Greg Willis

BACK TO MEMBERS

DUIDLA Involvement

Area Served

Metro Atlanta and north Georgia.

Biography

Greg Willis is a preeminent DUI defense attorney based in Atlanta, Georgia, who has established himself as one of the state's most accomplished specialists in this field. His career has been dedicated almost exclusively to defending individuals charged with driving under the influence, where he has achieved remarkable results. Willis began his educational journey at the University of Virginia, earning a Bachelor of Science in Commerce in 1992. He subsequently attended the University of Georgia School of Law, graduating with his Juris Doctor in 1996. Since then, he has focused his legal practice on DUI defense throughout Georgia. What distinguishes Willis in his field is his comprehensive understanding of both the legal and scientific aspects of DUI cases. He has completed specialized training as both a student and instructor on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standardized field sobriety evaluations. He has also extensively studied chemical testing methods, establishing himself as Atlanta's legal and scientific authority on this subject. Willis's dedication to his clients is legendary in Georgia legal circles. In 2003, he demonstrated extraordinary commitment when he chose to serve a four-day contempt of court sentence rather than proceed with a trial without an expert witness crucial to his client's defense. After his release, Willis returned to court with the witness and won the case. This act of professional sacrifice earned him the Samurai Lawyer Award. His exceptional track record includes maintaining a 93% success rate in resolving DUI cases without a DUI conviction over the past decade. On February 18, 2019, Willis won a landmark case when the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that certain Georgia DUI laws related to breath testing and refusals were unconstitutional, a decision that impacted cases throughout the state. Professional recognition has followed Willis throughout his career. He has been designated a SuperLawyer in DUI law for twelve consecutive years. The DUI Defense Lawyers Association awarded him their highest honor, the BadAss Award, recognizing his extraordinary determination and commitment to defending clients. He also received the Georgia DUI Lawyer of the Year Award for 2018-2019. Willis serves as President of DUI Defense Lawyers Association (2026) and chairs its Amicus Committee. He is also a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the National College of DUI Defense, and the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. His expertise is so valued within the legal community that Willis is regularly invited to speak at both state and national DUI training conferences, teaching other attorneys how to analyze and defend DUI cases. He has even challenged numerous DUI cases to the United States Supreme Court and has been invited to submit briefs on pending cases. Willis maintains a perfect 10.0 rating on AVVO and runs the Willis Law Firm in Atlanta, where he leads a team dedicated to DUI defense throughout Georgia.

Education

Greg Willis graduated with a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia in 1992. He attended University of Georgia School of Law and graduated with his J.D. in 1996.

