As a litigator for almost 20 years, Charles has first-chaired federal and state cases for corporate and individual clients. His cases are diverse, including:

• real estate and property litigation;
• construction, liens, and construction defect litigation;
• business and corporate litigation;
• contract litigation;
• trust, estate, and guardianship litigation;
• intellectual property/trademark/copyright litigation; and
• high-asset and complex domestic litigation.

His practice also focuses on U.S. privacy law and GDPR, cybersecurity, drafting bespoke online privacy policies, and incident response and remediation after a hack or breach. Finally, he also represents parents from other countries, whose children have been abducted and brought to the United States, to recover and return the children to their home country under U.S. law and the Hague Convention, an international treaty.

Charles orchestrates and directs all elements of his litigation matters, from first handshake through appeal. He is adept at formulating strategy and executing on all stages of litigation, from filing the complaint, to discovery, motion practice, depositions, mediation, negotiation, hearings, and trials. Additionally, he has briefed and argued several appeals before the Utah Supreme Court, Utah Court of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Before taking a hiatus from the law in 2017, Charles received the “Rising Star” award from Mountain States Super Lawyers from 2013 to 2017, and he received Utah Business’s “Legal Elite” award for civil litigation in 2016. He was elected to the board of directors at his prior firm, Prince, Yeates & Geldzahler. He also served on the board for the Young Lawyers’ Division of the Utah State Bar and was a Barrister with the Aldon J. Anderson Inn of Court in Salt Lake City.

Education

Charles graduated with a B.S. from the University of Utah in 2003, and with his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2006. While at UConn, he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal, and he was also a member of the Moot Court Board.

Reported Appellate Cases

• Enlightened Wealth Institute Int’l L.C. v. Allen, 680 Fed. Appx. 538 (9th Cir. 2017). Lead counsel, affirmed summary judgment from California federal court in complex business dispute.
• West v. Dobrev, 735 F.3d 921 (10th Cir. 2013). Lead counsel, affirmed district court’s order directing children abducted by their father to be returned to their mother in Belgium.
• Gladwell v. Reinhart, 291 P.3d 228 (Utah 2012). Drafted briefs and argued before Utah Supreme Court securing victory for client that altered and clarified bankruptcy exemptions under the Utah Exemption Act.
• Anderson v. Kriser, 266 P.3d 819 (Utah 2011). Drafted briefs appealing summary judgment in construction defect litigation.
• Hess v. Canberra Dev., LC, 254 P.3d 161 (Utah 2011). Drafted omnibus appellee’s brief after four-day jury trial, leading to unanimous opinion affirming jury’s $3.1 million verdict for clients.
• Sunridge Dev. Corp. v. RB&G Eng’g, Inc., 230 P.3d 1000 (Utah 2010). Drafted petition for certiorari after Utah Court of Appeals affirmed trial court’s grant of summary judgment; after Utah Supreme Court granted cert, drafted petitioner’s brief securing reversal on issue of contract interpretation.
• Davencourt at Pilgrim’s Landing Townhome Owners’ Ass’n v. Davencourt at Pilgrim’s Landing, L.C., 221 P.3d 234 (Utah 2009). Drafted brief affirming summary judgment in watershed construction defect case, created new law on implied warranties for new residential construction.
• Innerlight, Inc. v. Matrix Group, LLC, 214 P.3d 854 (Utah 2009). Drafted Rule 8A petition for emergency relief to Utah Supreme Court, after granting petition, drafted appellant’s briefs reversing trial court on issue of contract interpretation.
• Tom Heal Commer. Real Estate, Inc. v. York, 167 P.3d 523 (Utah Ct. App. 2007). Drafted appellee’s brief affirming summary judgment in contact action disputing real estate brokers’ commissions.