Board Certified in DUI Defense: One of the very first few lawyers in the country to achieve this distinction in 1999 -- and is still one of only four in the State of Georgia.Our Team
The Chestney Law Firm is a true "firm," not just a collection of attorneys sharing an office. This means that a person who hires our firm to defend his or her DUI case is hiring a team of lawyers who collaborate to recognize legal issues, develop strategies and generally work together for the best result. Each of our lawyers is specially trained and educated in the unique aspects of DUI defense, and devotes almost 100% of their practice to this area.
Robert W. Chestney
E-mail: bob@dui-lawyer.com
Georgia Super Lawyer®. One of only two lawyers in the entire state of Georgia selected by their peers every year to be Super Lawyers® in the limited area of DUI/DWI Defense.
Board Certified by the National College for DUI Defense. One of the few lawyers in the country originally board certified in 1999 by the prestigious National College for DUI Defense—and still one of only four lawyers in the entire state of Georgia who hold this distinction.
Mr. Chestney was an original member of the Georgia "Defense of Drinking Drivers" group. This organization of lawyers who vigorously defend DUI charges presented him with a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD in 2000 and honored him again in 2002 as DUI LAWYER OF THE YEAR.
Bob has been a criminal defense lawyer for 33 years, and since 1993, his practice has been exclusively devoted to defending DUI and Vehicular Homicide cases. He has handled thousands of DUI cases, and has actually been lead counsel in well over 100 DUI jury trials, and hundreds of bench trials. The majority of his cases, however, have been successfully resolved without a trial (see our "Results" page). Since 1995, Mr. Chestney has been recognized by Martindale-Hubbell with their highest "AV" rating, and is presently listed in their Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Avvo.com also gives Bob its highest rating, 10.0/10.0.
In addition to his trial work, Mr. Chestney maintains an aggressive appellate practice, having personally handled such significant cases as Jorgensen v. State and Baker v. State. Mr. Chestney also co-wrote the winning brief in Cooper v. State, 277 Ga. 282 (2003), a landmark case in which the Georgia Supreme Court struck down a portion of the implied consent law as unconstitutional. He is a member of the bar of the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Georgia Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth and Eleventh Circuits, and of the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Chestney is a founding member of the National College for DUI Defense and served on their Board of Regents from 1995 to 2002. He is also former chair of the Criminal Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and served on its Board of Directors from 1999 to 2003. He is a member of the Atlanta Bar Association, the Cobb County Bar Association, the Gwinnett County Bar Association, the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
In addition to serving on the faculty of the National College for DUI Defense, held at the Harvard Law School each summer since 1995, Mr. Chestney has lectured on DUI Defense at programs and seminars in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Missouri, Arizona, Hawaii, Louisiana and Nevada, including the National NACDL DUI Seminar in 2000 and 2003, as well as the National "Getting Tough on DWI" Seminar put on by the Minnesota Society for Criminal Justice in 2004. Mr. Chestney chaired the Georgia "Defense of Drinking Driver" programs for ICLE of Georgia in 1995, 1996 and 1997.
EDUCATION:
- West Georgia College, B.S. Physics/Mathematics, 1969.
- Florida State University, M.S. Mathematics, 1970.
- Woodrow Wilson College of Law, J.D. Magna Cum Laude, 1976.
James K. "Skip" Sullivan
E-mail: skip@dui-lawyer.com
James "Skip" Sullivan was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 2001 and is a member of the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court.
EXPERIENCE
While attending law school, Mr. Sullivan interned with the Attorney General's Office of Rhode Island where he prosecuted criminal offenses under the third year practice act in Providence, Rhode Island. In addition, while interning with the Attorney General Office's Environmental Advocate Division and Save the Bay, he participated in cases involving complex environmental and maritime issues.
Mr. Sullivan joined the Chestney Law Firm in April of 2006. Prior to devoting his practice to defending DUI cases, Mr. Sullivan was an Assistant District Attorney in the Rockdale Judicial Circuit for over four years where he managed the prosecution team over State Court (comprised of misdemeanor cases including DUI) as well as prosecuting felony cases in Superior Court. While at the Rockdale County District Attorney's Office, Mr. Sullivan received an award for his commitment to justice by State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division in 2005. He is active in training law enforcement and is certified in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing.
EDUCATION
- State University College of New York at Plattsburgh (B.A., 1992)
- Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island (J.D., 2001)
Rebecca Kozycki
E-mail: rebecca@dui-lawyer.com
Ms. Kozycki was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 2001 and is a member of the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court.
EXPERIENCE
Ms. Kozycki joined the Chestney Law Firm in 2009 and devotes close to 100% of her practice to the vigorous defense of DUI and related charges. Prior to joining the firm, Rebecca worked at the Troup County Public Defender’s office. She spent six years defending clients accused of felonies and misdemeanors, handling hundreds of DUI cases. While in Troup County, Ms. Kozycki was presented with the Epiphany Award by the Alterna Organization, in recognition of her extraordinary work in defense of and significant contribution to the local Hispanic community. Ms. Kozycki is a member of the National College for DUI Defense, and completed their intense program held at the Harvard Law School in the summer of 2009. She is also certified in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing. Rebecca is a member of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, the Georgia Defense of Drinking Drivers’ Group, and the Cobb County Bar Association.
Prior to beginning her legal career, Ms. Kozycki served as an officer in the United States Army. She was an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Johns Hopkins University, a commander of a signal company serving the DMZ in Korea, and a platoon leader in a VII Corp signal company in Germany. After resigning her commission as a Captain, Ms. Kozycki was a research communications analyst for a Department of Defense contractor in the field of electromagnetic compatibility.
EDUCATION
- University of Louisville in Kentucky (B.A., 1975)
- University of Baltimore School of Law in Maryland (J.D., 1995)
