About Charles L. Gibbs
Charles L. Gibbs II built a legal path that moves from small liberal arts beginnings to a long practice at mid-Atlantic and Florida firms. He started at Bowdoin College, earning a B.A. in 1991, and returned to the classroom a decade later to take his law degree from the University of Florida in 2003. The combination of a broad undergraduate education and later legal training set the stage for work in both courtroom and transactional settings.
After law school he joined the federal bench as a law clerk to the Honorable David H. Adams of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. That clerkship in 2003 gave him direct exposure to bankruptcy practice and federal procedure. He moved into private practice the following year, joining McGuireWoods as an associate in 2004. The early years in firm work included handling matters that brought him into state and federal courtrooms.
In 2005 he became an associate at Papas, Metcalf, Jenks and Miller. He later spent time at Gunster Yoakley as an associate in 2009 before joining Driver, McAfee, Peek and Hawthorne, P.L. later that same year. That move proved to be enduring. He advanced from associate to partner at Driver, McAfee, Peek and Hawthorne, becoming a partner in 2014. Those roles reflect a steady progression through litigation and advisory assignments over more than two decades.
Gibbs’s record shows repeated work on commercial disputes and matters that intersect with bankruptcy courts and creditors’ rights. He has handled contested matters in debtor-creditor contexts as well as broader commercial litigation. Colleagues describe him as methodical in preparing cases and deliberate in courtroom presentation. His background on the bankruptcy bench informs how he approaches procedural and evidentiary questions.
Outside the office he has remained connected to the professional networks around the firms where he has practiced. That continuity has shaped a practice that blends litigation mechanics and strategic planning. He is currently a partner at Driver, McAfee, Peek and Hawthorne, P.L., where his work concentrates on commercial litigation and insolvency-related matters.
