DUI Lawyer Bubba Head, Best DUI Defense Attorney in GA

By: DUI Lawyer GA Larry Kohn and Former Police Officer turned DUI lawyer Atlanta, Cory Yager, now Partners with William “Bubba” Head

Those facing arrest in DUI cases in Atlanta Georgia or other City or County in the Peach State search for an experienced DUI defense lawyer to represent them. Not every criminal defense attorney in metro Atlanta has limited his or her criminal law practice on DUI law like William C. Head did for more than 30 straight years.

Never acting as a DUI prosecutor, William Head using his extensive courtroom experience to win many cases at pretrial motions, bench trials (a non-jury conducted before the judge only) and by way of jury trials. Some of his appellate case victories were landmark decisions for excluding the breath alcohol test, or possibly a client’s refusal to submit to the post-arrest implied consent test.

Leading the Way by Writing Books on DUI Defense and Launching DUI Seminars

Atlanta DUI attorney William C. Head was the driving force behind establishment of the National College for DUI Defense in 1995. The University of Georgia Law School graduate had co-authored a controversial DUI book in 1991 to help apprise drivers facing DUI-DWI prosecution about the many proven ways on how to avoid a drunk driving conviction. The legal book was titled 101 Ways to Avoid a Drunk Driving Conviction.

The previous year, in July of 1994, he sponsored the very first national training course for DWI lawyers to become NHTSA-certified field sobriety practitioners. Four months later, he launched the now-famous multi-day DUI seminar, Mastering Scientific Evidence in DUI-DWI Cases, at the JW Marriott in Atlanta, GA. This multi-day training course brings in real police officers to conduct mock trials using real case facts in a jury trial.

Published before the Internet came into being, this first-of-its-kind legal guide contained an appendix that displayed summaries of the driving intoxicated laws of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These state-specific legal summaries were written by expert local DUI lawyer authors possessing extensive experience in impaired driving defense.

That initial best-selling book on national DUI law was followed by Mr. Head self-publishing The Georgia DUI Trial Practice Manual in 1995. This 1000-page initial book on Georgia DUI laws is now published by the world’s largest law book published, Thomson-Reuters, and has grown to over 1500 pages in the 27 ensuing years.

No other lawyer in the State of Georgia has made a more indelible impact on all aspects of fighting criminal charges for alcohol and drug related driving under the influence cases than the Columbus, GA native. By 2010, the Georgia DUI attorney’s law office boasted 12 Atlanta DUI lawyers traveling statewide defending driving while intoxicated cases for clients in need of aggressive legal services designed to beat a DUI case.

From the standpoint of legal credentials, Bubba Head has achieved the most legal recognitions from attorney ratings services of any Georgia DUI practitioner. His Martindale-Hubbell ratings go back for over 30 years. He has made every Super Lawyers list since the rating serve starting ranking lawyers in the Peach State. In addition, Best Law Firms in America and Best Lawyers in America have honored him (and his law partners) repeatedly for more than a decade.

Plus, because he has been Board Certified in DUI Defense since 2000, he possesses the top lawyer ratings of all Georgia attorneys. With only 100 nationally and only 3 others in all of Georgia, this distinction sets him apart from the field.

The 7 Great Myths About DUI Prosecutions in Georgia

Because driving under the influence has been a criminal offense for over 100 years, many would think that drivers in 2022 would have gotten the message to not risk arrest. The problem with arrests for drunken driving and drugged driving continuing is that DUI is America’s only crime of degree.

In other words, adults ages 21 and older can drink some alcohol and then legally drive in all states.

Plus, when our state laws were originally written, the legal limit was 0.15 grams percent across the country.

Due to pressure from the federal government, that “legally-drunk” BAC level (blood alcohol content level) has been dropped systematically in the past four decades, with states using 0.10 grams %, then 0.08 gr %. Utah has now lowered its adult BAC level to 0.05 grams percent.

The following seven (7) questions expose the myths, blunders, misinformation, and the misguided thinking that occurs by many DUI defendants. These errors often that lead to their arrests and possible conviction for driving drunk or driving while affected by drugs or other substances (cannabis, fumes from aerosol paints).

1. A first offense DUI conviction is no big deal. This is the most universal and patently incorrect misjudgment that accused DUI drivers make.

This leads to them either not talking to lawyers near me for DUI and self-representing, or hiring a cheap DUI attorney for their case, thinking that this will be a slow guilty plea. DUI convictions in Georgia can NEVER be removed from your criminal history. Thus, the negative aspects of being convicted will come up time and time again, causing loss of financial opportunities, prohibitions on travel to certain other countries and blocking many potential future jobs.

