The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is offering a new program of scholarship assistance for indigent defense providers. The scholarships will be available to public defenders, contractors, and private appointed counsel to allow defenders to attend criminal defense training programs nationwide.
These grant-supported scholarships will be awarded in the form of full or partial reimbursement of the registration costs of training programs offered by NACDL and other organizations. Limited travel reimbursement stipends may also be awarded to qualifying individuals to help defray the costs of travel and lodging. Individuals may apply for scholarship funds to attend in-person training events presented by NACDL or any of the organizations listed on the application form. Alternatively, individuals may request assistance attending a program sponsored by a different organization, for example, a national organization not listed on the application form or a comparable organization working on the state or local level.
More information about the scholarships, including detailed eligibility criteria, is available here. The scholarship application for NACDL training programs is available here. The Multi-Organizational Indigent Defense Training Scholarship Application is available here.
Please note that the application forms ask you to attach a brief statement from a supervisor verifying that your office lacks sufficient funds to cover registration for the program you are seeking to attend. To aid you in satisfying that request, a letter from IDS Director Tom Maher describing IDS’s current budget constraints as they relate to funding for training is attached to this email. Mr. Maher’s letter will also be posted on the IDS website next week under the “Training Opportunities” link.
For information about upcoming forensic training programs, click here.