About John
John Thurston is a criminal defense attorney based in Junction City, Kansas, specializing in DUI & DWI, traffic tickets, and military law. He has been practicing law in Kansas since 2001 and is also licensed in Texas. His firm, Addair Thurston, Chartered, operates offices in Junction City and Manhattan, Kansas. He earned his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law in 2000 and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from the University of Kansas in 1997. During law school, he was active in mock trial competitions, honing his courtroom skills early in his career.
Thurston has received extensive training in DUI defense, including Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) training developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). He has completed this course multiple times, including sessions with Kansas Highway Patrol instructors. Additionally, he has been trained as an SFST instructor and has undergone Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) training, which is typically reserved for law enforcement officers. He is one of the few attorneys in Kansas to have completed the American Chemical Society’s Forensic Chromatography: Theory and Practice course, focusing on blood alcohol testing theories and laboratory analysis. Before establishing his private practice, Thurston served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Manhattan, Kansas.
He has also been an adjunct professor at Kansas State University and has lectured at legal seminars across the country. His commitment to ongoing education and specialization in DUI and criminal defense has made him a sought-after lecturer and consultant in these areas. Thurston is a member of several professional organizations, including the Kansas State Bar, the State Bar of Texas, the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. The National College of DUI Defense. He is also a Charter Member and Vice President of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association.
In 2012, he became the first attorney in Kansas to receive the ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist designation. In his practice, Thurston focuses exclusively on criminal defense, particularly DUI cases, believing that specialization allows him to provide the most effective representation for his clients. His dedication to continuous learning and his extensive training in DUI defense techniques have contributed to his reputation as a knowledgeable and effective attorney in his field.
