Charlie Spies has been providing strategic political law counsel at the highest levels in Washington D.C. and globally for over two decades. Along with advising corporate and trade association clients on federal and state election law and non-profit organization compliance, he has represented multiple Presidential candidates, US Senators, Governors, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, the House Majority Leader, and the RNC, NRSC, NRCC, RGA, and RAGA on strategic campaign finance, ethics, and First Amendment & political litigation matters. He guides clients through the variety of challenges that arise when politics, the government, law, and public policy meet, and was honored by the RNLA as the Republican Lawyer of the Year in 2023. He is consistently listed as a top national political law attorney in Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America for Government Relations, Washington Super Lawyer, Washingtonian Top Lawyer, and was also on the Politico 50 list of “Thinkers, Doers and Visionaries Transforming American Politics.”
Charlie worked as Counsel to the Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, and before moving to global law firms he spent almost a decade working within national political organizations and campaigns, ranging from serving as election law counsel to the Republican National Committee to working as Chief Financial Officer and Counsel for a Presidential campaign, where he developed and managed the national campaign’s budget and systems for legal compliance with the Federal Election Commission, IRS, and various state regulations. Using his experience in the political sphere, Charles co-founded and served as counsel to Restore Our Future, the largest conservative super PAC in history, and then Right to Rise USA in the 2016 election cycle.
Charles can be seen speaking on political and election law issues on a number of networks including Fox News, CNN, Fox Business Network, and various national and local television and radio programs. He’s also published numerous articles and commentaries on various legal issues in national journals and newspapers. He was a Fellow at and is now on the Board of the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service; has lectured at the U.S. Law Institute, Georgetown University Law Center, and the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law; spoken at Yale and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics; been featured on an ABA Administrative Law Division panel; testified before Joint Committees of Congress, the FEC, and state boards of election; and participated in working groups for the OAS Unit for the Promotion of Democracy.
Education & Credentials
Education
Georgetown University Law Center
J.D., 1998University of Michigan
B.A., 1995Bar Admission
Acknowledgements
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Government Relations, 2023-2024
- Chambers USA: America's Leadings Lawyers for Business
- Political Law -National
- Republican National Lawyers Association
- Washington Super Lawyers®
- Legislative & Governmental Affairs, 2014-2021
- Washingtonian
- "Top Lawyer,"
- The Politico 50
- List of “Thinkers, Doers and Visionaries Transforming American Politics”
- The Hill
- "Top Lobbyist,"
Prominent Assignments
- Counsel to Republican Attorneys General Association
- Counsel to Michigan Republican Congressional Delegation in Partisan Gerrymandering Redistricting Litigation
- Outside Counsel to prominent national law firm in USDOJ FARA unit inquiry.
- General Counsel and CFO for Republican Governors Association
- Counsel to Congressman Will Hurd in TX Redistricting Litigation
- Counsel to $100 + Million Right to Rise USA Super PAC
- Counsel to $150 + Million Restore Our Future Super PAC
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US Supreme Court Amicus Brief on behalf of Republican State Leadership Committee in Brnovich v. DNC. (2020)
- Election Law Counsel for Republican National Committee
- Counsel to Federal Election Commission Chairman Darryl R. Wold
Professional Involvement
- American Bar Association Standing Committee on Election Law
- Board of Governors, Republican National Lawyers Association
Community Involvement
- Next Generation Society of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Board Member
- Georgetown University School of Politics and Public Service, Board Member
Court Admissions
- United States Supreme Court
- Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Fourth District Court of Appeals
- US District Court for ED of Michigan
- US District Court for WD of Michigan
- US District Court for ED of Virginia
- US District Court for District of Columbia
Publications/Presentations
Articles
- Co-Author, "FEC Candidate Loan Repayment Limitation Ruled Unconstitutional in District Court Decision," Dickinson Wright Client Alert, June 2021
- Co-Author, "Congress Working to Pass the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”)," Dickinson Wright Client Alert, March 2020
- "Trump, Clinton & Bob McDonnell Gifts: What Difference Does It Make? A Lot" by Charlie Spies for The Daily Caller
- "Clinton Corruption May Be The End Of Citizens United" by Charlie Spies for RedState
- "Donating To The GOP In 2016? Here’s A Guide On Who Should Get Your Money." by Charlie Spies for Independent Journal Review
- "Advice for Trump on winning donors and influencing GOP activists" by Charlie Spies for The Hill
- Charles Spies Authors Op-Ed in Independent Journal Review
- Charlie Spies Quoted in The Detroit News: Michigan Super PAC Donors Spend $5M on Failed GOP Bids, April 2016
- "In Defense of a Contested GOP Convention" by Charles Spies in Real Clear Politics
- Government and Public Affairs Leader Charlie Spies subject of Miami Herald article "All in for Jeb Bush: The SuperPAC man who kept Mitt Romney from being ‘toast’"
- Charlie Spies legal advisory role discussed in Politico article "Jeb Bush fundraising apparatus ready for takeoff"
Media
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Appeared on CNN's political panel discussing “What Would a Dem Debate with Bloomberg Look Like?” “Can Dems Afford to Have Another Misstep in a Caucus?” and “Barr in 1991: The AG Must Keep the Law Away from Politics.”
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Appeared on CNN’S The Lead for two discussion panels, covering the progress of President Trump’s impeachment trial and the presidential primaries.
- Charlie Spies on CBS News "Is Donald Trump making money off his presidential bid?" - September 8, 2016
- Charlie Spies on Lou Dobbs Tonight - August 23, 2016
- Shane Goldmacher, How David Vitter Shattered Another Campaign Finance Rule, NATIONAL JOURNAL, June 1, 2014.
- Charlie Spies on Lou Dobbs Tonight - Will there be a Republican revolt against Trump?
- Board of Elections says Raimondo, Reed ad OK
- Obama, Romney Super PAC Chiefs Battle on CNN with Charlie Spies
Presentations
- Co-Presenter, Political and Policy Advocacy with 501(c)(4) Organizations in Ohio, Dickinson Wright Webinar, September 2020
- Co-Presenter, Political and Policy Advocacy for 501[c](4) Organizations in Kentucky, Dickinson Wright Webinar, September 2020
- Election Year 2020: Understanding the Complex Rules Regulating Political Participation. District of Columbia Bar, Continuing Legal Education