Experience
Federal Judicial Clerkships
Max began his legal career working on the other side of the federal bench, clerking for the Hon. Henry Coke Morgan, Jr., of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and then for the Hon. Daniel A. Manion of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Defense Experience
After two years working for federal courts, Max landed a position at a large law firm in Atlanta, where he devoted his practice 100% to litigation of liability matters in defense. Max took responsibility for dozens of high-value cases, handling every aspect of fact and expert discovery, depositions, mediations, motions practice, and argument across the state of Georgia in state and federal courts. His clients ranged from small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations.
Elite Appellate and Trial Practice
After a few years working in defense, Max joined the plaintiff’s side at an elite appellate litigation boutique. There, he honed the craft of protecting and defending victories from appellate risk, preparing arguments to overturn unjust results, and crafting creative solutions to improve results and avoid pitfalls in exceptionally high-stakes cases. Within his first year, he was embedded appellate counsel for a trial team which obtained a $9.6M jury verdict in a wrongful death case that many thought was unwinnable. His work ran the gamut from critical dispositive and Daubert motions, post-trial practice, to appeals with seven and eight figure awards on the line.
Now, at Ashby Thelen Lowry, Max brings the strategic benefit of his background in judicial service, defense experience, and appellate practice to bear in all of his catastrophic injury cases with the goal of obtaining excellent results for his clients by staying several moves ahead of the opposition. In his first trial with ATL, Max served as embedded appellate counsel in a boat defect case against Malibu Boats that resulted in a verdict that has already changed the industry forever.
Military Service
In addition to his legal practice, Max brings sixteen years of military service in the Georgia Army National Guard, where he currently serves as a Judge Advocate officer. He previously served as a cavalry scout and a Signal Corps Officer. His JAG roles have included Legal Assistance, Defense Counsel, Trial Counsel, Assistant Brigade Judge Advocate, and a deployment to Iraq in 2019. That background has played a substantial part in shaping him into a client-serving, victory-pursuing team player who thrives in difficult situations. Equally at home in a courtroom, and a combat zone, Max is who you want in your corner in your toughest cases.
Education & Accolades
Max, a native Georgian, graduated summa cum laude from Kennesaw State University, with a B.B.A. in Economics. He received his law degree summa cum laude from Regent University School of Law, where he also served as a senior editor on the Law Review, a board member on the Trial Advocacy Board, and an officer of the Federalist Society.
Max was named a Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 and was selected to the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association’s LEAD Program in 2021.
Community
Settled back home in Georgia, Max serves as the President of the Board of Trustees of Covenant Christian School, on the Policy and Personnel Committee of Smyrna Presbyterian Church, and on the board of the Federalist Society Atlanta Young Lawyer’s Chapter. Max is a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, the Attorney Information Exchange Group, and the Federalist Society. Max lives in Marietta with his wife, five kids, and two large dogs.
