Overview
Max Straus joined Susman Godfrey after clerking on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, first for Judge Richard Posner and then for Chief Judge Diane Wood. Mr. Straus graduated magna cum laude from both Brown University and Harvard Law School. He also holds masters degrees in history from the University of Cambridge and Harvard University.
Mr. Straus helped secure a $16 million deal to resolve a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that Walgreens, Stephen L. LaFrance Holdings Inc. and several companies that were part of USA Drug, a regional pharmacy chain, knowingly overbilled Medicare Part D, Medicaid and other government health programs millions of dollars by unlawfully charging more for generic drugs than the customary prices paid by individuals without prescription drug insurance. Read more.
In an oil and gas royalty class action, Mr. Straus and a team from Susman Godfrey secured a complete defensive win for Apache Corporation when Chief Judge H. Lee Rosenthal from the Southern District of Texas granted in full a motion to dismiss a royalty class action brought by a putative class of plaintiffs who alleged – contrary to existing law – that Apache breached thousands of mineral leases by allegedly underpaying royalties. Read more.
Honors & Distinctions
Honors and Awards
- Rising Star, New York Super Lawyers (2020 – 2024, Thomson Reuters)
- Articles Editor, Harvard Law Review
- Fellowship in Law and Graduate Studies
- Phi Beta Kappa
Clerkships
- Honorable Richard Posner, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- Honorable Diane Wood, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Education
Education
- Brown University (A.B., History, magna cum laude, with Honors)
- The University of Cambridge (M.Phil., Early Modern History, with distinction)
- Harvard University (A.M., History)
- Harvard Law School (J.D., magna cum laude)
Admissions
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- New York
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Publications
- Recent Case, 129 Harv. L. Rev. 1811 (2016)