Jeff Kaliel is a highly decorated veteran of the United States Army, having served in Iraq during the second Iraq war. He reached the rank of Staff Sergeant and obtained qualifications in airborne and mountain warfare. After law school, Kaliel began his successful legal practice. He has also worked as an appellate litigation section for a governmental agency, assisting in the department's internal investigation into the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to prepare for a congressional inquiry. As a special U.S. Attorney in California's Southern District, Jeffrey Kaliel focused on prosecuting crimes related to the United States border.