Charlie Lee and the Martial Art of Law

June 1, 2019

Charlie Lee was featured in a recent issue of The Virginia Lawyer…

“Devastating, isn’t he?” That’s an ESPN announcer describing 22-year-old Charlie Lee in the center of a boxing ring, performing his taekwondo routine in 1986 Atlanta. “Lee is noted for his strong, solid stances,” the announcer says. “Every block, every punch is perfectly clean, solid, and strong.” In the YouTube clip, Lee slices and kicks at the air with precision before a large crowd, his routine set to the music of The Twilight Zone.

The announcer notes that Lee is a marketing major at Virginia Tech. “I wanted to go out to Hollywood and be the next Bruce Lee after I graduated,” says Lee, now 55. “But my very traditional Korean mother said, ‘No, you’re going to law school.’ So, you know, you don’t disobey your mother.”

But Lee didn’t just follow his mom’s advice. He became a lawyer, but he also found a way to make his passion an ongoing part of his life. Today, he is co-founder and partner at Moore & Lee LLP in McLean, and he crisscrosses the United States representing clients in cases ranging from healthcare to corporate litigation to construction law. Read the full story