Charles Buist is an attorney licensed in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Charles and his law partner, Nicholas Spetsas, started their law firm in Orlando, Florida in 2021. They started from scratch and built a thriving law firm in one of the most competitive areas in the country.
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. He witnessed many patients who were harmed by careless or reckless behavior. He watched them deal with those disfiguring injuries over the subsequent years, and he witnessed how their injuries impacted their lives.
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.
Trial Lawyers for Justice - Florida Counsel
In 2025, Trial Lawyers for Justice made Spetsas Buist their official Florida counsel. This relationship allows the firm to handle the most catastrophic and high-stakes cases with some of the most decorated trial attorneys in its corner.
Trial Lawyers for Justice is a firm composed of nationally-recognized trial attorneys with billions in verdicts and settlements. The firm was founded by Nicholas Rowley and Courtney Rowley, both of whom are thought leaders in the personal injury and civil trial law space. Nicholas Rowley has an astounding record, with over $3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements for injured people and their families.
Charles and Nick are proud of their relationship with TL4J, and they're excited and humbled to have the opportunity to receive guidance and instruction from the attorneys they consider to be the best in the world.
Academic Achievements
Charles' father, Dr. Buist, brought him up to value education and hard work. Dedication to constant learning and continuous personal development were an expectation in the Buist household.
Charles went to law school in 2013 after working several years out of college. Charles earned a total of four CALI Excellence for the Future Awards, meaning he achieved the highest grade in the class for that particular subject.
One class Charles earned the CALI Award in was Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing. As a result, Charles had the opportunity to serve as a tutor for legal research and writing for first-year law students during his second and third years of law school. Charles went on to earn the CALI Award for Advanced Legal Writing in his second year of law school.
Charles earned the prestigious position of Research Editor for the South Carolina Law Review. Charles also made the Dean's List every semester.
In addition to the academic side of law school, Charles was also elected to the Student Bar Association his first semester and every semester thereafter. His position at the SBA allowed him to foster relationships with other students and organize social events and gatherings.
Competitive Achievements
Charles has been a competitor his entire life, and he brings that competitive spirit to his profession. Trial law and litigation are inherently adversarial, and Charles thrives in this environment.
Charles was a competitive shooter and a world champion. In 2001, Charles began his career as a shooter and quickly began winning tournaments and picking up sponsorships. In 2003, Charles won the Junior World Championships in skeet shooting.
During his college years, Charles competed in amateur boxing. In 2007, he competed in the Georgia Games boxing tournament in Atlanta, GA and placed second in his weight class, getting one of the few knock outs on the first day of the tournament.
After the journey to compete in boxing, Charles took up extreme obstacle course racing, competing in a variety of events. His favorite were Spartan Race events. These events gave him an opportunity to test himself physically and mentally while pursuing his career in law.
Charles' Family
Charles is married to Alexa Buist, and they currently have three children, Charlie, William, and Madeline. Charles met Alexa at the University of South Carolina in August 2017, and they were married in March 2020. They were blessed with little Charlie in 2021, William in 2023, and Madeline in 2025.
Charles and Alexa met in the gym at the University of South Carolina. Charles has always spent time in the gym, and Alexa was a D1 collegiate volleyball player. They both love fitness and adventure, and when they aren’t spending time with their children, they enjoy cooking, traveling, hiking, fitness, and anything outdoors. They really love the beaches in Florida and South Carolina. Charles is currently working on his gardening skills and trying to grow peppers and keep his lemon trees alive.
Awards & Recognitions
Selected for Super Lawyers Rising Stars
Super Lawyers selected Charles for inclusion in Super Lawyers Rising Stars, which is an honor bestowed upon only 2.5% of the lawyers in the state of Florida.
The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40
In addition to being named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers, Charles was named Top 40 under 40 by The National Trial Lawyers. This award is bestowed upon only the top trial lawyers from each state or region who are under the age of 40. Membership into The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40 is by invitation only.
Million Dollar Advocates Forum
Charles is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which is one of the most prestigious groups for trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is limited to only those attorneys who have won million dollar verdicts and settlements, and less than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members.
Buist Lawyers in Charleston, SC
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.
Graduate Education
- Juris Doctor (J.D.), University of South Carolina, School of Law, Cum Laude
- Master of Environmental Law and Policy (M.E.L.P.), Vermont Law School, Magna Cum Laude
- Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business, Cum Laude
Federal Clerkships
- Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (2017-2018)
- Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable David R. Duncan, United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina (2018-2020)
Academic Honors
- Research Editor for South Carolina Law Review
- Research Assistant for Professor Wadie E. Said
- CALI Award in Criminal Procedure (#1 Grade in the Class)
- CALI Award in Federal Income Taxation (#1 Grade in the Class)
- CALI Award in Advanced Legal Writing (#1 Grade in the Class)
- CALI Award in Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing (#1 Grade in the Class)
- Dean’s List all Semesters
- Order of the Wig and Robe
- Student Bar Association Elected Representative (All Semesters)
- Selected Tutor of Legal Research, Analysis and Writing
Bar Admissions
- Florida
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Federal District of South Carolina
- Eastern District of North Carolina
- Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
History as a Competitor
In his early years, Charles was a competitive shooter, winning the 2003 Junior World Shooting Championships. He was sponsored and supported by multiple companies and won multiple world and state titles in the sport. He has scores that still stand as some of the highest ever posted.
During his college years, Charles competed in amateur boxing as a middleweight. He won second in his division at the Georgia Games amateur boxing tournament in 2007, scoring one of the few TKOs during that particular competition, where rounds were limited to one minute.
Hobbies and Content
Charles enjoys making creative content and writing. After law school, Charles had a long list of things he wished he’d known before entering law school. As a result, Charles wrote and published a book called How to Crush Law School: Graduate at the Top of Your Class and Land the Job of Your Dreams. The book quickly jumped to the top of Amazon’s law school guide category, and is sold in law schools around the country.
Charles loves creating audio content, and he launched a podcast back in 2018 to help law students succeed in law school. The podcast included interviews with various top law school performers and a variety of tips and tricks relevant to law school success. Charles also enjoys self-improvement books, graphic design, and animation. He found a way to bring those passions together by creating content for a YouTube channel. He has created various animated book summaries, which has gained thousands of followers and views. In the process of making this content, Charles became very proficient with animation software, and now he uses those skills to teach clients about personal injury law and to produce content for Spetsas Buist.