Charles Abernathy

Charles Abernathy is the newest member of the team at Zeliff | Watson. Charles is passionate about defending citizens accused in our local court systems and working with clients to restore their good names. Charles is a Forsyth County native, graduating from West Forsyth High School, before attending the University of North Georgia.  Following college, Charles served six years in the United States Marine Corps, which included a combat deployment to Afghanistan in 2018. Charles was awarded multiple ribbons including the Global War on Terrorism Ribbon and the Combat Action Ribbon, among others.

After serving his country in the Marine Corps, Charles went on to attend the Florida State University (FSU) College of Law and passed the Georgia bar in 2023. Charles comes from a family of prominent attorneys including his grandfather, who started practicing law in the 1950s, his father, who began his career in 1975, and his mother, Judge Leslie Abernathy-Maddox, who, amongst many other achievements, was the first female to serve as a Judge in the Forsyth County State Court. Charles is passionate about carrying on his family’s legacy and serving the citizens of Forsyth County and Metro Atlanta throughout our local court systems.

Charles is a member of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the DUI Defense Lawyers Association, which is a national organization dedicated to excellence in the complex field of DUI defense. Charles is licensed to practice in all Georgia trial-level courts.