immigrated to United States.
With the support of her husband and two children, she earned a master’s degree in German studies and a Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University. After graduation, she worked with established businesses as a consultant with the MBDA Detroit Business Center, a center funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency and operated by Michigan Minority Supplier Diversity Counsel.
Dismondy recently started Albex Law, PC a Plymouth firm in service of startups, established businesses, and nonprofits.
By Jo Mathis
Legal News
Residence: Plymouth.
What was it like to immigrate to the U.S. from Albania? My arrival in U.S. was in likeness of many immigrants with little money in pockets, but with a burning desire to build a great life in a country that offers an individual the opportunities to achieve and accomplish what it wants out of life, if a person works hard and applies him/herself. My dream was to one day become a lawyer. I had seen much injustice take place. Early on, I understood that the rule of law when respected and followed it makes a difference in people’s lives and changes the course of national developments.
What would surprise people about your job? That it doesn’t require only a lawyer’s hat, but also an understanding of business management and operations, leadership and active listening, and the ability to be forward thinking without losing sight of the details needing attention at present time.
What is your most treasured material possession? A gift from my grandma: a set of blankets where she selected the wool carefully from different vendors, made the yarn, and weaved them into beautiful blankets.
Favorite local hangouts: Espresso Elevato, The Coffee Bean, Campari’s and Home Sweet Home in Plymouth; Jolly Pumpkin in Detroit; Blue Nile in Ann Arbor.
Favorite websites: www.guardian.com, www.balkanweb.com, www.horchow.com, www.crainsdetroit.com www.icle.org
What are you better at than everyone else you know? I am able to stay calm under pressure.
Describe your sleep routine: I go to bed around 11 and wake up at 5 in the morning.
What do you wish someone would invent? A car or car system or sensor that would sense a person is texting and driving, and shut down their phone.
What gadget can’t you live without? My phone. It has become a small library I carry around.
Who is on your guest list for the ideal dinner party? Erich Maria Remarque; Leo Tolstoy; Johan Strauss; Dostoevsky; Goethe; Schiller; Emmanuel Kant; Queen Elizabeth; Ellen De Generes; Verdi; Bellini; Puccini; Deepak Chopra; Tony Robbins; Maya Angelou; T.S. Elliot; Mahatma Gandhi; Nelson Mandela; Richard Branson; Leonard Cohen; Bill Clinton; George Marshall; Abe Lincoln; Jeff Buckley; Mother Teresa and Pope Francis; Lee Kuan Yew; Barack Obama; Stephen Colbert; and my close friends and family.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would that be? President Afitete Jahjaga of the Republic of Kosovo.
What’s the most awe-inspiring place you’ve ever been? The ruins of the castle on top of the mountain in Prizren, Kosovo; from there the view is wonderful.
What is your proudest moment as a lawyer? Once a client said: “You are like a teacher, you take your time to explain all this that I don’t understand. Thank you!”
Fill in the blank: I wish Michael Kiehne would answer these same questions.
How did you earn your first dollar? Teaching German language and literature.
Who inspires you, and why? Nelson Mandela, he taught us about forgiveness, patience, and doing what is right for the greater good.
What do you do to relax? Run, read, meditate, spend time with my family, garden, dance, write.
What is one thing you would like to learn to do? Fencing.
What is something most people don’t know about you? Most people do not know that I used to paint, make intricate crochet pieces and embroidery, and that I am a foreign affairs geek.
What is the best advice you ever received? At age 14, a friend of mine said:” Do not compare yourself with others, but focus on what you can do.”
If you can help it, where will you never return? Vegas.
Favorite place to spend money: Maybe it sounds cliché, but it is the bookstore.
What is your motto? Be present, have faith, everything happens for a reason.
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