Linwood Roberts Jr. was born in Buffalo, New York, and moved to New York City as a preteen. He is a United States Marine Corps Veteran, serving at the rank of Corporal, and was honorably discharged in 1996. Linwood went on to earn a B.S. in Criminal Justice from St. John’s University in Jamaica, Queens (1999). He then returned to Buffalo in 2003 to attend law school, earning a J.D. degree in 2006 and a Masters Degree (L.L.M.) in 2010, both at the University at Buffalo Law School. Linwood is an attorney practicing in the areas of criminal law, real estate, corporations and trusts and estates.