Notable Cases

Elliott v. State, 305 Ga. 179 (2019) - This was a monumental decision from the Georgia Supreme Court that declared parts of Georgia's DUI laws unconstitutional. Greg’s client refused to submit to a chemical breath test and Greg filed several motions challenging the admission of his client’s refusal to submit as evidence at trial. Greg argued that allowing the State to use his client’s refusal to submit to a chemical breath test against her at trial was unconstitutional because her refusal to submit to the breath test was protected under Paragraph XVI of Georgia's Constitution as a self-incriminating act. The trial court denied the motions and Greg appealed the case to the Georgia Supreme Court. The Court agreed with Greg’s legal arguments and reversed the trial court’s decision, finding that, "OCGA §§ 40-5-67.1 (b) and 40-6-392 (d) are unconstitutional to the extent that they allow a defendant’s refusal to submit to a breath test to be admitted into evidence at a criminal trial." This decision forced legislators to amend Georgia's DUI statutes, however, Greg continues to raise constitutional challenges to these statutes. Jones v. State, 291 Ga. 35 (2012) - This case involved the unlawful detention of Greg’s client after an officer saw another driver pull into a parking lot near a roadblock. The officer pulled into the parking lot and blocked the exit so that Greg’s client and the other driver could not leave. Greg filed several motions and argued that the officer did not have reasonable articulable suspicion to believe that his client had committed a crime and that by preventing him from leaving the parking lot, the officer violated his client’s Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. The trial court denied the motions and the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision. Greg filed a Petition for Certiorari in the Georgia Supreme Court and the Court agreed with Greg’s arguments, finding that “[c]ontrary to the Court of Appeals, we conclude that the evidence did not support the trial court's ruling that the initial encounter between the trooper and Jones was consensual.” The Court held that an unlawful seizure occurred when the officer walked to the defendant’s car to question him and prevented him from leaving the parking lot by blocking the exit with his patrol car. Parker v. State, 296 Ga. 586 (2015) - In this case, the Georgia Supreme Court held that rules of evidence did not apply to the proceeding for issuance of material witness certificates. The trial court refused to consider documents proffered by Greg that were related to the defendant's Motion for Material Witness Certificates. Greg was seeking out-of-state witness certificates for individuals working for CMI, Inc., the Kentucky-based manufacturer of the Intoxilyzer 5000 in order to challenge the reliability and accuracy of the Intoxilyzer machines themselves. Greg appealed the trial court's refusal to consider the documentation he presented and the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's decision. Greg then filed a Petition for Certiorari in the Georgia Supreme Court and the Court reversed the decision of the trial court and Court of Appeals, finding that “the trial court erred in sustaining the State's hearsay objection to the evidence that Parker proffered in support of his motion for material witness certificates, and then in denying his motion for lack of evidence. Likewise, the Court of Appeals erred in Division 1 of its opinion in upholding the trial court's evidentiary ruling and affirming the denial of the material witness certificates on the ground that Parker 'presented no admissible evidence during the hearing on his motion.'" Yeary v. State, 289 Ga. 394 (2011) - This case also involved an out-of-state witness certificate and Greg’s challenges to the reliability and accuracy of the Intoxilyzer 5000. Greg filed motions in the trial court seeking to obtain evidence possessed by CMI, Inc., the company that manufactures the Intoxilyzer 5000, and the trial court denied the motion, finding that the evidence Greg was seeking was not material or relevant to the defendant's case. Greg appealed and the Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's decision. Greg then filed a Petition for Certiorari in the Georgia Supreme Court and argued that the evidence he was seeking from agents of CMI, Inc. was relevant and material under the 6th Amendment and Article I, Sec. I, Paragraph XIV of Georgia's Constitution regarding a criminal defendant's constitutional rights to compulsory process for obtaining the attendance of a witness that may aid the defense by producing testimony and/or evidence that might influence the jury's determination of guilt. The Georgia Supreme Court agreed with Greg and reversed the Court of Appeals' decision, finding that. "[t]he Court of Appeals erred when it concluded that a request under the Uniform Act that an out-of-state corporation be required to produce purportedly material evidence in its possession must be accompanied by the identification as a material witness of the corporate agent through which the corporation is to act. Should the certificate of materiality be issued by the Georgia court, it is for the Kentucky corporation to identify the human agent through whom it will act, perhaps in conjunction with the hearing that would be held in Kentucky upon receipt of the Georgia certificate of materiality." State v. Peirce, 257 Ga. App. 623 (2002) - Greg’s client had an out of state driver’s license and after being arrested for DUI, the officer informed the client that their out of state license would be suspended if they refused to submit to the state-administered breath test. Greg filed motions and argued that the officer’s statement regarding the suspension of his client’s out of state license was inaccurate because Georgia does not have the authority to suspend an out-of-state license. The client testified that he agreed to submit to the testing based on the inaccurate information regarding the suspension of his license and Greg argued that the client’s consent to submit to the testing was not voluntary because he was given misleading information that affected his decision. The trial court agreed with Greg’s arguments and granted his motions. The State appealed and the Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed, finding that “[t]he information given to Peirce contained substantial misleading, inaccurate information and confused him as to his implied consent rights.”

Instructional Experience

2026 DUI Defense Lawyers Association: Altitude Adjustment: New Approaches to DUI Defense