Charles represents and advises clients in all aspects of employment-related litigation. His practice is focused on defending employers in wage and hour class, collective, and representative actions under the California Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Charles also has extensive experience representing companies and managers in actions involving claims of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblowing claims in federal and state court.
In addition to litigation, Charles provides advice and counseling to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, drafts national handbooks and other employment policies, and advises clients on personnel management decisions.
Charles received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2019 and served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Shirley Abrahamson of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
- Secured complete pre-discovery defense victory for a global technology company following a former employee’s $10 million demand and 80-page complaint alleging wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment, ERISA, and breach of contract claims under California and Federal law; obtained removal from California state court and transfer from California to Arizona and subsequent dismissal of all claims without leave to amend, with judgment entered, including dismissal of time-barred Title VII/EPA claims, inapplicable California FEHA/EPA claims, and deficient ERISA and breach of contract claims.
- Through Rule 12 motion practice, significantly narrowed putative wage-and-hour class action by obtaining dismissal, with prejudice, of a driver-employee’s California state law meal and rest break claims on the ground that the claims were preempted by a 2018 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration order.
- Successfully moved to transfer action asserting discrimination and wrongful termination claims under California law to the Northern District of California to the District of Arizona, where remote employee worked and lived in Illinois and Arizona. The Arizona district court then granted defendant’s motion to dismiss all of the California claims on the grounds that California law does not apply extraterritorially and as to all the claims as being insufficiently pled.
- Obtained state court order staying former employee’s retaliation and wrongful termination claims under California law on forum non conveniens Employee worked remotely and primarily from his home in Texas, and following successful motion practice, the California state court held that plaintiff was required to pursue his claims in Texas.
- Worked closely with trial partners in obtaining complete defense verdict of individual PAGA claims in arbitration, preventing representative PAGA action from proceeding in court against national apparel retailer.*
- Obtained orders compelling individual arbitration of putative Age Discrimination in Employment Act collective action members in federal court on behalf of multinational information technology company, resulting in dismissal of individual claims or low value individual settlements. *
- Obtained complete summary judgment dismissing fourteen causes of action, including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and defamation, brought against one of the nation’s largest hospital systems in federal court, which was later upheld by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. *
- Secured dismissal of discrimination claims on statute of limitations grounds following successful appeal to state supreme court on behalf of large technology company. *
- Defended and obtained favorable settlements in numerous administrative wage claims before the California Labor Commissioner. *
- Drafted nationwide compliant handbooks and employment policies for multiple national employers. **Experience handled prior to joining McGuireWoods.
Insights
- Author, Ninth Circuit: Every FLSA Opt-in Claim Must Be Sufficiently Connected to Forum State, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 10, 2025
- North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2020
- Recipient, Burton Award, Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award, 2019
- Recipient, George Laiken Award, “Best Student Article in the Wisconsin Law Review,” University of Wisconsin Law School, 2019