"I was born and raised in Louisville, and this community has shaped nearly every part of my life. I grew up on a small horse farm on the south side of town, where my father taught me the value of hard work while we worked on cars together at his body shop and my mother, a teacher, taught me the value of education. Between turning wrenches, taking care of the farm, Scouting, school, and the everyday responsibilities of family life, I learned early the value of showing up, working hard, and trusting others. I have carried those lessons with me throughout my life, and Louisville has remained the place where I have built my career, my family, and my home.

 

The expression 'Jack of All Trades master of none is far greater than the master of one' has always been a backdrop in my life. I like learning new things, diversifying my thoughts and skill sets and most of all becoming more well rounded. I'm one of the biggest nerds you can meet and love discussing niche things.

 

At duPont Manual High School, I studied engineering and computer programming through the Math, Science and Technology program. I later earned three bachelor’s degrees from the University of Kentucky—in Political Science, Economics, and History—and earned my law degree from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. Along the way, I became involved in public service at a young age, worked in local government, and spent time in London working in the British House of Commons. That combination of government, technology, law, and public service has shaped the way I approach problems: understand how the system works, listen to the people affected by it, and look for practical ways to make it work better. 

 

For the past eight years, I have served as a prosecutor with the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office. My work has included all sorts of interesting criminal cases but my prior legal career has included Corporate Law, Tax Law, and Estate and Probate Law. In each job role, I actively work to make work life better for my co-workers and often I have been able to combine my legal knowledge with my programming expertise to solve major problems. Even today, some of the software used in each of our District Courtrooms, I personally designed and developed like the Jefferson County Amnesty Docket, software for Marcy's Law/victim's rights compliance, software to optimize the Drive Safe Louisville program, and applications that help with case management. The justice system should be efficient and accessible, transparent and intuitive - instead it often feels like none of the above. The process itself has to change. I believe that the court system should be brought into this decade and I know how to implement changes which would benefit our entire community. 

 

All of my experiences have shaped the principles I would bring to the bench: fairness, dignity, accountability, consistency, and respect for the law and constitutional rights of every person who enters the courtroom. I believe people are more than labels or case numbers, and that a judge must understand the individual facts of each case while applying the law faithfully and consistently.

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I would appreciate your vote on November 3rd, 2026. Thank you."

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- J. Max Allen

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