The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) is the national Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Provider for the Smart Defense Initiative. Founded in 1911, NLADA is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. NLADA has a long and distinguished record of providing technical assistance that improves public defender offices and reforms indigent defense systems. Following issuance of Gideon v. Wainwright, NLADA was integrally involved with establishing the first public defender offices throughout the country. Today, NLADA provides defenders with strategic solutions on a range of areas, including:
- Program & Systems Evaluations
- Data Collection & Research Development
- Strategic Planning & Problem Solving
- Policy Advocacy & Lobbying Consultation
NLADA partners with the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) to provide TTA to Smart Defense grantees. NCJA excels in bringing multidisciplinary, interagency strategic planning to criminal justice issues. NLADA and NCJA consult with the five grantees on strategic planning and problem solving related to the implementation of their projects and leverage training and subject matter expertise to expand the teams’ capacities. Throughout the two-year project, NLADA will share the innovations and lessons learned from the Smart Defense Initiative nationally.
For more information about NLADA, visit our website or contact smartdefense@nlada.org.