Meet Max Paderewski
Practicing law runs in Max Paderewski's family. He is a third-generation personal injury lawyer, and he has spent his career representing people across Texas whose lives changed after an accident or someone else's negligence. He is now a founding partner of Lone Star Injury Attorneys in Houston, where he has built a record of trial wins and settlements that rank among the strongest in the state.
Max believes every claim deserves full preparation, whatever its size. He builds each case on evidence. He investigates thoroughly, documents the client's losses in detail, and prepares as if the case will go to trial. Insurance companies often expect a quick, discounted settlement. Max regularly turns those offers down. He keeps pushing until the number reflects what his client actually lost, and he is ready to take the case to a jury when it doesn't.
TopVerdict.com, an independent ranking service, has placed several of Max's results among the top in Texas:
- 2022: #1 trial verdict in Harris County courts, and the second-highest county court verdict anywhere in Texas that year
- 2024: #1 paralysis settlement in Texas
- 2024: #1 gunshot wound settlement in Texas
- 2024: #1 premises liability / negligent security settlement in Texas
- 2025: #17 truck accident settlement in Texas
- 2025: #34 personal injury settlement in Texas
His largest result so far is an $8 million negligent security settlement. His client was shot at an apartment complex where management had left a broken front gate unrepaired. The defense offered $1.5 million, then $5 million, then $6 million, and Max rejected each one before the case resolved for $8 million.
In Zaldivar v. White and DoorDash, Max secured a $2 million settlement. According to VerdictSearch.com, it was the largest publicly reported personal injury settlement in Texas in 2024 for a case with no surgery.
In another case, the insurer said its $50,000 policy limit was all the money available. Max used the Stowers doctrine to hold the carrier accountable and recovered $750,000, 15 times the policy limit.
On another $50,000 policy, the insurer's best offer before trial was $3,000. Max tried the case and won a $209,669 jury verdict, more than 70 times that offer, plus prejudgment interest and court costs. The verdict was upheld on appeal.
Max first worked in personal injury law as a law clerk at a firm in Sarasota, Florida. He then went to law school at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. He started litigating in Washington, D.C. and Virginia, where he was first named a Super Lawyers Rising Star and earned a perfect 10.0 Avvo rating.
After moving to Houston, he was named to the National Trial Lawyers' Top 40 Under 40. At a trial lawyers' conference, he met attorney Brian Crockett. The two found they shared the same goal of getting the best possible result for every client, whether the case was large or small, and they founded Lone Star Injury Attorneys together.
Max earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, CA. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University's Goizueta Business School in Atlanta, GA.
His honors include:
- Super Lawyers Rising Star (as published in Texas Monthly)
- The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40 (2021–2026)
- Avvo Rating: 10.0 (Superb)
- BBB Accredited Business