Charles Lyons

Background

About Charles Lyons

Charles W. Lyons is passionate about helping students and professionals think critically, lead ethically, and negotiate with confidence. As a Senior Lecturer at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, Charles brings over a decade of university-level teaching and a 20-year legal career into the classroom. He has taught more than students across undergraduate, MBA, and executive-level programs at UGA. He currently teaches courses in Business Ethics, Principles of Management, and Negotiation. A former partner at Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs, LLP, and founding partner of his own firm, Charles built a legal practice focused on high-stakes business litigation, bankruptcy law, and creditor rights. He also served as a judicial clerk for both the U.S. Bankruptcy and District Courts for the Southern District of Georgia. Charles extends his impact beyond the classroom. He has led executive education programs for companies like Coca-Cola, taught customized sessions on negotiation and dispute resolution, and presented at national conferences on topics like AI in higher education and group dynamics in student teams. Most recently, he served as faculty at the 2025 Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute (SBLI), where he delivered a session on professionalism and negotiation titled "Can You Negotiate Your Way Out of a Paper Bag?" He also serves as a consultant for Rampant Strategy, Inc, the developer of Peerdoc and Peerpoll - digital platforms used for managing writing assignments and in-class engagement. With Rampant, he co-developed a new AI-assisted grading tool currently in beta, which provides star-based scores and custom feedback on student writing. This innovation builds on his 2021 Terry Teaching Innovation Grant and his ongoing mission to enhance student learning with technology. Charles is a recipient of multiple teaching awards at UGA, including the Terry College Instructional Excellence Award, Terry Outstanding Teaching Award, and multiple Innovation Grants. He’s also earned the Active Learning Leader Certificate in recognition of his work to make large-format courses more engaging and student-centered. Whether in the courtroom, classroom, or boardroom, Charles is committed to developing better leaders, sharper thinkers, and more ethical decision-makers.