William C. Head

About William C. Head

William C. “Bubba” Head is a nationally recognized DUI attorney and one of the founding giants of modern DUI defense practice in America. He, along with the late Reese I. Joye, Jr. and the late Lawrence E. Taylor from southern California were the "promoters" of building a national academy for training other attorneys around America. As one of the top DUI lawyers in the United States, he has built a career not only trying and winning cases in Georgia, but also litigating and consulting on cases in other states where the offense goes by different names: DWI in North Carolina, OWI in Michigan, and DUI in California and many other jurisdictions. From the start of his career, Mr. Head has focused his practice on DUI defense, building a DUI defense law firm that emphasizes deep knowledge of constitutional law, search and seizure law, and learning the legitimacy of the forensic science behind government testing. Clients searching for attorneys for DUI or “DUI defense lawyers near me” often find his name at the top of the list because he has tried more impaired‑driving cases—and taught more lawyers how to try them—than almost anyone in the field. Over 12,000 impaired‑driving cases have passed across his desk, ranging from first‑offense misdemeanors to complex felony prosecutions involving serious‑injury by vehicle and vehicular homicide. Before the introduction of ride-sharing apps and replacing taxis, Mr. Head led a 12-attorney firm in Georgia, which was the nation's largest criminal legal practice focused on serious traffic crimes. He and his two current law partners (Larry Kohn and Cory Yager) treat every case as though they are defending their own family members. Mr. Head’s national reputation stems in part from the breadth of his courtroom work. In North Carolina, he has appeared as a DWI defense attorney and trial strategist in contested cases, working with local counsel to challenge traffic stops, field sobriety testing, and Intoximeter results under that state’s unique statutory framework. In Michigan, he has been retained in OWI cases—often charged as OWI or “high BAC” offenses—where he and the in‑state team have attacked breath and blood‑alcohol evidence, calibration records, and the admissibility of the state’s scientific proof. In California, where the most common acronym remains DUI, he has consulted (and litigated) as a defense attorney DUI expert in multiple cases that usually involved breath testing. As a NHTSA trained instructor (as are both of his law partners) cross‑examination techniques on "junk science" and defecting administration or instruction of roadside field tests brought an important national perspective about the unreliability of police officer field sobriety testing to local courtrooms. Because of this multistate experience, Mr. Head is frequently contacted by DWI attorneys, DUI defense attorneys, and OWI lawyers across the country who want a second set of eyes to review a difficult file. He is known within the defense bar as a “lawyer’s lawyer” – someone whose trial experience, creativity, and willingness to share materials make him a go‑to resource for other DUI defense lawyers. Whether assisting a young lawyer preparing for their first jury trial or co‑counseling with seasoned DWI defense lawyers in a high‑profile case, he brings the same level of preparation and intensity that he brings to his own clients’ trials. Mr. Head’s prominence is also tied to his deep involvement with the National College for DUI Defense. For the first, formative years he has taught at NCDD seminars, and helped teach hands‑on crime lab courses, after being allowed to spend two days at the Tennessee Crime Lab in Memphis, TN in the year 2000. The helpful video he created helped to train generations of attorneys DUI and DWI defense attorneys in cross‑examining arresting officers and state experts. For five decades, he has been the defense attorney DUI specialists and trial lawyers across the country call when the case, the client, or the post-arrest "testing" and the science behind the testing is subject to being contested. His presentations range from advanced trial tactics to business and practice‑development topics for DUI defense lawyers and DWI defense attorneys seeking to elevate (and to market) their legal services. At various times he has served in leadership and advisory roles within NCDD, and his peers (in 2003) voted him the best DUI attorney in the United States—a unique, one‑time national honor that underscores his impact on the field. An accomplished author, Bubba Head has written or co‑authored numerous books and practice guides on DUI defense, including state‑specific manuals and nationally focused works. These publications are used by DUI defense attorneys and DWI attorneys across the country as step‑by‑step roadmaps for litigating impaired‑driving cases. These cover everything from pretrial motions to teaching how to catch police committing perjury and preparing jury selection questions to gauge their willingness to accept scientific challenges involving breath testing, blood test errors, and the high variability of results obtained from urine testing. Many DUI vs DWI lawyers who now market themselves as good DWI lawyers or top DUI lawyers built their foundational knowledge on materials he helped create. In the courtroom, Mr. Head is known for relentless preparation and a willingness to take difficult cases to trial rather than accept weak plea offers. His approach to DUI defense is built on several core principles: exhaust every possible legal challenge, master the science better than the state’s experts, and tell the client’s story in a compelling, human way. He studies patrol‑car and body‑cam video frame by frame, cross‑checks officer reports against training manuals, and dissects the state’s forensic techniques. This methodical work has resulted in acquittals, dismissals, and reduced charges in cases that initially appeared unwinnable to less experienced defense attorney DUI practitioners. Because a DUI, DWI, or OWI arrest often threatens a client’s job, professional license, immigration status, or impeccable personal reputation, Mr. Head views each driving under the influence case as a crisis that demands immediate and strategic action. His DUI defense law firm approach is team‑based: This means retaining investigators, and expert witnesses for fighting the case. They also may collaborate with other attorneys in their "network" to challenge every element of the prosecution’s case. This model has been adopted by many other DUI defense attorneys and DWI defense lawyers who have attended his seminars and visited his office to study systems and procedures. Mr. Head’s influence extends beyond the courtroom and classroom. He has been instrumental in building a Georgia network of attorneys as a "think" tank on various courts in Georgia. He joined a similar group in South Carolina in 1990, encouraging collaboration with these excellent attorneys rather than fomenting competition among the serious DUI defense professionals in GA and SC. He has used his experience from Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, California, and other states to help lawyers identify common patterns in non-scientific police practices and forensic methods, even when the language in state statutes differ. For young lawyers entering the field, he often serves as a mentor by sharing forms, transcripts, and providing strategy notes that shorten the learning curve and improve outcomes for defendants facing driving while intoxicated nationwide. Over the years, Mr. Head has received numerous professional accolades, including the highest peer‑review ratings, repeated listings in leading legal directories, and recognition as one of the top DUI lawyers in America. Yet he remains first and foremost a trial lawyer who measures success by the results he achieves for individual clients, even when they are represented by other law firms. Whether the case is labeled DUI, DWI, OWI, or OVI in various different states, his mission as a DUI defense attorney is the same: protect the client’s rights, challenge unreliable evidence, and fight for the best possible outcome. For potential clients and referring counsel alike—whether they are searching online for “DUI defense lawyers near me,” “DWI defense lawyers,” “good DWI lawyers,” or simply the most experienced DUI defense law office they can find. For 5 decades, William C. “Bubba” Head and his legal partners offers a rare combination of courtroom experience, teaching and writing credentials, and a long history of leadership within the National College for DUI Defense. His career demonstrates that, no matter what acronym a state uses, a serious impaired‑driving charge demands a serious defense. Few lawyers in America have done more to define what serious DWI vs DUI defense looks like than William "Bubba" Head for the past half century.