Max Bridges is a Registered Patent Attorney and member of the Firm’s Intellectual Property Protection & Litigation Service Team. According to clients in Chambers USA, “He brings great attention to detail and is quickly becoming a key contributor to our IP protection efforts.” He focuses his practice on patent prosecution and enforcement, trademark prosecution and enforcement, copyrights, evaluating the patentability of inventions, patent litigation, providing legal opinions, client counseling, conducting IP due diligence, and transaction support.

Professional Experience

• Summer Clerk for the Southern Environmental Law Center, Atlanta, GA, 2013
• Extern for the Kentucky Energy and Environmental Cabinet, Frankfort, KY, January-April, 2013
• Prosecutorial Intern for the Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney, Lexington, KY, Summer 2012

Education

J.D., magna cum laude, University of Kentucky College of Law, 2014

• CALI Award for Environmental Law
• Order of the Coif
• Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Law, Articles Editor
• Reed Club Best Appellee Brief, Legal Writing Appellate Brief Competition;
• United States District Court Judicial Fellows Program

B.S., summa cum laude, University of Kentucky, 2011 (Agricultural Biotechnology)

Distinctions

• Recognized by Best Lawyers® as “Ones to Watch" in Environmental Law and Patent Law, 2021-2025
• Recognized by his peers as a Kentucky Super Lawyers® Rising Star, 2022-2025

Professional Activities

• Louisville Bar Association
• Fayette County Bar Association
• American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
• Leadership Louisville Class of 2026

• Mr. Bridges has experience counseling clients on environmental laws, evaluating environmental due diligence investigations, especially Phase I Environmental Site Assessments and Phase II Subsurface Investigations, to manage environmental liability during transactions.  Additionally, he has handled numerous remediation projects and cost recovery claims governed by CERCLA, RCRA, and state counterpart programs; obtained many Brownfield Exemptions for clients through Kentucky’s Brownfield Program; negotiated and obtained environmental covenants for clients; and assisted clients during enforcement and permit issues with a variety of state and federal agencies including Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, and US EPA.
• Mr. Bridges also represents individuals and corporations in evaluating the patentability of inventions, prosecuting patent applications, and enforcing patent rights.  His practice also includes counseling clients in patent litigation, providing legal opinions concerning freedom to operate, reviewing and drafting IP contracts such as Non-disclosure and Confidentiality Agreements, Licenses, etc., and representing clients in matters before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Max’s scientific background in agricultural biotechnology contributes to his IP practice.
• Represent individuals and corporations in evaluating potential trade and service marks, prosecuting state and federal applications for trade and service marks, and enforcing trademark rights against others.
• Obtained multiple US and foreign patents for our client which is an agricultural biotechnology company specializing in the expression, extraction and purification of proteins and other high value products from plants.
• Obtained a number of utility and design patents for clients in a broad range of fields including software, renewable energy, sunglasses, audio devices, the electrical utility industry, medical devices, agricultural packaging products, mechanical devices, shipping containers, and others.
• Ex Parte Reexamination Control No. 90/019,505 – Draft and file a request for Ex Parte Reexamination of US Pat. 7,162,838 which successfully resulted in the USPTO instituting a re-examination of the patent and invalidating the majority of the claims. 
• Assist ACBL with re-developing the former Jeffboat Property by providing advice on managing the environmental issues at the property and ultimately obtaining a closure letter from the State of Indiana confirming that all environmental risks are properly managed. This matter involved providing advice on the potential controls and use limitations to redevelop the property as well as preparing and recording Environmental Restrictive Covenants for the property.
• Defended our client in a patent infringement lawsuit related to cotton bale wrapping machines and methods.
• Reynolds Consumer Products LLC v. Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District – This was an administrative proceeding challenging terms the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District sought to include in a Title V permit and it was resolved by an agreement between the parties.
• Represent the Oldham County Environmental Authority in a variety of matters including contract preparation and review, easement negotiations, condemnation actions, and environmental compliance, and others.
• Merrick, et al v. Brown-Forman Corporation and Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. - Plaintiffs seek class certification for personal and real property damage and injunctive relief for mold allegedly caused by defendants' whiskey warehouse operations. The putative class representatives assert causes of action for negligence, trespass, and nuisance.
• Dow Chemical Company v. Anglers E. & C. Inc. - Represented a Potentially Responsible Party in this Superfund and Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act cost recovery action brought by other PRPs.
• Reigle v. Strategic Materials, Inc., Trent Lee and Jean Lee, and Visteon Corporation – Represent plaintiffs in successful RCRA imminent and substantial endangerment citizen suit.

News

Blog Posts

• Protecting Your Company's Intellectual Property," KBA Issues for Corporate House Counsel Seminar, Louisville, Kentucky (April 12, 2022)
• "Risk Based Management and Closure of Contaminated Property,” 11th Annual Kentucky Commercial Real Estate Conference, Louisville, Kentucky (October 27, 2021)
• "Turning Audit Findings into Silver Linings," 19th Annual Kentucky Environmental Conference, (March 25, 2021)
• "Boiler MACT Litigation Update," Kentucky Chamber's 21st Annual Kentucky Environmental Permitting and Reporting Conference, Lexington, Kentucky (August 15, 2018)
• "The Impact of Miller v. Brown-Forman," Kentucky Chamber's 6th Annual Environmental Conference, Lexington, Kentucky (March 8, 2018)
• "Environmental Update including the Stream Protection Rule, and what Constitutes Criminal Behavior Following the Don Blankenship Trial," 29th Annual Kentucky Professional Engineers in Mining Seminar, Lexington, Kentucky (August 26, 2016)
• "Real Estate and Environmental Issues Selected Statutes and Predevelopment Planning," Kentucky Chamber's 14th Annual Environmental Conference, Lexington, Kentucky (February 10, 2016)

• Greater Louisville Inc. Environment & Energy Committee
• Parks Alliance of Louisville, Board Member
• Rotary Club of Louisville
• Boy Scouts of America