Charles Whitman

Experienced trial counsel on California complex civil litigation, white-collar defense, and labor and employment law

Charles Whitman advises business owners, employers and individuals on an array of workplace issues, business disputes, and government investigations and prosecutions. He handles all aspects of state and federal employment litigation, including wage and hour class and representative actions, Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) litigation, and single plaintiff wage and hour disputes. Additionally, Charles guides clients on federal and state discrimination, hostile work environment, bullying, sexual harassment, wrongful termination and retaliation cases. He also has experience:

• Drafting comprehensive employee handbooks and personnel policies.
• Litigating business torts and protecting proprietary trade secrets.
• Counseling on state and federal leave laws, as well as employment-related agreements to ensure compliance with California and federal law.
• Conducting workplace investigations and management training on a broad spectrum of employment law matters.

Charles is a fierce but compassionate litigator who advocates for his clients during every phase of a case. He is a keen legal strategist seeking to craft case-specific solutions for each case no matter how complex, big or small. Clients have called Charles “a fox hole guy,” knowing that Charles has their back no matter the circumstances.  

Prior to joining Quarles, Charles worked for Am Law 100 and Am Law 200 national law firms and was a highly decorated judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps. During his time in the Marine Corps, Charles was awarded The Commandant’s Award for Excellence in Legal Assistance, as the top legal assistance attorney in the U.S. Marine Corps. Charles also was appointed a special assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona and the Southern District of California, during which time he assisted federal law enforcement agencies during investigations, prosecuted cases occurring on Marine Corps property, prosecuted border crime cases and tried cases in federal district court.

Between his time as a special assistant U.S. attorney and defense counsel, Charles tried dozens of administrative, bench and jury trials to verdict — serving as the lead trial counsel for the vast majority of those cases.

• Represents companies appearing before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for various labor-related disputes.
• Defends companies and individuals facing government enforcement actions, administrative inquiries from state and federal agencies, and white-collar criminal proceedings.
• Litigates complex commercial litigation matters, as well as partnership disputes.

• Successfully defended employer against claims for wrongful termination and allegations of discrimination.
• Achieved dismissal and resolution of wage and hour and PAGA action because the class was not certifiable, and the alleged PAGA “aggrieved employee” group.
• Won commercial breach of lease trial representing the landlord for numerous breaches of lease.
• Successfully defended executive and company against claims for breaches of fiduciary duty, derivative shareholder allegations, and wage and hour claims.
• Secured favorable outcome for clients facing NLRB investigations and complaints.