About Charles Van
Charles Van Hardenbergh splits his week between a small law practice and the classrooms at his alma mater. He arrives at each day prepared to explain dry legal doctrine one moment and to argue a point of business accounting the next. The contrast is deliberate. It has shaped a career that crosses practice and teaching.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics and business from Virginia Military Institute in 1993. He stayed in the state for law school and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1996. Those years framed his approach to both law and commerce. Students remember him for a knack for making technical material accessible.
After law school he returned to central Virginia and began a mixed career in practice and instruction. He established Charlies V. Hardenbergh, PC, where he serves as owner. Over time he also took on faculty roles at Virginia Military Institute, teaching both law and accounting. The teaching appointments reflect his dual interests. He has led seminars that explore how legal rules intersect with financial reporting and business decisions.
His academic work is practical. He has taught courses in basic accounting principles as they relate to business operations, and he has lectured on areas of law that intersect with those business topics. His students are a blend of cadets preparing for military careers and undergraduates headed for civilian business roles. In the classroom he presses for clarity and practical thinking. In his practice he applies the same standard.
At the firm he manages client matters while overseeing day-to-day operations. The firm maintains a presence in Lexington and in Petersburg, allowing him to serve clients in different parts of the state. He is licensed to practice in Virginia and maintains current memberships in professional organizations. Colleagues describe him as steady and exacting in legal analysis.
Beyond teaching and the law office, he balances the administrative demands of running a small practice with the preparation required for effective classroom instruction. That combination keeps him engaged on both fronts. It also gives him frequent opportunities to test theory against real-world problems.
He continues to teach at Virginia Military Institute while operating Charlies V. Hardenbergh, PC. He practices law from offices in Lexington and Petersburg and represents clients across Virginia in matters that intersect business and legal concerns.
