Robert Winterton

Robert Winterton is an experienced criminal defense attorney based in Southern Utah. He is a member of the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (UACDL), the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD), the DUI Defense Lawyers Association (DUIDLA), and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). He also presently serves on the UACDL’s Board of Directors. He has handled broad-ranging criminal cases, including drug and alcohol charges, assault, robbery, burglary, white-collar crimes, firearm offenses, and many other felony and misdemeanor cases. He has also litigated civil cases, including juvenile delinquency, child welfare proceedings, divorce, contracts, employment law, civil rights, and appeals.

He now focuses exclusively on criminal defense work through his private firm in Southern Utah.

Robert continually updates his training and knowledge to give his clients the most effective representation. He completed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) Student Course, a three-day, intensive, hands-on course using the same curriculum as law enforcement. He has also completed NHTSA’s Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) Course, the NCDD’s intensive six-day Advanced Course in Blood Drug Analysis program, breath testing courses, and many other criminal and DUI defense seminars.

Robert’s Story

I was raised on a cattle farm in rural Utah. My dad was a fourth-generation farmer, as well as a schoolteacher and school bus driver. My mom raised nine kids and homeschooled me from the age of 13. I was a 4.0 student who grew bored in regular school, so I credit my parents with allowing me to break out and blaze my own trail outside the system. From them, I learned to think critically for myself, question authority, and stand up for the underdog.

From an early age, I was taught the value of hard work, honesty, and treating individuals with dignity. Our small family farm was located along a busy highway, and as a kid, I often watched police officers get people out on the side of the road, search their pockets, and tear apart their cars. It upset me to see them walk all over the protections in our Bill of Rights, and I developed a strong distaste for abuses of power, particularly police power.

When I was 19, I was charged with a minor traffic offense. I didn’t like how the police officer handled things, so I took the case to trial and represented myself. During cross-examination, the judge publicly reprimanded the officer for an inappropriate thing he had done. At the end of the trial, the judge remarked that my passion and idealism reminded him of himself when he was a newly licensed lawyer. That formative experience deepened my resolve to hold government actors accountable, stand up, and speak out when I see something wrong.

After serving a two-year church mission in the Philippines, I paid my own way through college by working in construction, the oil field, and summer sales. My hard work and interpersonal skills made me a top-producing salesperson in the industry, but my heart wasn’t in it. I decided to walk away from a six-figure income in sales to pursue my real passion, criminal defense.

I attended a top-20 law school on a full-tuition merit scholarship. During law school, I started a chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and interned with two large criminal defense firms. After graduating and passing the Utah Bar Exam, I worked at a reputable local firm, representing hundreds of defendants in criminal cases. In my first jury trial, the client was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). What made the “Not Guilty” verdict particularly sweet was that all the lawyers in my firm told me it was a terrible case with bad facts that I was guaranteed to lose. The following month, I won another jury trial on a DUI case with “bad facts” that I was expected to lose. After many years of experience working in the criminal legal system, I have learned that “bad facts” cases are often just cases where the attorneys haven’t done enough preparation.

Regardless of what other attorneys may have said about the facts in your case, there may be an angle they haven’t explored. I will work like a madman and track down every angle that can help you. I will fight doggedly to get you the best possible outcome. Personally, if I were charged with a crime, I would find a lawyer who was wise, experienced, fearless, fair, confident, honest, and kind. I would choose someone who would relentlessly defend me and my rights while being straight with me. I will be that kind of lawyer for you.

Professional Affiliations

• Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Board Member)
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• National College for DUI Defense
• DUI Defense Lawyers Association

Education

• University of Iowa College of Law
• Juris Doctor (J.D.)
• George Wythe University
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Personal Info (Outside of Work)

When I am not fighting for my clients in court, analyzing bodycam footage, or drafting legal documents, I’m generally lifting weights at the gym, officiating high school wrestling matches, reading a book on law or disaster preparedness, conversing politics and religion with my brothers and sisters, or singing karaoke with my wife and three children.