Melissa H. Maxman

Melissa H. Maxman is the Managing Partner of Cohen & Gresser’s Washington, DC office and a litigator with decades of trial and appellate experience. Her practice focuses on antitrust, RICO, complex commercial disputes, and white-collar defense. She advises domestic and foreign corporations on global antitrust issues and represents clients in civil and criminal matters before the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, and courts handling private litigation.

Maxman earned a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School in 1988, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Michigan Law Review. She earned a B.A. from George Washington University in 1983. Her education provided a foundation for a practice requiring sophisticated legal analysis, appellate writing, trial strategy, competition-law counseling, and the management of complex factual records involving commercial and regulatory disputes.

Maxman previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and as a law clerk to Judge Harry T. Edwards of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before joining Cohen & Gresser, she chaired antitrust and trade-regulation practices in Washington offices of major national firms. Her background spans government enforcement, private litigation, and strategic advice on domestic and international competition issues.

Melissa H. Maxman has been recognized by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, Super Lawyers, and Lawdragon for antitrust and litigation work. She is a member of the American Law Institute and has held leadership roles within the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section. Her practice combines courtroom experience, enforcement knowledge, and competition-law counseling to help clients respond to investigations, defend complex claims, and manage business disputes with significant regulatory or commercial consequences.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Cohen & Gresser LLP
• Member, District of Columbia Bar
• Member, Maryland State Bar Association
• Member, Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Member, Virginia State Bar
• Member of Council, American Bar Association Antitrust Section
• Life Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Former Vice Chair, Global Private Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association Antitrust Section
• Former Co-Chair, Exemptions and Immunities Committee of the American Bar Association Antitrust Section
• Former Co-Chair, American Bar Association National Institute on Class Actions
• Member, American Bar Association Antitrust Section Long Range and Strategic Planning Committee
• Member, American Bar Association Antitrust Section Transition Task Force
• Member, American Law Institute
• Former Member, William B. Bryant Inn of Court
• Advisory Board Member, American Antitrust Institute
• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
• Advisory Board Member, Institute of Consumer Antitrust Studies
• Former Chair and Advisory Board Member, The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s National Council
• Former Advisory Board Member, Civil RICO Report
• Former Board Member, Sewall-Belmont House and Museum / National Women’s Party
• Former Trustee, Philadelphia Prison System
• Member, International Women’s Forum of Washington, DC
• Member, Women’s White Collar Defense Association

Licensed State

• District of Columbia
• Maryland
• Pennsylvania
• Virginia

Education

• University of Michigan Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD) (Cum Laude)
• George Washington University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges