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Award Nomination Guidelines

Invitation and Eligibility

Each year the National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s Annual Conference brings together civil legal aid, public defense, public interest leaders, clients and advocates from across the country to honor their own. The NLADA Annual Conference Awards honor distinguished men and women for outstanding contributions to the delivery of civil legal aid and public defense representation. Members are invited to nominate their exceptional colleagues for the Annual Conference Awards. Please visit our Web site, www.nlada.org, for a list of each award’s past winners.

Award Nomination Process

You are encouraged to submit your nomination in a timely manner. The deadline for receipt of all award nominations and supporting documents is Wednesday, September 10. You will receive e-mail notification from the NLADA training division acknowledging receipt of your nomination as soon as it is submitted. If you do not receive an e-mail, please contact Risa Hoffman, the NLADA training resource coordinator, at (202) 452-0620 x207. The nominations will be reviewed and award decisions made by the Conference Committee. All decisions of the committee are final and binding. The committee may bestow more than one award in a particular category or it may elect not to confer an award in a particular category. Announcement letters will be mailed by September 22, 2008.

Winners will be recognized at NLADA’s Annual Conference in Washington, DC on November 21, 2008. Winners (or their designated representatives) will be invited to attend the NLADA Annual Conference for the formal presentation. Unfortunately, NLADA cannot underwrite the cost of travel to the conference to accept the award.

Award Criteria

Each NLADA Annual Conference Award has its own eligibility requirements and criteria. Please see individual award listings (link to "Specific Award Information." Be sure that your letter of nomination explains why your nominee meets the specific criteria of the award. The Conference Committee will consider your nominee only for the award you have specified in your letter. Current members of the NLADA Board of Directors, Policy Groups, Conference Committee and staff are ineligible for consideration.

Submitting the Nomination: Due September 10, 2008

A) Click the "Submit Award Nomination" link on the left-hand side of your screen
B) Complete the nomination form with contact information for yourself and for your nominee
C) Please attach the following documents to the online form. You will need to click "Attach" in order to attach each one. When you have attached all your documents, click "Submit"

ATTACHMENTS

  1. Leter of Nomination, which should include the following:
    • Name of the award for which the nominee is a candidate.
    • Explanation of how the nominee fits the enumerated criteria for the specific award (see link for "Specific Award Information")
    • A detailed description of the nominee's achievements.
    • Outstanding events or workd beyond the call of duty.
    • Information about the impact of the nominee's achievements on the client community, the community in general, or the development of law in the jurisdiction.

  2. Letters of Support (no more than three) should not be as detailed as the nomination letter and should address the nominee's impact on the letter writer or the nominee's community. Letters of Support should not exceed one page each.

  3. Other Supporting Documents may include newspaper clippings, other publicity received, awards received or other supporting materials. Additional documents must be limited to a total of 10 pages.

  4. Nominee's resume.

Technical Assistance

Current members of the NLADA Board of Directors, Policy Groups, Conference Committee and staff may not make award nominations, be involved in the preparation of the nomination packet or promote the candidacy of a nominee. However, an NLADA member who wishes to nominate someone for an award and needs clerical or other technical assistance to complete the application process may contact Camille Wood, Director of Training and Community Education, at 202-452-0620 x220 to arrange for such assistance.

Join the NLADA Community

Whether or not you choose to nominate someone for an Annual Conference Award, we invite you to join the NLADA community. Go to the NLADAWeb site, www.nlada.org, for information about the advantages of being an NLADA member.