Kansas lawyer John Thurston has extensive training and experience on both sides of a DUI case. He is one of the few defense attorneys who has received actual law enforcement training in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing and DUI investigation. Twice he has completed the 40-hour DUI training given to every law enforcement officer in Kansas. He is also been trained as an actual instructor in this course. John has undergone the government’s Drug Recognition Expert training, the coursework designed to determine if a driver is under the influence of drugs, rather than alcohol.

John is one of only three attorneys in the Kansas who has completed the American Chemical Society’s Forensic Chromatography: Theory and Practice course. This intensive and rigorous course focuses on the theories behind blood alcohol testing. In addition to the classroom work, a large portion of the course takes place in a chromatography lab preparing and analyzing samples in the same manner as a crime lab. He is one of only a handful of lawyers in the country who has earned the American Chemical Society’s Forensic Drug and Alcohol Lawyer Certificate.

John began honing his courtroom skills early on as a member of his law school’s varsity mock trial team, successfully competing against other schools around the country at multiple tournaments. Sincethat time he has conducted countless jury trials, bench trials, and motion hearings, obtaining successful verdicts and rulings on a regular basis. After prosecuting DUIs and other crimes for a number of years, John began defending the criminally accused and now limits his practice to criminal defense.

John recognizes that it is not enough to excel in the courtroom if one is to be a successful DUI attorney. He regularly attends training around the country to further develop and maintain his skills in cutting-edge DUI defense. He also teaches other attorneys DUI defense techniques and is sought out to lecture on DUI and other criminal defense topics to professional and other organizations. John is regularly quoted in local newspapers on the topic of criminal defense. He has been hired to consult on DUI cases out of state. He has handled thousands of DUI cases, from first offenses for people with no criminal records, to those with multiple prior convictions, to those charged with DUI and Vehicular Manslaughter.

John is licensed in both Kansas and Texas and is a member of the Kansas Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National Association of Criminal Defense
Lawyers, NORML Legal Committee, and the American Chemical Society.

John lives in Manhattan, Kansas with his wife Elizabeth and their four amazing children. When not in court John enjoys traveling with his family, scuba diving, smoking his famous ribs, running half marathons, attending both Kansas Jayhawk and Kansas State Wildcat basketball games, and getting beat at various video games by his children.