The NYSACDL is the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' third largest state affiliate. Our Past-Presidents, Lawrence S. Goldman, Paul J. Cambria, Jack T. Litman, Mark J. Mahoney, David L. Lewis, William I. Aronwald, Thomas F. Liotti, Ira D. London, Jeanne E. Mettler, Murray Richman, Gerard M. Damiani, Marvin E. Schechter, Kathryn M. Kase, Russell M. Gioiella, James P. Harrington, Richard J. Barbuto, Martin B. Adelman, Joshua L. Dratel, Ray Kelly, Daniel N. Arshack, Lisa Schreibersdorf and Craig Schlanger are known to lawyers throughout New York State, and across the United States.

Our current President, George R. Goltzer, a former Legal Aid Attorney, has had his own practice specializing in criminal defense in Manhattan.  His extensive trial experience in high profile matters includes securing acquittals after 3 month trials in the Detective Vendetti murder and the first Columbo War cases.  George tried the Arohn Kee serial murders which involved nuclear and mitochondrial DNA issues.  Currently, George represents Vincent Basciano in a case authorized for capital prosecution in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. 

Our national influence is also due to the fact that many of our members hold positions of prominence in the NACDL. Gerald B. Lefcourt, Robert Fogelnest and Lawrence S. Goldman are Past-Presidents. Our Past-Presidents Joshua L. Dratel and Mark J. Mahoney sit on the NACDL Board of Directors. NYSACDL Members serve on the Board of Directors of the New York State Defenders Association. Both the NACDL and NYSDA appoint one person as a full voting member of the NYSACDL Board of Directors.

NYSACDL was accredited as an approved Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Provider in 1998 by the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board and has been widely recognized for its efforts in the field of continuing legal education. We annually present CLE seminars throughout New York State which focus exclusively on criminal defense and issues relating to criminal justice.

NYSACDL's Amicus Committee is proactive, and regularly files amicus curiae briefs in important State and Federal cases including Padilla v. Rumsfeld, U.S. v. Lynne Stewart, U.S. v. Awadallah, Sell v. United States, Dickson v. Ashcroft, People v. Cahill, and NYCLA v. Pataki. Our State and Federal Legislative Committees continue an ongoing dialogue on issues of importance to the criminal defense bar with elected officials in Albany and Washington, D.C. We have actively lobbied for the reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, changes in the Sentencing Guidelines, as well as increases in aid to indigent defense organizations and increases in fees paid to Assigned Counsel in the State and Federal Courts.

 In 1999, the NYSACDL in NYSACDL v. Hon. Judith Kaye et al, filed an Article 78 Motion regarding decreases in fees paid to attorneys representing capital defendants. The firm of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison was pro bono on the matter. The NYSACDL was the lead amicus author in NYCLA v. Pataki.The Lawyers Assistance Strike Force represents NYSACDL members without charge who find themselves the subject of subpoena or threatened with contempt or criminal prosecution for attempting to protect their client’s rights.

In 2004, NYSACDL formed a permanent committee to aaddress the ever-growing problem of prosecutorial and misconduct. Known as the Prosecution and Judicial Complaint Center, the committee  receives reports and complaints of misconduct from whatever sources, including published newspaper accounts. The PJCC conducts investigations and, where appropriate, files complaints, referrals or asks for investigations by the Commission on Judicial Misconduct, or the appropriate departmental disciplinary committees

                                                      MILESTONES

The first Hon. William Brennan Award was presented to Justice Brennan at NYSACDL's first Annual Dinner.  Oher recipients of the Brennan Award for Outstanding Jurist include New York State Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye, Second Circuit Chief Judge James L. Oakes (United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit),  Associate Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals Vito J. Titone, District Judge Jack Weinstein, former Circuit Judge Hon. A. Leon Higinbotham, Jr., Associate Justice John Carro, State Supreme Court Justices Burton Roberts and Judge Nicholas Colabella, District Court Judges Robert Sweet, Justice Nancy Gertner, Hon. Shira Scheindlin, Hon. Ernst Rosenberger. Judge Jeffrey Atlas, Judge James Yates, Judge Dan Lamont, Hon. George Bundy Smith, Hon. Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick, Judge Kate Rosenthal and Hon. David N. Hurd.

The Thurgood S. Marshall Award for Outstanding Criminal Practitioner has been presented to former Judge Stuart Namm, William M. Kunstler, Herald Price Fahringer, Ronald Tabak, Gerald B. Lefcourt, Martin B. Adelman, Lawrence S. Goldman Jack T. Litman, Barry Scheck, Peter Neufeld, