4 minute read
Charles Marshall ’88
Always Prepared
In 2019, when Charles Marshall ’88 was tapped to be vice chancellor and general counsel for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Raleigh attorney brought a wide range of professional experience and legal knowledge to his alma mater. He holds two degrees from Carolina; after studying political science and history, Charles earned a Bachelor of Arts with distinction in 1992. He went on to receive his Doctor of Law degree with honors in 1996.
When Charles was a young lawyer, he had the opportunity to work in all three branches of the federal government in Washington, D.C. “The jobs themselves were not glamorous, but they gave me a ground-floor view of government, law, and policy from three different perspectives,” he says.
Prior to UNC, Charles was a partner at Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, where his work focused on a wide range of topics, including data privacy, digital media, business litigation, and election law. While Charles won accolades from his peers and from publications like Best Lawyers in America and North Carolina Super Lawyers, he says his career is not built upon any specific achievements or specialized knowledge.
“Rather, it’s been a journey of having to learn new subjects and skills at each new job—from tax law to Congressional politics to media law and organizational management; and, now, higher education law and policy. Through the interesting turns that I’ve taken in my legal career, I’ve learned that the value of earning the trust and respect of the people you work with far outweighs the value of being the smartest person in the room.”
Being prepared for what comes next is a lesson Charles learned at Country Day. He vividly recalls retired history teacher Ed Kelly’s mantra about the singular relationship between preparation and performance: “If you have thoroughly mastered the material, you will do well.”
“That was always true for me at Country Day,” says Charles, “and it’s been true for me in law and life generally. My biggest failures in a courtroom, on a stage, pursuing a hobby, or even in planning for a family adventure, are all because I didn’t devote enough time or attention to preparation.
They pushed me into different spaces to learn different life skills—researching, writing, public speaking, being a leader on a team—that had nothing to do with achieving the highest grade in a class or being the most valuable player. Country Day also helped me learn how to take chances and deal with failure.
My advisors challenged me to take classes beyond my comfort zone, and even though I didn’t perform as well in those classes, I became a stronger student because of them. I failed at public speaking many times as a student, and sometimes in a very public way, but working through those failures and the stresses that accompanied them helped make it so much easier to tackle tough audiences with more confidence as I grew older.”
In addition to Ed Kelly, Charles remembers the influence Marsha Newton-Graham had on him in Upper School. “She was as much of a life coach as a teacher to me; she taught me important lessonsabout leadership, taking chances, and learning how to be an adult. Roger Coulombe taught me how to study history and write essays in ways that I still use all the time.”
While Charles feels fortunate and privileged to have a happy and healthy family, it is not without challenge. About a year ago, he suffered a traumatic brain injury after falling off a golf cart. “The strain it put on my wife and children and colleagues—and the stress of trying to recover back to my normal self—taught me so much about humility, gratefulness, the illusion of control, and the sanctity of my marriage,” he says.
When asked about his advice for today’s students trying to figure it all out, this accomplished professional suggests keeping it all in perspective: “Slow down, be present, and surround yourself with people that you respect.”
