Most cases settle. The ones that don't are usually about something other than money.
Real
Talk.
Things I'd tell you over dinner that wouldn't make it onto the website.
On the practice
The most expensive decision in litigation is waiting six months to make the first call.
Winning isn't always a verdict. Sometimes it's a phone call that makes the other side realize they miscalculated.
Lawyers don't create conflict. We just show up after someone else already did.
There's no such thing as a simple case. There are only cases you haven't looked at closely enough yet.
On clients
The clients who trust the process almost always do better than the ones who fight it.
When someone says "I just want what's fair" — that's usually when you know it's going to take a while.
The best thing a client can do is tell me everything. The second best thing is tell me early.
I have never once had a client say they wished they'd waited longer to get an attorney involved.
On the job
Nobody goes to law school thinking they'll spend a Tuesday arguing about a parking space. And yet.
Family law is never really about the law.
I've been in rooms where everything was on the line and the other side had no idea. That's what preparation looks like from the outside.
Opposing counsel is rarely your enemy. They're just someone else's problem solver — same as me.
On Naples
Collier County is a small legal community. Everyone knows everyone. That matters more than most people think — and more than I can say publicly.
I've appeared before most of the judges in the 20th Circuit enough times to know — preparation is the only currency that counts in that room.
Naples is a resort town with a courthouse in it. The law doesn't care about the weather. I've learned to appreciate both of those things.
From the Vault
Two things I make well and will not apologize for.
The Main Event
New Mexico Green Chile
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Two years as a missionary in New Mexico will do something to you. This is what it did to me. Layered lasagna-style with Hatch green chiles, shredded chicken, and enough cheese to settle any dispute — this one bakes into something that earns its own continuance.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (3 breasts or 1 rotisserie)
- 1½–2 cups chopped Hatch green chiles, roasted — mild, medium, or hot
- 2 cans cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (10.5 oz each)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 18–20 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
- 4 cups shredded Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Asadero cheese
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Dash of cumin
- Optional: 1 diced medium yellow onion
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F (up to 375°F).
- Whisk together soup, broth, green chiles, and seasonings in a large bowl.
- Spread a ladle of sauce across the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Layer tortilla quarters across the bottom. Add chicken, diced onion, a generous layer of cheese, then ladle more sauce over the top.
- Repeat — tortillas, chicken, onion, cheese, sauce — until the dish is about ¾ full. Finish with a heavy final layer of cheese.
- Cover tightly with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10–15 minutes more until bubbling.
- Rest 15 minutes before cutting. The layers need to set. So do you.
The Opening Statement
The Long Arm of the Law
One of my favorite toasts goes: "Here's to lawyers. Wherever you find four, you'll find a fifth." This is that fifth. Macallan scotch, fresh lemon, cinnamon syrup, and a barspoon of fig preserves — smooth, complex, and it lingers longer than opposing counsel's objection.
Ingredients
- 1½ oz Macallan 12 (or your preferred expression)
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz cinnamon-infused simple syrup
- 1 bsp fig preserves
- Garnish: cinnamon stick, if you're feeling fancy
Method
- For the cinnamon syrup: simmer 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 2 cinnamon sticks for 10 minutes. Cool and strain. Keeps two weeks in the fridge.
- Combine Macallan, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup, and fig preserves in a shaker.
- Add ice. Shake well — the fig preserves need convincing.
- Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass.
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick if the occasion calls for it. Raise the glass. You know the toast.
If any of this resonates — or if you're in a situation where you need someone who's going to be straight with you — the door is open.
The Law Office of Alan F. Hamisch · Naples, Florida
Civil Litigation · Family Law · Business Disputes · and everything in between
Easter Egg found. . One step closer to the full measure of justice.