About Shin
Shin Cho built a courtroom career straight out of law school. He earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri–Columbia in 2013 after completing a B.S. in Business Administration at the same campus in 2009. The Missouri law school set the stage for a string of trial positions that followed.
Cho began his legal work in the public defender system. In 2013 he joined the Missouri State Public Defender’s office as a trial lawyer. The role put him in front of juries early in his career and exposed him to a wide range of felony and misdemeanor matters. That period formed the practical foundation for his later work in private practice.
In 2015 Cho moved into private criminal defense as an associate at a St. Louis criminal defense firm. There he handled case preparation, client counseling, and courtroom appearances. The associate position broadened his exposure to pretrial strategy and motion practice while keeping him heavily involved in trials.
A year later he opened his own practice. Since 2016 he has operated the Law Office of Shin Cho. Running a small firm requires wearing many hats: case manager, advocate, and point of contact for clients. He continues to try cases in state courts and to handle negotiations and hearings on behalf of people charged with crimes.
Cho is active in professional groups connected to criminal defense. He has been a member of the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers since 2015 and joined the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers the same year. Those memberships reflect his ongoing ties to peers who litigate and reform criminal justice practice.
Columbia remains the place of Cho’s formal training, but his practice reaches beyond a single courtroom. He is licensed to practice in both Missouri and Illinois, and he represents clients in jurisdictions across the region. His work involves traditional criminal defense tasks: case investigation, plea negotiations, motion practice, and trial advocacy.
Clients and colleagues describe him as someone who prefers direct communication and clear planning. He organizes files and prepares witnesses with an eye toward presenting evidence clearly at trial. Case files from his years in public defense and private practice show consistent courtroom involvement.
Today Cho maintains his practice at the Law Office of Shin Cho. He represents clients in criminal matters in Missouri and Illinois at his firm.
