The Cowan Smith Kirk Gaston Law Firm

Bill Kirk was a rising star in the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office until being hired away by the Cowan Law Firm in 2000. Mr. Kirk built a reputation amongst judges and defense lawyers as a fearless, but fair prosecutor, but mostly has a highly skilled trial advocate. Committed to eventually become a criminal defense lawyer, Bill interned for both the Spokane County and King County Prosecutors while in law school, and tried 19 cases, most of them DUIs before he had graduated from law school and received his license to practice law. Bill graduated from Washington State University in 1992, and from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1998. Impressed with his early demonstration as a top fight trial lawyer, the King County Prosecutor's Office immediately offered him a permanent position. He was initially assigned to District Court Unit, where his primary function was to prosecute DUIs. He quickly rose through the ranks, next being assigned to the Juvenile Court, and then to the Felony Drug Unit where he prosecuted felony drug cases until joining this law firm in 2000. He now limits his practice exclusively to defending those accused of impaired driving.

Mr. Kirk was named a “Rising Star” by Washington Law & Politics in 2002 and 2003. He has been named a “Super Lawyer” by Washington Law & Politics from 2003 – 2013, one of only 250 attorneys in the State to receive such an honor. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Mr. Kirk was named as one of the Washington's “Top 25” criminal defense attorneys.

Bill has received certification in administering Standardized Field Sobriety Tests in 2001. He was trained by National Patent, the manufacturer of Washington's breath machine, in Mansfield, Ohio in 2003. He was named partner in this firm in 2004.

Bill has been very active and is a multiple time graduate of the National College of DUI Defense's Summer Session (Harvard Law School) and its Winter Session. In 2009, Bill was named to the Board of Regents for the National College for DUI Defense, one of only 12 lawyers in the country to server on this board. Bill has lectured extensively both locally, nationally and internationally in all areas related to the defense of those accused of impaired driving. Furthermore, Bill is “Board Certified” as an expert in DUI defense by the National College for DUI Defense and is only one of two lawyers in Washington State to pass this rigorous exam.