Charlene briefs and argues cases in federal and state appellate courts, advises clients on legal questions and litigation strategies, and provides briefing and other litigation support in administrative and trial proceedings. She has represented clients on a wide range of subjects, including state and federal environmental laws, water rights, Indian country, treaty rights, administrative law, constitutional law, state tidelands, public records, land use, and others. She has appeared in various U.S. Courts of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, and state courts, and has filed briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court. She also regularly represents clients as amicus curiae and intervenors in state and federal actions.
Prior to joining Van Ness Feldman, Charlene served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Appellate Section of the Western District of Washington, where she represented the United States before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Before her government experience, Charlene practiced for several years in the Seattle office of a large international law firm and served as a judicial law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Charlene serves as a Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representative for the Western District of Washington and as co-president of the Washington Appellate Lawyers Association. She also serves on various state and federal appellate boards and committees and has served as an appellate judge for the Northwest Intertribal Court System.
Charlene is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Washington Law Review. She has undergraduate degrees in English and Music from Arizona State University and, prior to law school, worked as a print journalist and band director.