Experience
About Max
Max Thelen brings a wealth of experience, a passion for finding strategic solutions to difficult problems, and a strong work ethic to every case.
He regularly works with some of the best trial lawyers in Georgia and across the country on high-value cases, and he is sought out to analyze thorny problems, distill complex issues, and develop solutions that maximize value and deliver results efficiently.
Max has handled catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases in state and federal courts throughout Georgia, in all phases of litigation and trial, and in appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court of Georgia.
He is an accomplished legal writer with a track record of briefing complex issues in a way that gives courts the tools to reach just outcomes, and he routinely helps other attorneys plan discovery and trial strategy, brief and argue critical motions and appeals, and serve as embedded appellate counsel at trial.
A Rare Path: Federal Clerkships, Defense, and Appellate Practice
Max began his legal career on the other side of the federal bench, clerking for the Honorable Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and then for the Honorable Daniel A. Manion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
He then spent years at a large Atlanta firm defending liability cases for clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations, handling every phase of fact and expert discovery, depositions, mediations, and motions across Georgia state and federal courts.
He later moved to the plaintiffs’ side at an appellate litigation boutique, where he honed the craft of protecting verdicts from appellate risk, overturning unjust results, and finding creative solutions in high-stakes cases.
Within his first year there, he was embedded appellate counsel for a trial team that won a $9.6 million verdict in a wrongful-death case many thought was unwinnable. That combination of judicial service, defense-side insight, and appellate skill is what he now brings to every catastrophic-injury case, staying several moves ahead of the opposition.
Military Service
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, and his JAG roles have included Legal Assistance, Defense Counsel, Trial Counsel, and Assistant Brigade Judge Advocate, along with a deployment to Iraq in 2019.
That background shaped him into a team player who thrives under pressure, equally at home in a courtroom and a demanding operational environment.
Practice Focus
Max represents seriously injured people and grieving families, and supports trial teams throughout Georgia in:
Max Thelen is also a certified Law Tigers attorney who represents motorcycle accident victims across Georgia and South Carolina. Learn more about Max’s Law Tigers practice in Georgia or South Carolina.
Representative Case Results
Results Max has helped secure, often as embedded appellate counsel supporting a trial team, include:
- $200,000,000 defective-boat wrongful-death verdict against Malibu Boats (embedded appellate counsel)
- $47,000,000 medical malpractice verdict (embedded appellate counsel)
- $22,000,000 commercial motor vehicle verdict (embedded appellate counsel)
- $20,000,000 and $18,000,000 birth-injury settlements (embedded appellate counsel)
- $15,000,000 DUI motor-vehicle collision verdict (embedded appellate counsel)
- $15,000,000 premises-liability settlement and $12,000,000 medical malpractice settlement (embedded appellate counsel)
- $9,600,000 wrongful-death verdict in a case many considered unwinnable
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and turns on its own facts.
Education
- J.D., summa cum laude, Regent University School of Law (Law Review senior editor; Trial Advocacy Board; Federalist Society officer)
- B.B.A. in Economics, summa cum laude, Kennesaw State University
Bar Admissions
- Georgia, admitted 2012 (Bar No. 311404)
- U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Georgia, plus federal district courts in South Carolina and Ohio
- U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Seventh, and Eleventh Circuits
- Admitted before all appellate courts in Georgia and South Carolina
Federal Judicial Clerkships
- Law clerk to the Honorable Henry Coke Morgan, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- Law clerk to the Honorable Daniel A. Manion, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Awards and Recognition
- Chambers and Partners, Band 1, Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs, Georgia (2026)
- Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Practice, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, and Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs (2024)
- Super Lawyers, Georgia (2025 to 2026); Rising Stars (2019 to 2024)
- Avvo Rating 9.7
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association LEAD Program (2021)
Professional Involvement
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association (LEAD Program, 2021)
- American Association for Justice
- South Carolina Association for Justice
- Attorneys Information Exchange Group
- Federalist Society, Atlanta Chapter, Board member
In the Media
- Appellate case work covered by the Daily Report (Law.com) and Law360, including toxic-tort causation and medical-malpractice appeals
Verified Profiles and Directory Listings
You can verify Max Thelen’s license and standing, and read independent client reviews, on his profiles:
Working with Max
Ashby Thelen Lowry offers a free consultation and works on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless the firm wins. Same-day and video consultations (Zoom, Teams, and others) are available.
The firm represents clients throughout Georgia and South Carolina and handles truck-crash, product-liability, and appellate matters nationwide, and Max regularly serves as associated or embedded appellate counsel for other trial lawyers.
Contact Max Thelen Today For a Free Consultation.
Facing a catastrophic injury case, or protecting a verdict on appeal, in Georgia? Talk with Max Thelen. Call (404) 777-7771 for a free consultation.
Ashby Thelen Lowry, 3100 Cumberland Boulevard, Suite 1040, Atlanta, GA 30339
No fee unless we win. Same-day and video consultations available.
