Salvaggio, David F.

Max A. Hansen was born in Dillon, Montana and raised in Dillon and Kalispell, Montana. His predecessors were ranchers from Southwestern Montana and loggers from the Northwestern part of the state.  After college in Montana and work and law school in Southern California, it was only natural that Max would return to his roots in Dillon.  He started his own firm in 1980 after a three year stint working for a general practice firm in Dillon and as a part time deputy county attorney. Max continued as a general practitioner for many years but as time went on he began to focus on real estate transactions and general business transactions for various clients in Montana and Utah.  As part of his real estate practice, Max assisted his first client on an exchange transaction in 1979 and became more involved in those types of transactions. 

In addition to his Montana law practice, Max also became licensed to practice by and has continued as an active member of the State Bar of California and the Utah State Bar.  During his tenure with the State Bar of Montana, he has served in various Board and officer positions culminating in a term as President and multiple terms as the State Bar Delegate to the American Bar Association House of Delegates.  During his almost 20 year tenure in the ABA House of Delegates he also served as the ABA Delegate from Montana and was a member of the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.  He still assists the Standing Committee from time to time and continues as a member of the Committee on Sales, Exchanges and Basis of the ABA Section of Taxation.

In 1991, Max's increasing involvement in property exchange transactions led him to form American Equity Exchange, Inc. which was one of the first 1031 exchange accommodator companies in the Rocky Mountain Region.  For over 19 years, in addition to maintaining his law practice, Max has led the staff at American Equity Exchange and its affiliated companies in their role of helping taxpayers, tax advisors and real estate professionals throughout the United States successfully complete property exchanges. 

Fairly recent changes in Max's personal life created an opportunity for him to share time between his home and office in Garland, Utah and the main office in Dillon, Montana.  In spite of the distance between the two states, Max's vision for the law firm is that it will continue to play a vital role in assisting clients from all walks of life to be successful in their various endeavors and transactions.