Charles concentrates his practice in securities litigation and director and officer liability, corporate compliance and governance, environmental law, health care law, commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense. In addition to providing legal representation to both corporate and individual clients in the private sector, Charles is providing representation in federal civil litigation regarding restoration of the Florida Everglades.
In addition to his other legal work, Charles has or is representing clients in complex litigation, including allegations of breaches of fiduciary duties and corporate waste, federal securities fraud litigation, a Bivens cause of action against federal prosecutors, Qui Tam litigation, and other commercial and white collar litigation.
Charles was formerly a partner at Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote. Prior to that, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in Allegheny County for more than seven years, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania for more than six years, and as Assistant Chief of the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., for more than nine years.
During his tenure with the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., Charles served as lead counsel for the United States in the criminal prosecution of U.S. v. Exxon and Exxon Shipping Co. for the massive 1989 Exxon Valdez Alaska oil spill. The $1.1 billion criminal and civil settlements obtained by the government represented the largest comprehensive settlement in the history of law enforcement. Charles has also prosecuted major environmental cases in Pittsburgh, Miami, Anchorage, San Juan and Washington, D.C.
Charles has made more than 50 professional presentations to government employees, the environmental regulated community and attorneys. He is the co-author of an article on corporate officer responsibility printed in the Environmental Law Reporter. In addition, he has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and other national media.
Charles has served on faculties and made presentations and submitted papers to the American Bar Association, ALI-ABA, the Pacific Admiralty Conference, the Practicing Law Institute, the Allegheny Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He was profiled by the Environmental Law Institute in the Environmental Forum in March/April 1999 regarding his work on the Exxon Valdez litigation and his current practice. He also served as moderator of the Corporate Legal Times Roundtable on the topic, “Corporations are Striving to do the Right Thing,” published in November 1999. He was on the faculty of the ABA 23rd Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime in San Francisco, CA, in March 2009. In September 2009, he made a presentation to the Los Angeles County Bar Association, International Law Section, on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
In January 2003, Charles joined the Adjunct Faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and teaches Conflict of Laws.
• Recipient of numerous awards including the prestigious Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, the U.S. Attorney Director’s Award for Sustained Superior Service, the U.S. Department of Labor Award, the U.S. Department of Transportation – United States Coast Guard Meritorious Public Service Award, and the U.S. Department of Justice Special Achievement Award and Certificate of Commendation for three separate prosecutions
• Received letters of recognition from two Attorneys General and two FBI Directors
• Listed in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers for Securities Litigation (2007, 2008 and 2009)
• Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America for White Collar Criminal Defense (2009)
• Martindale-Hubbell "AV" rated