Wilson recently wrote op-ed for Atlanta paper
Robert Wilson loved the small-town feel of growing up in Oglethorpe County. He has vivid memories of visiting his grandparents’ tranquil farm and seeing cows and horses.
Wilson said he was sure he never wanted to move to a big city.
Yet, he’s now an Atlanta lawyer handling big cases, including one involving former President Donald Trump.
Wilson works for Arora Law, a criminal defense firm that represented Kenneth Chesebro, one of the co-defendants in The State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump.
“It was just these very high level constitutional law arguments that we were making,” Wilson said. “I pretty much read the rough drafts of all the briefs, and just getting to write and do all that research is really fascinating.”
The firm’s case load primarily consists of murder and drug cases, and fraud.
“Despite what you might think, the clients are always the best,” Wilson said. “They’re just like pretty normal people who just got caught up in a bad situation.”
Wilson also recently published an op-ed in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Fani Willis, Fulton County’s District Attorney.
Even though he loved Oglethorpe County, Wilson always knew he wanted to be a lawyer, even as a kid. Soon after he graduated from Oglethorpe County High School in 2008, the economy tanked and the job market went bad.
“I had talked to several people, some who practice law and some who just do policy work, and they all were like don’t go to law school,” Wilson said.
So, Wilson started his college career at the University of Georgia, where he completed basic courses before transferring to Georgia Southern to finish his engineering degree.
After college, Wilson earned a master's in public administration from UGA and joined an Atlanta-based nonprofit, specializing in criminal restorative justice work.
This led him to reluctantly move to Atlanta to build connections in the legal community.
“It became apparent to me that if you’re going to have any power in this space, if you’re really going to have any say, you need to have a law degree,” Wilson said.
Wilson decided it was time to go to law school, completing his law degree from Georgia State in 2023. His current job developed from his connections while working for the nonprofit.
Thanks to his upbringing in Oglethorpe County, Wilson said he brings a different perspective to his legal team, especially when they handle cases in rural areas.
“When you’re looking at prospective jurors in the rural counties, I know these people,” Wilson said. “I grew up with these people, and I probably have an idea of what their stance is on any given issue, at least broadly.”
Blake Howard, the manager at Oglethorpe Feed and Hardware Supply and Wilson’s best friend since third grade, said Wilson hasn’t changed much since moving to Atlanta.
“Some of his views may have changed for the better,” Howard said. “But overall, he, as a person, has been consistent, which is a good thing, because he is a great person.”
As to the future, Wilson said he is happy and hopes to stay at the firm to learn as much as possible.
“Who knows, 20 years from now, I would love to be a professor. That would be my dream,” Wilson said. “In a perfect world, maybe I’ll find myself back in Athens, but we will see.”