Charles was born outside of Philadelphia, and received his Bachelor of Science degree from the Pennsylvania State University while working summers at Yellowstone National Park. He then moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas where he received both a Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A.) and a law degree (J.D.). Since his graduation from law school in 1996, he has focused solely on representing individuals in criminal defense matters, and the scope of his practice encompasses all state and federal crimes. Charles is licensed to practice in all courts in the State of Texas as well as the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. He is a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

Charles met his beautiful wife, Lisa, in 2001 and is the father of two wonderful children. He loves travelling and participating in a variety of sports activities.

He has completed 21 marathons and has ridden his bicycle across America from Los Angeles to Boston. He continually works to improve his Spanish language skills and has travelled to Costa Rica to study Spanish.