The Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers hereby resolves as follows:
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED that the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers creates an Indigent Defense Award Subcommittee to determine a recipient that could be conferred according to the guidelines approved by the Indigent Defense Committee and attached hereto.
CHAMPION OF INDIGENT DEFENSE AWARD
This award recognizes a group or an individual for outstanding efforts in making positive changes to a local, county, statewide or national indigent defense system. Although the outstanding representation of every indigent defendant is one of our goals, this award is intended to recognize efforts toward positive systematic changes through legislation, litigation or other methods and not the outstanding representation of individual clients.
The Champion of Indigent Defense Award will be awarded annually at the NACDL Fall Meeting and may be awarded to more that one group or individual should it be deemed appropriate.
ELIGIBILITY
The Co-Chairs of the Indigent Defense Committee and the Members of the Indigent Defense Award Subcommittee are not eligible to receive this award, but are eligible to nominate others for this award.
NOMINATIONS
Nominations shall be sought through advertising in The Champion, the NACDL website, requests for nominations from other national and local organizations that focus on indigent defense, and other appropriate outlets.
CRITERIA
Anyone shall be qualified to make a nomination for the Champion of Indigent Defense Award. Each nomination shall include the name, title, and contact information of the person or group and a short [1-2 page] summary of: the problems that existed in the relevant indigent defense system, the efforts made by the nominee to improve the system (i.e., coalitions formed, legislation proposed, task forces created, litigation efforts, etc.), the number of years nominee has been involved in efforts to improve indigent defense, and the changes that have been made in the system as a result of the nominee's offerts. It is not necessary that the nominee be a criminal defense lawyer.
SELECTION OF RECIPIENT
The Recipient shall be selected by the Co-Chairs of the Indigent Defense Committee with the advice of an Indigent Defense Award Subcommittee of the NACDL Indigent Defense Committee.
Fort Worth, Texas
