Alan Bernstein

Alan Bernstein has been practicing criminal law since 1982, focusing on DUI since 1993. He is a Founder of the National College of DUI Defense; author of Florida DUI Defense: The Law & the Practice, Lawyers and Judges Publishing. He was part of the team in Florida’s landmark Meador v. State, 674 So. 2d 826 (Fla. 4th DCA 1996) case which is respected nationwide for recognizing the scientific deficiencies of standardized field sobriety tests. He lectures on DUI/DWI in Florida and other states. His intoxilyzer training in both the 5000 & 8000 comes from C.E.S. Consulting and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. His clients include celebrities and athletes who get DUIs in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, Florida. An interesting note is that Alan’s first job after law school was with the Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service where in just one year he tried 25-30 cases and won them all. He serves his community outside his work by being a member of the Kiwanis Club, Knights of Pythias, B’nai Brith Justice Unit, and the American Cancer Society. He has logged in volunteer hours as a teacher’s aide at Westchester Elementary School, taught the “Stop Substance Abuse Through Education” for Broward County, sponsors soccer and baseball teams in Coral Gable, Fla., and has coached his son’s baseball team. He and his wife have 3 children with the youngest being 11.

He is an avid chess player but his true love is knowledge. He devours books with a library of over 1,000 in his house. He “still reads new books on trial, practices, and DUI almost weekly.”

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Troy Broussard

This week’s member in the spotlight truly defines service for others. Troy Broussard has been a member of NCDD since 1997 and a sustaining member since 2002. He graduated from the University of Louisiana with a B.S.B.A. in Finance and from Loyola Law School. He is known as the “DWI Dr.” with a practice dedicated exclusively to DWI defense since 1998. His NHTSA SFST training dates back to 1999 and Intoxilyzer 5000 operator training to 2003. In addition to his DWI practice, he has also sat as ad hoc judge in the First parish of Jefferson Parish. One of his most memorable victories was a jury .26 felony breath test in Houma, Louisiana. His unparalleled trial record in Jefferson, St. Tammany and Terrebone Parishes can be verified by the clerks. Known for having a big heart, in the words of his fiancée Kathy Rome, “Troy will try to help people even if they can’t come up with his entire fee and sometimes doesn’t charge anything.”

A true New Orleanian, he has participated in Mardi Gras as a member of both the Krewe of Orpheus and the Pete Fountain Half Fast Marching Club. He has 5 sons and 1 granddaughter. As a coach for his 4 boys involved in sports, he has logged in: 12 baseball seasons, 12 basketball seasons and 3 football seasons and has taken 3 all-star teams to various championships. It is no surprise that his 4th son Timmy was an all-state pitcher who received a scholarship to the University of New Orleans. Troy donates at least 50 volunteer hours a month serving his community through the Masons. He is a 32nd Degree Mason, Knights Templar and Shriner. He is past master of the Theodore Roosevelt Lodge #415, sitting master of the 15th Masonic District Lodge, Director of Jerusalem Shrine of Shriners International, 2nd Lt. in the Jerusalem Shrine Motorcycle Escort Unit, degree master of the 31st degree of the Scottish Rite Freemasonry, secretary of Level Lodge #373, master expert of Dante’ Lodge #174, and master of ceremonies of Etoile Polaire Lodge #1. His Shriner work raises money for the 22 Shriner Hospitals for Children which treat burn patients, spinal cord injuries, cleft palates and orthopedic issues at no charge to the families. He is also a member of the High Twelve Club of North America whose first and foremost goal is to “encourage and support good government” through the Wolcott Foundation, which provides fellowships for master’s degrees in federal government or foreign service at George Washington University.

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Kirby Riffel

Everyday our National College for DUI Defense members are out in the trenches fighting for justice. Knowing a little something about our fellow heroes is inspiring to us all. Our first in an NCDD new series of “Members in the Spotlight” is Kirby Riffel of Pocahontas, Arkansas, a Founding Member of the NCDD.

Interesting fact, Kirby was a senior at Little Rock Central High School the year of the nationally famous desegregation crisis. He started at the University of Miami and finished at the University of Arkansas, a psychology major.  He joined the Army and decided to go to law school.  He was a lieutenant at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky in the air mobile tank company .  While at the University of Arkansas  School of Law he was on law review, a member of Blue Key and student body president.  He joined an insurance defense law firm in Memphis for 4 years and turned down partnership to move back to the sleepy town of Pocahontas, Arkansas  to start his own practice.

He won six straight rape jury trials and six straight murder jury trials before dipping his hand into DWI defense to never look back. In Pocahontas, he has been involved with  the American Cancer Society, United Way, Bluff City canoe club, local tennis association, country club and served as president of the Rotary Club. He and his wife were Arkansas’ state mixed doubles champion tennis team.  He has taught law three times in the Ukraine by invitation, first with the ABA and the latter two by invitation of law schools. Not only is he a Founding Member of the National College of DUI Defense, he also founded the Arkansas DWI Defense network.

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