Bill Kirk was a rising star in the King County Prosecuting Attorney's office until being hired away by The Cowan Kirk Gaston Law Firm. Mr. Kirk built a reputation amongst judges and defense lawyers as a fearless but fair prosecutor, but mostly as a highly skilled trial advocate. Committed to eventually becoming 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-flight trial lawyer, the King County Prosecutor immediately offered him a permanent position. He was initially assigned to the District Court Unit, where his primary function was to prosecute DUIs. He quickly rose through the ranks, next being assigned to the felony team in Juvenile Court, and then to the prestigious Drug Unit, where he prosecuted felony drug cases until he joined The Cowan Kirk Gaston Law Firm, where he now limits his practice to defending DUIs and related misdemeanors. Mr. Kirk was named a "rising Star" by Washington Law & Politics Magazine in both 2002 and 2003 and was named a "Super Lawyer" by the same publication in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. In 2006, WL&P named Bill one of the top 25 criminal defense attorneys in Washington State.

Bill received certification in administering Standardized Field Sobriety Tests in 2001, and attended the prestigious "Mastering Scientific Evidence in DUI Cases" in Atlanta in both 2001 and 2002. He was also trained by National Patent, the manufacturer of Washington's breath test machine, in Mansfield, Ohio in 2003. Bill was named a partner of the law firm in 2004.

Bill is a four time graduate of The National College for DUI Defense and serves as a State Delegate for Washington to The National College for DUI Defense. Mr. Kirk has also lectured on various topics of DUI Defense for the National College, The Washington Foundation of Criminal Justice, and the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Bill is also a member of the following organizations:

• The National College for DUI Defense
• The Washington Foundation for Criminal Justice
• The Northwest Academy of DUI Defense (Founding Member; President 2003)
• The Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• The Washington State Trial Lawyers Association
• The Washington State Bar Association
• The American Bar Association