Charli cleland is a Queer, Trans Ghanaian American Lawyer based in Baltimore, Maryland.

For close to a decade, Charli has used repair as a framework to help clients resolve hundreds of cases (legal and otherwise).

His experience spans a range of challenges, including resolving conflicts with: "disgruntled” employees, feuding family members, and board members seeking transparency. Charli has represented whistleblowers in nonprofits and large corporations, settled emotionally charged divorces, tried serious felonies, negotiated the return of hundreds of thousands of charitable funds, mediated disputes with vendors, handled employee grievances from report to resolution, and more.

Charli’s recent work history includes serving as General Counsel at Earth Island Institute, a fiscal sponsor housing 70+ organizations, and serving as Staff Attorney at the  Mill Law Center  (MLC), a law firm dedicated to helping nonprofits across the U.S. form, apply for tax exemption and maintain their status.

Charli currently serves as in-house counsel for Luxury Next Season.

Before his consulting work, Charli was a public defender in Brooklyn, New York. Here, Charli got his first taste of equity and repair work both in the American Criminal Justice System and through his organizing work [as a member of UAW Local 2325, as a representative of the Attorneys of Color Association of the Legal Aid Society, and as co-founder of the Black Attorneys of Legal Aid caucus].

Charli especially enjoys equity consulting work aimed at disrupting and addressing inequities in the workplace.

  • Charli graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 2016 with several awards for his commitment to public service. He also received an award for recording the highest achievement in  trial advocacy.

    While at Brooklyn, Charli was a Sparer fellow, a member of the Moot Court Honor Society, co-chair of the National Lawyers Guild and Secretary of the Brooklyn Law Students for Public Interest.

  • Charli was admitted to the bar in New York in April of 2017.

  • Charli was admitted to the bar in Maryland in January of 2020.

  • Charli has first-chaired three (3) criminal cases.

    1. Assault against an intimate partner

      (defense: reasonable doubt)

    2. Assault of a coworker

      (defense: mistaken identity)

    3. Assault of a police officer

      (defense: police misconduct + lack of intent)

    All of Charli's trial matters resulted in acquittals.

    Charli also has extensive experience with civil and class action matters.

  • For the last 5 years, charli has served the transactional needs of hundreds of organizations and businesses, drafting, negotiation and reviewing a range of contracts.

    Charli's contracts experience includes but is not limited to: employment contracts, lease agreements, service agreements, confidentiality agreements, partnership agreements, non-disclosure agreements and nuptial agreements.