Rob Winslett is a criminal defense and probate attorney and founder of The Winslett Law Firm in Bessemer, Alabama — a community just outside Birmingham where he grew up. He started his firm in late 2023 and has been building it entirely on his own since.
His path to founding the firm was not planned. Right out of the bar exam, he was hired by a seasoned attorney in Bessemer — someone he still calls his law dad, a mentor he stays in touch with daily. About three weeks in, the office caught fire. His mentor decided to wind things down. Rob went to work for another seasoned lawyer, and the experience made clear that he could do better on his own. So just before Christmas in 2023, he went out and did it.
I asked Rob what led him to criminal defense.
"I would not be a lawyer if it weren't for criminal defense. Thank God for criminal defense, because that's all I would really care to do."
What drives him is not the complexity of the work — it is what the work means to the people sitting across from him.
"I enjoy helping people. What I do every day is help people. And nothing's better than helping people understand that their worst day is over. We were able to resolve it, or we went to trial and we did the best we could. That's the lasting impact I want to make."
He is available to his clients in a way that is increasingly rare. His phone is on the ringer every hour he is not in a courtroom. He is deliberate about that.
"Being a lawyer isn't a job and it isn't what I do — it's who I am. My compassion for my clients is why I am so accessible."
I asked about his day-to-day.
In Bessemer, there is no public defender's office, which means the court appoints private attorneys to represent clients who cannot afford counsel. Rob carries a heavy criminal defense caseload — in court every day, mornings and afternoons, handling appearances, picking up new appointments, and in the time between, doing motion work, jail visits, and reviewing discovery. He writes his own motions. That is not incidental to how he practices — it is the point.
"I like for my motion work to be my own. I like to write it. I like to know what it says. I like to make sure I know how to do it."
I asked what he thought would be harder than it is, and what has surprised him.
Visibility is not easy for a solo practitioner in a community like Bessemer. His answer has been relationships — showing up, staying connected, and trusting that the lunch you almost skipped is often the one that matters.
His most meaningful work so far came from a case he tried as second chair in one of the most conservative counties in Alabama — four counts of abuse of a child under 12. The public defender's office had not tried a case in that county in five years. Rob and lead counsel took it to a jury anyway.
They came back with a 7 to 5 not guilty hung jury, and the prosecution returned with an offer that did not include prison time. The entire public defender's office had come over to watch.
"People thought we were heroes because we had the guts to take a case to a jury trial in that county. Sometimes you just have to show up."
Are you facing criminal charges or a probate matter in the Bessemer or Birmingham area? Connect with Rob Winslett and check out The Winslett Law Firm, LLC.