Christopher M. Combs is the founder and principal of Combs Waterkotte. A top-rated criminal defense lawyer with over a decade of experience defending the accused, Mr. Combs provides invaluable counsel and support to clients across Greater St. Louis and the surrounding area who face charges for DWI/DUI, drug crimes, violent crimes, federal crimes, and all other types of felonies and misdemeanors. Mr. Combs has successfully defended numerous clients on charges ranging from murder to assault, drug conspiracy, robbery, and fraud. Mr. Combs also represents college students facing Title IX disciplinary action by their university and has achieved favorable results on behalf of the accused students.
Honored for his outstanding advocacy for those in need, Mr. Combs has been widely recognized by his peers as demonstrated by several awards he has won, such as Super Lawyers- Missouri and Kansas Rising Star, Top 10 Under 40 from the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys and 10 Best Attorneys-Missouri from the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys, as well as numerous client testimonials and referrals from those he has served over the years. He has also earned consistent top rankings and endorsements from his peers and has quickly established himself among the leading lawyers in the St. Louis region for criminal defense.
Born and raised in St. Louis, Mr. Combs graduated from Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School before receiving his Bachelor of Science in both Finance and Operations Management from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2008. Following graduation, Mr. Combs then attended Saint Louis University School of Law, where he obtained his Juris Doctorate in 2012. Following law school graduation, Mr. Combs honed his legal skills at another prominent criminal defense firm in St. Louis before establishing his own private criminal defense practice in 2015. While in law school, Mr. Combs served as a teaching assistant, and he was an active participant in the Undergraduate Mock Trial Team initiative. He also studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, and The Hague, Holland, through the law school’s International Law Study Abroad Program.
Along with maintaining a successful legal practice, Mr. Combs is also active in the legal community as a member of The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the St. Louis County Bar Association, the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, as well as the American Bar Association and the National College for DUI Defense.
In the Community
Christopher Combs is an active and passionate member of the St. Louis community, maintaining involvement in causes and organizations that are important to him. Chief among those is the National Peer Recovery Alliance, a national organization that serves and supports individuals with substance use disorders by mobilizing peer support specialists through advocacy and education. A pervasive challenge to the St. Louis area, the state of Missouri, and people everywhere across the country, Christopher Combs and Combs Waterkotte believe that taking action in support of those battling addiction and mental health conditions is critical. Countless lives and the future of our communities depend on it. In his free time, Mr. Combs enjoys golfing, traveling and spending time with his wife, who is also an attorney, and their two children and three dogs. He avidly enjoys the St. Louis Blues and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Professional Profiles
