Helfer, Michael

Max is a shareholder in the firm of Briggs and Morgan, Professional Association. He is a member of the Business Litigation Section and Appellate Practice Group, and practices principally in:

• Complex business disputes
• Employment litigation, including FLSA and discrimination disputes
• Fraudulent transfer, debtor-creditor disputes and bankruptcy-related litigation
• Shareholder disputes
• Product liability
  

Max’s clients have included transportation companies, food companies, financial institutions and closely held businesses.

In his employment practice, Max defends clients on matters related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), including disputes over alleged “off the clock” work (especially those arising from pre-liminary and post-liminary activities, such as “donning and doffing”). Max also has experience representing large employers in employment discrimination matters related to age, race, disability, religion and gender. In recent years, he represented a major airline in a series of labor/management disputes in administrative hearings around the country.

In shareholder disputes, Max has represented both individual shareholders and closely held companies. In finance-related litigation and fraudulent transfer cases, he has represented both plaintiffs and defendants.

While practicing with a Washington, D.C. firm, Max gained substantial experience representing court-appointed creditors' committees in billion-dollar fraudulent transfer litigation and other disputes related to the bankruptcy court-supervised corporate reorganizations of manufacturers burdened by asbestos liability.

Max volunteers for the Hennepin County Bar Association as a public speaker on various introductory legal topics, leading discussions on the court system, careers in law, and the Constitution. He has also published op-ed columns on legal subjects for general audiences. Max is an avid supporter of the Minnesota International Center, which promotes the international exchange of cultural ideas and experiences through the hosting of special speakers and engagements. 

Max received his B.A. with honors from Northwestern University, where he majored in history. He received his law degree cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. Max joined Briggs in 2005.