Max Hess

Shareholder

Upon graduation from the Cornell Law School where he served as managing editor of the Cornell International Law Journal, Max began practicing in New York with Chadbourne & Parke, a large international firm. He took a leave of absence when selected by the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst ("DAAD")) to participate in a year-long program in Germany for foreign attorneys sponsored by the Ministry of Justice of North Rhine/Westphalia. At the program's end, he practiced with Bruckhaus Kreifels Winkhaus & Lieberknecht (now Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) in Düsseldorf before resuming practice with Chadbourne. Later, he left private practice to serve as law clerk, in Texas, for two years to the Hon. Sam D. Johnson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. With the clerkship concluded, he resumed private practice with Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison in California. Max joined Chorey, Taylor & Feil in 1991.

Max's commercial litigation practice has involved a variety of matters, including litigation of commercial transactions, insurance coverage issues, and contractual and legally implied products liability. His administrative and regulatory law practice has concentrated on matters pertaining to the alcoholic beverages and telecommunications industries. Typical matters include the following:

Representation of insureds in insurance coverage disputes in multiple lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions
Defense against constitutional and antitrust challenges to the three-tier system for regulation of alcoholic beverages
Defense of manufacturer and wholesaler of alcoholic beverages against cease-and-desist order issued under the franchise system for alcoholic beverages
Representation of wholesaler of alcoholic beverages against notice of intention to change wholesalers
Lawsuits bringing constitutional challenges to differential taxation of imported alcoholic beverages
Judicial review of agency orders concerning the telecommunications industry
Defense of building products such as windows, doors, and heating units in products and warranty litigation
Representation of licensees, at the Federal, State, and local levels, at all tiers (distilleries; wineries; breweries; importers; brokers; wholesalers; retail package stores such as liquor stores, wine shops, and convenience stores; and on-premises consumption establishments such as restaurants, convention centers, and hotels) of the system for regulation of alcoholic beverages to ensure licensing and regulatory compliance generally

Practice Areas

Education

Cornell University, J.D., cum laude (1982)
University of Washington, B.A., summa cum laude (1979)

Bar and Court Admissions

Georgia State Bar
California State Bar
New York State Bar

Professional Affiliations

Atlanta Bar Association
American Bar Association
German-American Chamber of Commerce for the Southern United States
Southern Center for International Studies