Charles H. Cranford was born in Albemarle, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1968, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He received his law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina of Law in 1973, where he served on the editorial board of the North Carolina Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif and received the Judge Walter Clark Award. He has practiced in Charlotte since he was admitted to the Bar in 1973. Mr. Cranford practices primarily in the areas of commercial and residential real estate and transactional law.