William Young serves as Of Counsel to Balestrini, Barnes, Jaber & Wood, PLLC. He is frequently the firm's primary point of contact for conflict matters, as well as cases filed outside of Shelby County. Licensed since 2011 and practicing in Memphis since 2012, he is known for direct, effective advocacy in juvenile court and DUI defense across West Tennessee.
He tried Class A and Class B felonies to juries at the Shelby County Criminal Court before moving into family and juvenile practice. That trial background is what he is known for, particularly his command of the rules of evidence.
On the DUI side he is NHTSA certified, meaning he has completed the same formal training police receive to administer standardized field sobriety tests. He has tried DUI cases to juries in Shelby County and won. In Tipton County he obtained a not guilty verdict on leaving the scene of an accident involving death or serious bodily injury, in a courthouse where not guilty verdicts are not common.
William began concentrating in juvenile court because he saw the need for legal representation there to be elevated. The rules of evidence and civil procedure matter in juvenile court, and he found that not everyone in that building was treating them that way. He prepared. He showed up knowing the law cold. He made an immediate impact and built a reputation that has followed him ever since.
The judicial review process, the procedure under Tenn. Code Ann. § 37-1-107 that allows a party to challenge prior juvenile court rulings and force a case to be reheard, is something most attorneys in Tennessee have never attempted. William read the statute, figured out that it could be done, and did it. Successfully. More than once. He has gotten cases redocketed for new hearings that other attorneys told their clients were over.
His work pushing back against DCS overreach is some of the most important and least recognized work happening in Memphis courts right now. When the state files an emergency petition to remove a child from a family over something that a reasonable person would not consider abuse or neglect, and it happens more than people realize, someone has to know how to fight it. The families on the other side of those decisions need someone who knows the law better than the lawyers across the aisle. William is that person.
He is not the most socially conventional attorney you will ever meet. He does not perform warmth. What he does is know the law cold, prepare obsessively, and produce results in a courtroom that most attorneys in this space cannot replicate. In a high-stakes juvenile case, which is every juvenile case because it is always someone's children, that is what matters.
What He Handles
Practice Focus
William concentrates his practice in child custody, DUI defense, and criminal defense, along with juvenile court and traffic violations. He handles dependency and neglect appeals, and takes father’s rights and mother’s rights cases on both sides. His role as Of Counsel makes him the firm's primary resource for conflict matters and cases outside Shelby County. His work in dependency and neglect, both defending parents against DCS and representing family members filing private party petitions, is where he has developed a reputation that extends well beyond what most attorneys in this space have built.
- Juvenile Court
- Emergency Custody
- Dependency & Neglect
- Should I Talk to DCS?
- Eli’s Law
- Bail Hearings & Bond Reduction
- DUI Defense
- Is Weed Legal in Memphis?
- Grandparents' Rights
- Shelby County Environmental Court
- Fayette County Order of Protection
- Fayette County Traffic Tickets
- Piperton Traffic Tickets
- Collierville Criminal Defense
- Germantown Criminal Defense
- Reckless Driving
- Traffic Violations
Background
Education & Experience
| Washington and Lee University | 2007 |
| Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law | 2011 |
Admitted to practice in Tennessee. William has been licensed since 2011, has practiced in Memphis since 2012, and has served as Of Counsel to the firm since 2018.
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