Alexis Smith Hamdan, born and raised in New York City, attended Fordham University School of Law. Upon graduation, she began her career at Skadden Arps in New York and worked primarily on complex securities litigation. After moving to Boston, she joined the law firm of Warner & Stackpole, was elevated to partner and continued there when the firm merged with K&L Gates where she worked on complex business litigation matters and honed her trial skills. While at Warner & Stackpole, Alexis was fortunate to have been mentored by truly brilliant attorneys, including the Hon. Samuel Adams and the Hon. Judith Gail Dein, among others to whom she will always be grateful.

Alexis has a depth of experience as the lead on complex commercial disputes in both the State and Federal Courts. Her experience also includes maintaining in-house counsel and client relationships, case management, development of case strategy, all aspects of discovery, motions, selection and preparation of expert witnesses, negotiation, mediation, arbitration, trial preparation, trials, and appeals. She is also a trained and experienced mediator.

Alexis clerked for the Federal Court for the District of Massachusetts for several years after taking a break from firm life. The Federal Court also asked Alexis to develop and implement the Lindsay Fellowship Program, which she did for over twelve years. She remains active with the Program and her dedication to mentoring others remains steadfast. Alexis was also a legal research and writing instructor for Boston University School of Law for several years and developed and taught the Client Counseling course.

In 2019, Tempus tapped Alexis to assist on a complex business litigation matter which resulted in a seven-figure settlement for the client. She continued to work with Tempus because of their client-centric approach to litigation.

As Chair of Litigation at Tempus, Alexis continues to manage complex business, employment, real estate, and construction disputes. Highlights of her most recent experience include:

• Representation of a government contractor in the Eastern District of Virginia in a business dispute with the prime contractor. That case resulted in a large six-figure settlement for the client.

• Alexis brought a case of first impression against a domain registrar alleging that the registrar without authorization sold her client’s domain name. The case settled after the federal court denied the registrar’s motion to dismiss—a significant victory given the unique nature of the case.

• Alexis was part of team outside of Tempus involving a Massachusetts False Claim Act case where she played a key role in obtaining a dismissal of a $125 million claim on summary judgment. There were several issues first impression in Massachusetts. Beyond that, her argument on the advice of counsel defense was the first time any court applied the defense on summary judgment in the false claim act context. Judge Salinger of the BLS writing for the Court held: “Since [the client] was relying in good faith on its attorney’s advice that it was not subject to the Prevailing Wage Law, after having disclosed all relevant facts to its counsel, the Relators cannot establish that [the defendant] knowingly made a false statement in its alleged implied certification of compliance with the Prevailing Wage Law.

• Alexis stepped in to help a business owner after the Court restrained the client from working in her field of expertise. Alexis was able to mediate the dispute, and the client put the nightmare of the litigation (originally handled by another firm) behind her.

Alexis believes the true measure of an attorneys’ career should be viewed through the lens of those she counsels. Here is what just some of her clients have said about Alexis:

• I hired Alexis, and it’s been the best experience ever! I’m not one to leave reviews, but I just had to! The amount of service I received and her compassion – I’ve never received from any professional, in any industry! I thank Google for getting me to land on her page!

Jeffrey C.

• Alexis is absolutely the bomb. Her innate capacity to understand and put into perspective the real issues and to invest the time required to do so sets her apart. She is not just a brilliant legal strategist and tactician; she is a partner. As an advocate, her meticulousness attention to detail used to get it right is unrivaled. Her ability to communicate legal strategy and advice to the layperson brings comfort and understanding so decisions can be executed with the utmost confidence. Engaging a lawyer is a big deal. No one wants to deal with it. It means trouble is likely brewing and you need advice from someone that you trust, that has your back, that understands your position and has the acumen to navigate through the matter in a manner that puts you at ease. This is Alexis, she gets it. It goes without saying that I, and my company recommended Alexis.

McCabe, Elevate Technology Solutions

• “Alexis is our family of brands’ legal rock. She has gone to bat for our companies on numerous occasions. With your business’ best interests in mind, she goes the extra mile cost effectively and closes issues quickly. I would stand behind Alexis and Tempus Fugit in any business litigation climate.

Stephen B., LogiWorld / South Shore Crate And Pack

• Attorney Hamdan’s background in Federal Court came to bear on our case. She worked extraordinarily long hours on our case, burning the midnight oil to meet super tight deadlines weeks on end. She was an outstanding communicator breaking down legal lingo into small bites with real-life examples and analogies. Her broad experience in business law proved to be invaluable as negotiations with the opposing side required creative negotiation skills and out-of-the-box solutions. Attorney Hamdan’s uncanny use of legal research and ability to speed-read were critical to the case. Attorney Hamdan looks at the legal settlement of business cases as business transactions. She gave us food for thought to weigh the costs and benefits of every decision we made. Her legal advice was always given from a legal and business perspective while communicating candidly with us and assessing the case realistically each week.

Tami, business owner/plaintiff

• I worked with Alexis Hamdan on a past employment matter. Alexis dove right in and provided solid guidance to bring the situation to a swift close. There were times where she challenged my thinking to make me focus on what was really important and not winning every battle, which I needed at the time. Forthright and responsive.

Joseph Z.

Articles, Media, Quotable Quotes and Awards

• FCA and government knowledge: the need to address another post-‘Escober’ circuit split, May 10, 2024, Article by Alexis Smith Hamdan and Tracy Moran of Suny McCormack

• Relators fail to meet state False Claims Act Burden. Hamdan quoted: “In the government contracting world, the contracts matter, and you ought to read them before you pursue the [FCA] claim.”

• ‘Unclean hands’ help sink bid to use judicial estoppel to void right of first refusal. Hamdan quoted: “Whenever I am faced with a potential issue of an ‘agreement to agree,’ I always ask the client, ‘What did you do after you signed?’” Hamdan said. “What this case emphasizes is that what you call a document really does not matter in Massachusetts.”

• Judge denies request to haul distressed medical device company out of arbitration “According to Hamdan, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has never had to grapple with a case involving a party that insists on arbitration, and then fails to participate. But the 9th Circuit has, calling it the “dark side of our nation’s policy in favor of arbitration” in the 2005 case Brown v. Dillard’s Inc.”

• Practitioners Pushing For Trusts And Estates Session “It is only money, and the court deals with other incredibly critical issues,” Hamdan observed. Nevertheless, because of the importance of family law issues, trust and estates lawyers often feel their clients’ matters are secondary in the system, she said. Currently, trust and estate cases wait literally years for a trial, Hamdan noted, and then after a lengthy trial may wait another year for a decision.”

• 2024, Named Top Woman in Construction

• The Lindsay Fellowship Program: District Court Gives Students Insider’s View of the Judiciary, Careers in Law
Attorney Alexis Smith Hamdan, who developed and taught the course for 12 years, said, “It was always my hope that I would to be able to pass the torch to one of our fellows. Taisha has all of the attributes necessary to teach this rigorous program, so I was elated when she expressed her willingness to take on this important role.”

Sturdivant at the 2021 Lindsay Fellowship graduation with Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein (left) and Alexis Smith Hamdan, the former Lindsay legal research and writing instructor. Sturdivant took over from Hamdan as the instructor.