Charles is a native of South Carolina. Early on in Charles’ life, he experienced the trauma associated with a horrific auto accident. When he was a child, his family was in a terrible accident that involved a vehicle defect. As a result, his parents suffered serious injuries, and Charles’ childhood would never be the same. The inability to help his family in the aftermath of this accident left a mark. That feeling of helplessness he felt is what drives him every day to fight for other people who deserve a voice.
Charles’ father, Dr. Buist, is a dentist, and he raised Charles alone. Hence, Charles spent a lot of time in a dentist office while he was growing up, and he started working as a dental assistant at an early age. Charles saw many horrific cases where patients would come to Dr. Buist after being injured by another dentist. He witnessed many patients who were harmed by careless or reckless dentists. Some of them were permanently injured.
Over time, Charles’ childhood experiences and his experiences at his father’s dental practice turned into a resolve to help injured people. Charles wanted to help give people a voice and guide them to justice when they had been wrongfully injured. Thus, he decided to become a trial lawyer.
Charles went to the College of Charleston for his undergraduate degree, and he comes from a long line of Charleston, South Carolina attorneys. In fact, the Buist family started one of the oldest law firms in Charleston in the 1800s. The firm was called Buist & Buist, but it later changed names in the 1970s after merging with another law firm and eventually became Buist, Moore, Smythe & McGee. Although Charles has considered moving back to Charleston many times, he and his wife currently spend much of their time in Florida. After law school, Charles visited his law school roommate, Nick Spetsas, in Orlando for a New Years’ weekend and absolutely fell in love with the area and saw it as a perfect place to open a law firm. The parks, the people, the beauty, and the year-round sunshine make Orlando a wonderful place to live, and the centralized location makes Orlando a great location for business.
