Charles Courtenay, Lord Courtenay

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Charles Peregrine Courtenay, Lord Courtenay (born August 14, 1975) is a practising attorney in Los Angeles, California and the son and heir of the 18th Earl of Devon.

He married American actress A.J. Langer (aka Allison Joy Courtenay, Lady Courtenay) in a civil ceremony in 2004. A formal wedding later took place on April 30, 2005, in Los Angeles. On Lord Courtenay's eventual accession to his father's title and estate, the couple will reside at the family's ancestral home of Powderham Castle in Devon, England. Lord Courtenay plans to hold dual (UK/USA) citizenship at the earliest possible time. Joscelyn Skye was born at 6.30pm on January 31, 2007 (US time) in their family home in California, weighing 7.14lb and 21 inches long.[1]^{[citation needed]}

According to the Latham and Watkins website, Lord Courtenay is an associate in the Litigation Department of Latham & Watkins' Los Angeles office. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Courtenay practiced as a barrister in London. He received his undergraduate degree from Cambridge University before undertaking his legal studies at the College of Law and the Inns of Court School of Law. In 1999, Mr. Courtenay was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple, London, and for four years he practiced as a Chancery barrister at the Chambers of Michael Driscoll, QC in Lincoln's Inn. His practice incorporated the full range of Chancery litigation issues, from property law and pensions, to trusts, charities and commercial disputes. He appeared in numerous County Court and High Court trials, made appearances before the Court of Appeal and worked extensively on an international corporate arbitration. Mr. Courtenay also lectured on property litigation and arbitration issues and was an editor of the looseleaf title Commonhold: Law and Practice, which was first published by LexisNexis in 2004.

Mr. Courtenay moved to California in 2003, passed the California bar in 2004 and joined the firm in 2005. Since then, he has been involved in a broad range of commercial litigation matters, including antitrust disputes, the representation of non-profits facing Attorney General investigation, securities litigation, employment discrimination and general business litigation. He has also assisted in an international constitutional project, which the firm was handling pro bono. While building upon his trial skills learned in London, Mr. Courtenay will continue to develop his litigation experience in California, with an eye towards international disputes that will make use of his dual qualification.