About Charles
Charles Carpenter built a legal career that bridges technical training and courtroom work. He approaches cases with a methodical eye shaped by his early study of economics and later legal training.
Carpenter earned his juris doctor from The Catholic University of America in 1988. Before law school he completed a bachelor of science in natural resources economics at Montana State University–Bozeman in 1981. Those two degrees anchor his work: economic analysis on one side, formal legal doctrine on the other.
He entered private practice in the early 1990s. In 1991 he joined Pepper Hamilton as an associate. Over the next decade he handled matters that required navigation of federal procedure and appellate practice. In 2001 he became a partner at Pepper Hamilton, a role he held while continuing to appear in a range of federal forums.
By 2009 his professional path led him to Carpenter Law Office plc, where he holds membership. That move marked a transition from a large-firm partnership to a smaller, more individualized practice structure. The shift allowed him to carry forward the courtroom and appellate experience he accumulated at his previous firm.
Carpenter is admitted in a broad set of jurisdictions. His admissions include Idaho and Montana, Maryland and the District of Columbia, and courts across the federal appellate system—the 9th, 10th, 4th and 5th Circuits, the D.C. Circuit, and the Federal Circuit. He is also admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. Those credentials reflect a career that has regularly touched on federal and interstate issues.
Colleagues describe him as analytical and detail-minded. His undergraduate work in natural resources economics gives him a particular familiarity with technical and regulatory records. He tends to bring that sensibility to case preparation, parsing complex factual matrices and statutory schemes.
He has combined firm-side roles and solo practice elements, shifting between collaborative teams and direct client representation. That background informs how he manages litigation strategy and appellate briefing in multi-jurisdictional matters. He currently practices at Carpenter Law Office plc, where he represents clients in federal and appellate matters.
