Drawing on his experience as a prosecutor and defense attorney, Matthew Brown understands the legal and personal challenges his clients face.
Missouri criminal defense attorney Matthew Brown of Combs Waterkotte law firm understands that criminal charges impact an accused person’s life outside the courtroom. When clients come to the law firm seeking legal help, they are already dealing with an uncertain future.
It is hard for clients to cope with the stress of being criminally charged. Being accused affects an accused person’s work, finances, and family life. Understanding that reality shapes Brown’s approach to his clients and their criminal cases.
Photo credit: Combs Waterkotte
Seeing the System Before Defending It
Brown worked as a prosecutor before becoming a criminal defense attorney, practicing in the City of Crystal City for years, building criminal cases. He later served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in St. Francois County, where he tried all sorts of cases, from misdemeanors to felonies.
Because of Brown’s experience, he understands how criminal investigations work behind the scenes. He also knows how evidence affects early decisions on a case, the pressures on the team, and how a person facing criminal charges has their life upturned by an investigation.
Working Backward From the Evidence
Brown spent years watching criminal cases be investigated, being put together piece by piece. As evidence was collected, he observed how it affected the prosecution’s decisions. He also saw that overlooking small details could end up causing a major problem in the courtroom later on.
Everything Brown learned during his time as a prosecutor helps him with his clients’ cases today. He can study how the investigation started, how evidence was collected, and if any important facts have been overlooked. Brown knows that the smallest details can become the most important later on.
The Details Hidden Inside Modern Investigations
Digital evidence is increasingly important in modern criminal cases. Phone data, surveillance footage, emails, and electronic location records are now used to build cases.
Brown was one of only 25 prosecutors nationwide who were selected to attend the Secret Service National Computer Forensic Institute. Because of that training, he has a deep understanding of how digital evidence is gathered, analyzed, and challenged. Since he knows how prosecutors use this information to build cases, he can see weak spots in the evidence before it is shown to a jury.
Photo credit: Combs Waterkotte
Representing Clients Across Missouri and Illinois
Combs Waterkotte is a leading Missouri and Illinois criminal defense law firm where Brown works on a wide range of criminal cases. His clients are facing felony charges, drug offenses, firearm-related cases, probation violations, juvenile problems, and DWIs. He also handles orders of protection in the states of Missouri and Illinois.
Every criminal case is different, and so are the people being charged. Brown understands that every client who walks into his office is scared. People facing a first-time DWI are worried about work or family. A person facing a serious felony charge is afraid for their future freedom. Often, Brown’s clients haven’t been able to sleep; they’re worried about their children and don’t understand how much their lives have changed since being accused.
Brown takes care to speak with his clients about what they are going through and to explain what to expect. He also doesn’t apply the same strategy to all his cases. Instead, he gives each client and case his personal attention.
As a Missouri criminal defense lawyer, Brown wants to make a meaningful difference in his clients’ lives and help them protect their future.