2.  I can have two drinks and then drive. This generalization ignores many modern-day realities. First, some people take prescribed medications which have warnings of not mixing alcohol with those pharmaceuticals. The long list included benzodiazepines, sedatives, anti-depression medications, or a sedative-hypnotic medication like Ambien.

A person who has had gastric bypass surgery should have zero alcoholic drinks and drive, due to this causing a virtual injection of alcohol into the person’s system. Any person weighing under 110 pounds can reach a 0.08 grams percent after two standard drinks, but especially when the beverage being poured is wine, and the server is systematically putting more than 4.5 ounces in the goblet or wine flute.

3.  Even if I get convicted, I can get that conviction off my record after a few years. A few states have a 1st offense diversion (e.g., Alabama), conditional discharge (e.g., Maryland), or a method for expunction of a prior conviction after so many years (e.g., California, after 10 years). Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, and most states have no such method or record restriction or removal of a prior conviction for driving while intoxicated or impaired.
4. Because my BAC “number” is over the legal limit, there is no use in hiring a DUI lawyer near me. While a much tougher case to fight, remember that your constitutional rights and state statutes to protect against unlawful searches can eliminate wrongfully obtained forensic test results.

Plus, many states (like Georgia) have held that “implied consent laws” that govern the law enforcement officer’s right to collect that test must be strictly construed against the State. The best DUI lawyers near me have used these favorable legal provisions to win cases that other “average” DUI-DWI attorneys never even fight.

5. Since I cannot afford to pay the legal fees of top DUI lawyers, I should just plead guilty. Wrong again. Under the federal Constitution, 6th Amendment, every person charged with a misdemeanor or felony crime for which either jail time or being on probation exist is entitled to have their criminal court judge appoint an attorney to defend them.

In many states, the funding and training of public defenders is outstanding, and these free criminal defense lawyers can do much more than any self-represented person can. Some of our former lawyers for DUI defense now lead metro Atlanta public defenders’ offices.

6. If I am pulled over and suspected of DUI-DWI, I will perform the roadside tests and will be let go after I demonstrate my sobriety. On every level, this myth is chock full of problems. First, NEVER attempt to take these VOLUNTARY roadside tests.

When police learned (in court) that the best criminal law attorneys had taken both the Practitioner Course and the Instructor’s Course, and could decimate the so-called “tests,” many officers knew that these evaluations could be explained to a jury and proven to be “junk science.”

In addition, dozens of well-qualified ex-police officer trainers now can be hired to testify about the fact that NHTSA has modified these tests, so that the old procedures are no longer “standardized.” In other words, the Federal government agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approved an amended version of the standardization paragraph. Unless your state law mandates taking a roadside, hand-held breathalyzer, then do not ever submit to any pre-arrest testing offered by cops. Just say NO.

7. If arrested for DUI, I will refuse letting police to collect my breath, blood or urine through post-arrest implied consent testing and thereby prevent them from having this evidence against me. Depending upon what state you are being arrested in, this can be a very bad mistake. The mildest punishment may be losing the right to drive for a year or more, with no limited permit of any kind. In some states, a person who refuses can go to jail or even to state prison (for repeat offenders) for saying NO to the state implied consent test.

Obtaining a FREE DWI-DUI Lawyer’s Opinion About Your Pending Case

Those lacking criminal defense legal experience or training in DUI defense law cannot evaluate the strengths and the shortcomings of pending DUI charges. To say that GA DUI law is both complicated and constantly changing is an understatement. In addition, since case facts differ and are unique to every arrest, assumptions about “all cases being the same” are simply false.

CAUTION: Under GA DUI laws, you have only 30 days to either: (1) File an appeal for a hearing with the Georgia Department of Driver Services OR (2) to install a 12-month ignition interlock device on ONE vehicle and pay for an interlock-restricted right to drive. Plus, the interlock option is limited only to certain 1st offense DUI drivers, age 21 and over, who are licensed to drive by DDS in Georgia.

Because our litigation team offers free lawyer consultations, most other criminal law professionals do, too. Any accused citizen who is taking advantage of the free consultation availability should note that only our law firm in Georgia provides potential clients with a FREE PDF version of William Head’s 430-page book written for those facing a DUI accusation, The DUI Book. This time limit is a STRICT 30-days, and no exceptions are allowed.

Call today and one of our partners will provide a free client interview. Our legal team members can meet at our law office, or meet by virtual call, or merely talk over the phone. 404-567-5515 is our 24-hour a day number.

Expect us to cover topics like protecting your driver’s license, legal fee payment plans, and looking for time-sensitive tasks that you or our lawyers need to “attack.”

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