Robin Waters

Robin Waters focuses on representing individuals and companies in government investigations and complex criminal cases in state and federal court. She has defended clients at the investigation, trial and sentencing stages of federal criminal cases, including for public corruption, fraud and tax offenses. Robin has also developed her skills as an appellate advocate, and she has briefed and argued several criminal appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

In addition to her criminal practice, Robin has represented clients in certain civil matters, including claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). She has also defended international extradition and denaturalization cases.

Prior to joining the firm, Robin worked at a boutique federal criminal defense firm, which focused on national security-related cases. In those matters, she gained valuable experience litigating complex Fourth Amendment issues, including under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA).

Robin has dedicated a significant portion of her practice to pro bono representation of underrepresented and indigent individuals. For example, Robin has represented numerous indigent clients charged with federal crimes; assisted in representing a man imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay in federal habeas and Periodic Review Board proceedings; filed successful First Amendment challenges to the arrests of lawfully gathered protestors; and sued the Trump Administration on behalf of a Syrian physician stranded abroad by the travel ban, securing his return to the United States. Most recently, Robin has been involved in post-conviction capital defense work, representing a woman on death row in Alabama.

During law school, Robin served as a clerk at a civil rights law firm focusing on police misconduct, where she assisted in the representation of individuals in § 1983 civil rights litigation. She also served as an extern at the Federal Defender Program in the Northern District of Illinois, and worked with individuals exonerated from serious crimes at Loyola’s Life After Innocence Clinic.