Commitment to Quality Public Defense Celebrated at 45th Annual Conference

ALBANY, NY (07/24/2012)(readMedia)-- During its Annual Meeting and Conference, the New York State Defenders Association (NYSDA) celebrated its 45 years, continued its mission to improve the quality and scope of publicly supported legal representation to low income people, and provided an opportunity for outstanding work to be recognized.

During the three-day event in Saratoga Springs, scores of public defenders, legal aid attorneys, and assigned counsel lawyers attended continuing legal education seminars. They also gathered, formally and informally, to discuss current developments affecting their work and to honor exceptional colleagues.

Columbia County Assistant Public Defender Michael Howard received NYSDA's Wilfred R. O'Connor Award. Howard was recognized as "the epitome of the ideals" of Bill O'Conner, a founding member and former President of NYSDA known for his sustained commitment to the client-centered representation of the poor. Columbia County Public Defender Arlene Levinson and First Assistant Robert W. Linville, who nominated Howard, praised not only his skill but also his empathy for clients, personal contact with and assistance to the client community, and advocacy for both his clients' rights and the integrity of the criminal justice process.

NYSDA's 2012 Service of Justice Award went to Thomas Klein, a long-time lawyer at The Legal Aid Society in New York City. Honored for both his trial skills and for encouraging other lawyers to emulate his high level of practice, Klein inspired comments such as: "Tom Klein reminds me why I'm a defense lawyer." Dennis Murphy, Director of Training for the Criminal Practice at Legal Aid, observed that Klein "is incredibly generous with his time – despite having a demanding caseload with some of our most difficult cases." Another Legal Aid colleague, Elon Harpaz – himself a former Service of Justice Award recipient – reported that Klein's vision and hard work brought about Legal Aid's resource attorney program, in which lawyers from the Criminal Appeals Bureau serve as legal advisors to their trial colleagues, which has improved the quality of representation in both divisions.

The Genesee County Public Defenders Office, which annually presents its Kevin M. Andersen Award during the NYSDA conference, this year selected one of NYSDA's staff attorneys as the recipient. Susan C. Bryant was nominated by the Cattaraugus County Public Defender, Mark Williams. He noted that Bryant's "efforts on a daily basis allow those attorneys who call on her and rely on her to provide fantastic representation to their clients." The award, created to honor the dedication of a Genesee public defender who died in 2004, is presented to an attorney who has been in practice less than fifteen years, practices in the area of indigent defense, and exemplifies the sense of justice, determination, and compassion that were Kevin's hallmarks.

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