Phoenix Mason is an Associate Attorney at Combs Waterkotte, representing individuals facing criminal charges in Illinois and Missouri. She brings extensive litigation and appellate experience, strong legal research and writing skills, and a genuine commitment to protecting the rights of the accused. Phoenix approaches every case with careful preparation, close attention to detail, and an understanding of the profound effect a criminal accusation can have on a client’s freedom, family, career, and future.
Phoenix developed her passion for criminal defense while attending law school, where a trial advocacy course taught by a federal public defender inspired her to pursue work on behalf of individuals facing the power of the government. She later spent a year and a half as an extern with the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Benton, Illinois. During that time, she conducted client intake interviews, met with clients in correctional facilities and assisted attorneys with sentencing memoranda and other aspects of federal criminal cases, including a capital case that ultimately resulted in a negotiated resolution.
Following law school, Phoenix served for seven years as an appellate law clerk to Illinois Appellate Court Justice Thomas M. Welch. In that role, she worked on a wide range of civil, criminal, and mental-health appeals involving complex factual records and significant legal issues. Her criminal appellate work included matters involving constitutional rights, police misconduct, custodial interrogations, the right to counsel, and the suppression of evidence. That experience strengthened her ability to analyze complicated legal questions, identify errors and weaknesses in a case, and develop clear, persuasive arguments.
Phoenix also gained government experience with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office before returning to the area of law that first inspired her: advocating for people whose rights and futures are at stake. Originally from Los Angeles, Phoenix moved to the Midwest for college and made Illinois her home. At Combs Waterkotte, she combines her appellate background, federal criminal defense experience, and client-centered approach to provide thoughtful and determined representation to every client she serves.
