By: Cory Yager of Kohn & Yager LLC
This blog posting is intended to answer many common questions about legal representation in a driving under the influence case in Georgia. By addressing these 13 Common DUI Law Issues, concerns and problems, most readers can better understand the hierarchy of criminal law attorneys who hold themselves out as DUI experts.
Because DUI-DWI is a nationwide legal subspecialty of criminal law, great competition, and demand for the professional legal services from top attorneys is very high. In all states, an impaired driving conviction can be harmful to that person’s future. But (unlike over one-third of states) in the Peach State any conviction remains for LIFE, even a lifetime first offense DUI. The criminal record can never “age off,” or be expunged.
This article by our law firm’s DUI practice leader, William Carl Head, covers some of the 97 Consequences of a DUI-DWI-OWI conviction. This nationally famous laundry list of financial, workplace, travel, driver’s license, car insurance and other inconveniences and lifetime implications can explain the value of NOT being convicted of drunken driving or drugged driving (e.g., usually avoiding jail time).
13 Common DUI Law Issues: Georgia DUI Lawyer Information
1 Who is Bubba Head? The Columbus, GA native has been an Atlanta DUI lawyer since 1990. Before that, he practiced in Athens, GA, where he attended and graduated from the University of Georgia undergraduate (BA ’73) and law school (JD ’76). After seeing the radical changes made to DUI enforcement in the 1980s under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, the criminal defense attorney began specializing in DUI defense, from 1991 and thereafter.
2 Why was I arrested on a traffic violation for DUI in Georgia? Drunken driving is one of the State’s serious driving offenses. Others include hit and run GA, attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving and passing a stopped school bus discharging its passengers. All of these serious motor vehicle offenses require an arrest and booking.
3 How do I identify the Best DUI lawyers Near Me? Top lawyer ratings for DUI lawyers come from a combination of accolades and practice area accomplishments and achievements. Like any professional practice or business, book authorship is a universal benchmark, especially if that book is the recognized practice leader for guidebooks or use by other practitioners. Other attorney ratings services that have consensus acceptance as top “industry directories,” are also valuable.
4 What training and credentials should top drunk driving lawyers near me have? Because training courses have been offered to DUI defense lawyers since 1994, all top DUI practitioners should have these minimum training certificates:
Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFSTs) Practitioner Course (20 to 24 hours). All students must take both a proficiency exam as well as pass the written test of questions to determine if the DWI SFST Manual was read and understood.
A multi-day training program for the State’s forensic DUI breath test device, which is the Intoxilyzer 9000 in Georgia.
A blood and urine laboratory testing multi-day course, with a proficiency exam at the end.
The top legal practitioners have more advanced training in the field sobriety tests and are INSTRUCTORS of the SFSTs. Plus, they have taken multiple urine and blood testing forensics training programs. Many of these advanced-level lawyers for DUI near me are also seminar speakers for other acolyte intoxicated driving lawyers.
5 Which lawyer ratings services indicate the top-rated DUI lawyers near me? Martindale-Hubbell “av” and preeminent (for at least 5 years), Super Lawyers (for at least 5 years), Best Lawyers in America (multiple years, but not fewer than 3). In addition, fewer than 50 DUI lawyers (nationwide) are Board-Certified in DUI Defense by the National College for DUI Defense, which is a voluntary written and verbal test of knowledge and skills for drunk driving defense.
6 If I am licensed in another state, will DWI attorneys near me know who William Head, Attorney in Georgia is? Yes, they should, even though Mr. Head has not been on the national speaker’s “circuit” for the last several years, most recently due to COVID concerns. Some may know him better as “Bubba Head, Attorney,” since that memorable nickname has helped make him famous.
7 If I am facing a vehicular homicide GA or SIBV (serious injury by vehicle) due to driving intoxicated that depends upon the State of Georgia proving the drunk driving conviction, which defense attorney is the best attorney near me for that kind of felony case? To make a medical analogy, these high-stakes cases are like a cancer surgeon dealing with Stage 3 and Stage 4 cancer patients.
Few law firms have handled over 100 of these difficult criminal law fatality and grievous bodily injury cases, as our legal office has. Managing these emotional cases can be very high stress since the maximum state prison time is up to 15 years per injury or death.
8 If I want to hire the best DUI lawyer in Georgia, will this be a DUI defense lawyer near me in Atlanta Georgia? The metro Atlanta area, and specifically Fulton County (3) and Dekalb County (1) have the only four (4) Board-Certified driving while intoxicated practitioners. However, many other excellent DUI law practice attorneys are scattered around the State.
