Maximilian Sladek de la Cal

Max is a seasoned litigator who represents clients in complex business litigation and regulatory matters, with a strong emphasis on technology law. He has experience with artificial intelligence, ecommerce, cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, contract dispute, business tort, trade secret, antitrust, defamation, First Amendment and intellectual property litigation.

Max has significant experience in state and federal courts at all stages of litigation. While at Cooley, he has secured victories in high-stakes cases for clients across multiple industries, including at trial. Max has particularly deep experience with large consumer class actions and managing complex discovery involving clients’ highly sensitive business information. He has represented the world’s top public technology companies, as well as emerging ones. Max also represents high-profile clients in the entertainment industry.

Max additionally has significant appellate experience and maintains an active pro bono practice, representing global nonprofits and individuals in a variety of impact litigation matters, including cases that have reached the US Supreme Court. 

Max’s recent representative experience:

• Obtained pleading-stage dismissal on all consumer privacy claims in a putative class action for a world-leading artificial intelligence company
• Secured a complete defense-side jury trial win for the Kardashian-Jenner family
• Secured a complete victory at summary judgment in a contract dispute and online advertising case for a world-leading internet search company
• Achieved a federal appellate victory overturning a preliminary injunction for an emerging technology client in bet-the-company litigation involving its car-sharing app
• Obtained pleading-stage dismissals in a consumer class action involving the cryptocurrency industry and in a privacy class action concerning a data breach for a healthcare industry client
• Successfully represented a software and gaming company in a novel dispute involving consumer class action claims and “virtual trespass”
• Successfully represented an online dating company in intellectual property and business tort disputes against a top competitor
• Successfully represented the Wikimedia Foundation in impact litigation involving government internet surveillance and national security issues
• Defeated multiple summary judgment motions and obtained a favorable settlement for a pro bono client in federal civil rights litigation as part of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Justice Lab project

During law school, Max was editor-in-chief of the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, the top law journal on technology law in the US. He earned the Prosser Award for academic achievement in his Computer Crime and Law and Technology Writing courses. Max also was a graduate research assistant for the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic and participated in the formation of the UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. In addition, he published on the implications of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence in the Information Age.

Before law school, Max was a researcher at a think tank in Washington, DC, where he worked on a variety of technology policy issues – including related to artificial intelligence and robot ethics.