Charles Whitman is a Shareholder in Buchalter’s San Diego office. He is a member of the Litigation, Labor & Employment, and White Collar & Investigations practice groups. Mr. Whitman focuses his practice on representing employers, individuals, and businesses in workplace law matters, business disputes, and government investigations and prosecutions.

As part of his employment practice, Mr. Whitman represents employers in all aspects of state and federal employment litigation, including wage and hour class and representative actions, Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) litigation, single plaintiff wage and hour disputes, as well as federal and state discrimination, hostile work environment, bullying, sexual harassment wrongful termination, and retaliation cases. Mr. Whitman also advises employers on protecting proprietary trade secrets, drafting comprehensive employee handbooks, personnel policies, navigating the complicated array of state and federal leave laws, and employment-related agreements to ensure compliance with California and federal law. Additionally, he conducts workplace investigations and management training on a wide array of employment law matters.

Finally, Mr. Whitman represents companies appearing before the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) for various labor related disputes.

Further, Mr. Whitman defends companies facing government enforcement actions, administrative inquiries from state and federal agencies, and white-collar criminal proceedings. He also has previous experience litigating securities fraud class actions and other complex business litigation matters, and partnership disputes

Prior to joining Buchalter, Mr. Whitman worked for a national employment law firm and was a highly decorated judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps. In 2018, Mr. Whitman was awarded The Commandant’s Award for Excellence in Legal Assistance, as the top legal assistance attorney in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was appointed as 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.

As a trial defense counsel in the U.S. Marine Corps, Mr. Whitman, represented numerous Marines at courts-martial and administrative discharge trials. Between his time as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and defense counsel, Mr. Whitman tried dozens administrative, bench, and jury trials to verdict—the vast majority of which he was the lead trial defense counsel. Most of Mr. Whitman’s cases involved serious felony level offenses. Mr. Whitman received the Navy Commendation Medal while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.

In 2023, Mr. Whitman was recognized as a “Rising Star” in San Diego by Super Lawyers Magazine.

Bar Admissions

• California
• District of Columbia

Education

• California Western School of Law
• Westmont College

Significant Accomplishments
<ul><li>Successfully defended employer against claims for wrongful termination and allegations of discrimination.</li><li>Successfully dismissed and resolved wage and hour and PAGA action because the class was not certifiable, and the alleged PAGA “aggrieved employee” group.</li><li>Successfully won a commercial breach of lease trial representing the landlord for numerous breaches of lease.</li><li>Successfully defended executive and company against claims for breaches of fiduciary duty, derivative shareholder allegations, and wage and hour claims.</li><li>Successfully defended companies against NLRB investigations and complaints.</li></ul>

• Bet it all on Blue: How the Betrayal of Los Angeles Dodgers’ Star Shohei Ohtani Impacts both the Sports and Legal Worlds
• California’s AB 51, Which Sought to Ban Mandatory Arbitration Agreements, Is Preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act
• Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, Inc.: The California Supreme Court Determines that Meal and Rest Premiums are Wages and Employers Must Make Sure Wage Statements and Final Pay Accurately Reflect all Due and Owing Meal and Rest Period Premiums
• Letter to General Counsel for Excelsior Mare, Inc.
• Palestine’s Statehood and Ability to Litigate in the International Court of Justice