9 What recognized DUI legal organizations have identified the best DUI-DWI lawyers near me? Only one time has the National College for DUI Defense called for a national vote of its members on their opinions about who was the best DUI attorney in America. That was in the year 2003.
The Dean of the NCDD that year was famed Texas DWI lawyer Gary Trichter. At that time, the non-profit group had 800 driving while impaired members from across the 50 states. William Head was named the nation’s best DUI attorney.
10 If my case is not docketed in an Atlanta area traffic court, who is the best Georgia DUI attorney at a local law firm in my court jurisdiction? Our law partners will travel to remote places in all corners of Georgia.
Usually, however, our legal professionals will “team up” with a local attorney who can help cover routine appearance issues and provide local insight about the “players” in the local criminal justice system (such as the best risk reduction school to attend). In addition, if a caller to our law firm needs a referral, our staff can direct callers to a local DUI lawyer in their court location.
11 Since I was asked for a blood alcohol test, and the results were over the legal limit of 0.08 grams percent, should I bother hiring a DUI defense attorney near me? Positively, you should. Georgia’s case law (from appeals to the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court) are among the nation’s best DUI appeal “rulings.” Dozens of legal attacks based upon Georgia implied consent law and compliance with strict rules pertaining to forensic testing can cause the blood test to be excluded.
12 What bearing does it have on my DUI case that the attorney I hire be a published law book author on a treatise or articles about DUI law? Like assessing a professional athlete, multiple criteria are factored in for judging “Hall of Fame” eligibility, such as being named All-Pro for several years.
If professional football is the sport, winning the Super Bowl is sort of a “shoe-in” credential, especially if it was while starting in a skill position, like quarterback or wide receiver. Insofar as DUI attorneys, law book authorship of the leading state DUI law treatise is the rarest credential and is a difference-maker in notoriety and perception by lawyers in different practice areas.
Next in rarity is Board Certification. Of the 4 Board-Certified Georgia DUI lawyers, only Mr. Head is a published book author among the board-certified DUI defense attorneys.
Fewer than 15 of the Board-Certified DUI-DWI legal professionals in America that are published book authors of their state DWI-OUI-DUI-OWI legal treatise. Mr. Head’s first book, 101 Ways to Avoid a Drunk Driving Conviction, was co-authored with the late Reese I. Joye, Jr., who passed away in 2008. This is one of the best-known NATIONAL DUI books, despite being written in 1991.
Since that first book, Bubba Head, DUI attorney Georgia, has written or co-authored more than a dozen more hardcover legal books. Starting in 1995, he wrote and self-published The Georgia DUI Trial Practice Manual. Thomson-Reuters, the world’s largest legal book publisher, has publishing rights to this popular law book.
Later, he added a co-author, Frank T. Gomez, a former prosecutor that Mr. Head hired as an associate DUI attorney. Sadly, Mr. Gomez tragically passed away in December of 2021.
For the 2023 edition and thereafter, the author of this article (Cory Yager) and law partner Larry Kohn will be added as the co-authors of this #1 selling GA DUI book, which is over 1500 pages in length. Of course, Mr. Head will be the lead co-author.
13 Does the law school at which my attorney graduated have a bearing on the qualifications of the best lawyers near me? Not necessarily. William C. Head, DUI attorney Atlanta is proud to have graduated with both degrees from UGA in Athens. It was the only college and law school for which he made application to attend.
Partner Larry Kohn attended Emory University for his undergrad degree, before attending Georgia State Law School, graduating magna cum laude. In 2016, both Mr. Kohn and this article’s author became co-authors of books for Aspatore Publishing, a division of the world’s largest publisher, Thomson-Reuters.
The author of this article grew up on a farm in the northern part of New York and obtained his undergraduate degree from SUNY-Oneonta (State University New York – Oneonta). Later, while a full-time police officer making criminal law arrests, he attended and graduated from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, as the second honor graduate.
The author of this article grew up on a farm in the northern part of New York and obtained his undergraduate degree from SUNY-Oneonta (State University New York – Oneonta). Later, while a full-time police officer making criminal law arrests, he attended and graduated from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, as the second honor graduate.
Since you now know that you will not find better credentials for any law firm near me for DUI lawyer GA representation, what are you waiting for? Also ask for a FREE PDF copy of The DUI Book, which Mr. Head authored for clients facing DUI charges.
WARNING: You have only 30 days after your arrest date to ACT and PROTECT your driving privileges. Missing this deadline can cause a 1-year TOTAL driver license suspension.
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