How Hexxen Helped Grow a St. Louis Criminal Defense Brand Into a Multi-Market Leading Law Firm
Criminal defense attorney Christopher Combs turned to Hexxen after working with several SEO agencies that spent his marketing budget, outsourced much of the work, paid little attention to his firm, and delivered few results.
Mr. Combs started his legal career by handing out business cards in court. Now, with Hexxen’s support, he and his partner run a multi-state law firm with six locations and over 20 attorneys and staff.
With Hexxen:
6 Locations
Across Missouri and Illinois
The firm expanded from one Clayton office into six locations serving St. Louis, Kansas City, Southern Illinois, and Chicago.
20+ Team Members
Built to Support Continued Growth
Combs Waterkotte added a new partner, six new attorneys, paralegals, and support staff as its caseload and market reach increased.
700% Revenue Growth
Over Eight Years
Revenue increased 700%, including more than 200% growth in the two years after Chris Combs partnered with Steve Waterkotte.
My website traffic has increased, my business has grown, their agency has far exceeded my expectations
“Hiring a digital advertising, SEO, web development company is a very tough decision. It is a business market where companies can look great online, present well in a meeting and then take your money and outsource everything …”
Christopher Combs
Combs Waterkotte
At a Glance:
SEO + Paid Search Growth
We reviewed the site, content, keyword targeting, and local search presence, then expanded practice area and location coverage while also managing LSA and Google Ads campaigns to support stronger lead generation.
Automation + Intake Support
We built custom API connections to improve case organization between MyCase, REJIS, and the firm’s staff workflows, creating a more efficient intake process as lead volume and internal operations grew.
Rebrand + Brand Alignment
When Chris partnered with Steve Waterkotte, Hexxen guided the rebrand, launched the new firm website, and helped align the firm’s office design with its updated branding.
Business Consulting + Continued Growth
We continued tracking leads, refining campaigns, supporting role definition, and helping the firm allocate resources more effectively as the team, office footprint, and caseload expanded.
From One-Man Firm to Growing Practice
Chris Combs came to Hexxen after another marketing company left his online presence in disarray. Inconsistent business information hurt local rankings, his Google Business Profile underperformed, and thin, duplicated website content failed to appear in search results.
Hexxen rebuilt the foundation by:
- Correcting inaccurate business citations
- Strengthening the firm’s presence across legal directories
- Repairing its local SEO strategy
- Creating locally relevant, conversion-focused content
- Using Google Ads to generate leads while organic visibility grew
As rankings stabilized and leads increased, Chris hired a paralegal and additional support staff, giving him more time to focus on clients and casework.
Partnership & Rebrand
As the firm grew, Chris Combs partnered with attorney Steve Waterkotte.
Hexxen led the full rebrand for Combs Waterkotte, designing a new website, visual identity, and brand guidelines. We also coordinated photography, staff videos, and business materials while helping shape the function and aesthetic of the firm’s primary office in downtown Clayton.
The new website introduced conversion-focused landing pages and advanced intake forms for different case types, giving the firm a scalable foundation for rapid growth.
Positioning Combs Waterkotte as an Industry Leader
Hexxen helped Combs Waterkotte build a reputation as a trusted and recognized legal authority. Instead of treating content, video, search, and media as separate efforts, we built a connected system that amplified the firm’s expertise across every channel.
This system made it easier for potential clients to find the firm, trust its attorneys, and move from research to booking a consultation. It also kept Combs Waterkotte ahead of changes in how people search, helping the firm appear in traditional search results, AI-generated answers, videos, podcasts, and major publications.
Expanding Across Missouri & Illinois
As Combs Waterkotte set new revenue goals, Hexxen built the strategy to support that growth. We identified opportunities and guided expansion across Missouri, Southern Illinois, Chicago, and nationwide federal criminal defense.
● We helped establish the firm in new regional markets by advising on office locations, launching Google Business Profiles, publishing locally relevant content, and supporting the recruitment of attorneys and staff.
● We redesigned the website around the firm’s growing footprint, allowing visitors to see navigation, services, and resources tailored to the market through which they entered.
This gave Combs Waterkotte a scalable system for entering new regions without losing local relevance in St. Louis. The result was broader reach, new offices, additional attorneys and support staff, and federal cases beyond the firm’s original market.
Scaling Intake and Client Service
As the firm grew in new markets, its intake systems needed to keep pace with the additional leads. Hexxen worked with the firm’s operations team to improve intake, communication, and reporting around faster response times and fewer manual handoffs.
We set up workflows that qualify and route leads, bring court information into the firm’s case-management system, send timely updates, and connect lead sources with consultations, signed cases, and revenue.
Hexxen is also building a custom intake system designed to collect, evaluate, and route new leads more efficiently. The system will help the firm prioritize stronger opportunities, keep its team informed, and manage growing lead volume without adding unnecessary administrative work.
Built for What Comes Next
What started as an SEO fix turned into a long-term partnership with one of the largest criminal defense firms in Missouri and Illinois. As Combs Waterkotte grew, Hexxen helped build the brand, marketing systems, regional strategy, content, and operations needed to support that growth.
Now, the firm is positioned to keep growing without losing the local relevance, client experience, or visibility that made it successful.
Are You Ready to Grow Your Business to the Next Level?
Whether your business needs a stronger foundation, a sharper brand, or a strategy for scaling into new markets, Hexxen can help connect the pieces. Call (314) 499-8253 or contact our team to start the conversation.
