My name is Robert Andrew West. I have spent my entire life in the St. Louis area, and I attended Saint Louis University for my undergraduate and law studies. I have grown up around the practice of law my entire life, as my father has run a successful solo general practice firm since shortly after my birth, and I began working at my father’s firm as a teenager. Whether it’s for workers protecting their rights from their employers, or for defendants pursued by our law enforcement and criminal justice systems, I quickly learned the important role lawyers can play in defending the rights of others.
I jumped at the opportunity to become the Staff Attorney for CAIR-MO because, to me, defending the rights of others is one of the best aspects of being a lawyer. At a time when the right of Muslim Americans to enjoy happy, peaceful lives is constantly under attack in their places of worship, travel, work, schooling, and even their own neighborhoods and homes, standing up for the rights of Muslims has never been more important. If you feel your rights have been violated, CAIR-MO wants to help you in any way that we can, regardless of your financial ability to get representation.
With hate crimes increasing and American public opinion intensifying against Islam and those who practice it, with the abundance of fear and ignorance of Islam in our communities, and the rise of politicians exploiting that fear and ignorance, there is so much hard work to be done to ensure equality for all Muslims in our community. I consider it an honor to do whatever I can to assist with that work.”
