Criminal Defense Attorney Branding Meets High-Stakes Reality Inside Missouri’s Combs Waterkotte
The term criminal defense attorney is often treated like a generic label, but two Missouri profiles now frame it as a high-stakes role defined by meticulous preparation, aggressive courtroom strategy, and near-constant client communication—while also pointing to a larger ambition: expanding a Missouri-based practice into Illinois and pursuing increasingly complex cases.
What do the new profiles claim a Criminal Defense Attorney must deliver in court and to clients?
In separate profiles, founding partners Christopher Combs and Steven Waterkotte are presented as building reputations on a specific mix of traits: aggressive advocacy, strategic precision, and a “results-driven” approach for clients facing serious criminal accusations. The accounts emphasize that these cases can involve driving while intoxicated (DWI), violent crimes, complex felony charges, and orders of protection—matters described as potentially life-changing for defendants.
Both profiles stress that courtroom posture is only part of the job. The descriptions repeatedly return to “meticulous preparation, ” “transparent client communication, ” and a commitment to ensuring clients understand what is happening at every stage of their case. The message is explicit: a criminal defense attorney is not only expected to be trial-ready, but also expected to translate legal procedure into plain guidance for people under pressure.
How is Combs Waterkotte positioned—and what internal experience is highlighted?
The profiles identify Combs as a founding partner and Waterkotte as a cofounder of the Missouri criminal defense firm Combs Waterkotte. Waterkotte is described as having served as a leading Missouri criminal defense attorney for over 17 years, with work spanning misdemeanors, orders of protection, serious felony charges, DWI matters, and other complex cases. Combs is described as focusing on high-stakes criminal defense, including DWI matters and other serious charges.
A key operational detail is emphasized: the firm includes two former prosecutors. The profiles frame that background as providing insight into how the state builds and argues criminal cases, positioning the defense team as able to anticipate prosecution strategy. The narrative connects that prosecutorial experience to flexibility in case strategy and readiness for trial.
What evidence is offered—awards, community roles, and client accounts?
The profiles present multiple forms of support for the partners’ reputations. For Combs, recognitions listed include being acknowledged among Super Lawyers in Missouri, named a Missouri and Kansas Rising Star, selected for Top 40 Under 40 by the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys, and named among the 10 Best Attorneys in Missouri by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys. For Waterkotte, the profile lists awards including Best of the Best – Top 10, Lawyers of Distinction, National Trial Lawyers Top 100, and Missouri Top 10 Criminal Defense Attorney, among others.
Each profile also includes a client account tied to severe potential consequences. One client, identified as Willy, describes facing jail time and a possible felony after a DWI before expressing satisfaction with an outcome that avoided jail. Another client, identified as Caleb, describes the possibility of “over 100 years in prison” and relief after the case concluded.
Outside the courtroom, the profiles describe community and professional involvement. Combs is described as participating in the National Peer Recovery Alliance, a national organization that supports individuals struggling with substance use by mobilizing peer support specialists. The profile also lists Combs’s memberships in multiple legal organizations, including The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the St. Louis County Bar Association, the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American Bar Association, and the National College for DUI Defense.
For Waterkotte, the profile describes service on a committee in St. Louis County advising judges on ways to improve the order of protection process, and that he provides legal services for programs designed to address the needs of children with at least one parent in prison.
Where does the firm say it is headed next?
The forward-looking portion of the Combs profile describes an ambition to expand Combs Waterkotte into a leading criminal defense firm in Missouri while also expanding reach to represent clients throughout Illinois. The profile frames that plan as delivering “strategic criminal defense across state lines” and taking on increasingly complex and high-profile cases. While the details of timeline and scope are not provided, the direction is clear: growth beyond a single-state footprint and deeper involvement in challenging criminal matters.
Across both profiles, the throughline is a particular definition of what a criminal defense attorney should be: trial-ready, detail-obsessed, communicative, and prepared to handle outcomes that can reshape a defendant’s future. The expansion goal into Illinois is presented as the next test of that model.
