Max Thomas, Esq.
Attorney at Law
“Events will take their course, it is no good of being angry at them; he is happiest who wisely turns them to best account.”
– Euripides
After a dozen years as a business litigation attorney, Max formed his own holistic law practice, focused on advocacy – a devotion to client service with the flexibility to help clients plan for themselves, their businesses, and their families. He embarked on a practice focusing on trusts and estates planning, special needs planning, and education law. He received a “crash course” on these areas after his daughter was born with special needs and, as he helped address her present and future blossoming, he wanted to offer those services to help others navigate the rocky world he and his family inhabit as well.
Max joined McCleery Law Firm in 2018 as an independent contract attorney, working part time out of our New Philadelphia office and part time for his own practice in Akron. His approach in either arena is to build an in-depth working relationship with each and every client, to thoroughly understand and analyze the nature of the legal issues and also the personal and emotional components that drive them. In addition to his practice representing people and their business endeavors, he remains deeply and personally committed to advocating for the community, especially as a passionate supporter of the arts in Northeast Ohio, including significant leadership service on the boards of two noted arts organizations, and through his involvement with Down syndrome organizations to raise awareness and effect change.
Many cultures and philosophies emphasize that change, flux, and impermanence are the root of existence; Max believes we can embrace that fluidity without losing ourselves to it, and that the legal profession is uniquely suited to do so, and in the process, we can improve our lives, our communities, and even (as bold as it seems) and the world. During his time as a business litigation associate, Max was awarded the SuperLawyer Rising Star designation in both 2010 and 2012. He received his JD from Case Western Reserve University and has been practicing law since 2003. Before that, he taught English Literature at the University of Iowa after receiving a Ph.D. from Penn; he was admitted to the Ohio Bar, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Northern and Southern District Courts of Ohio. He is vice-chair of the Akron Bar Association’s Solo and Small Firm Practice group, a member of the Ohio and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar associations, and of the Wealth Counsel network of estate planning attorneys.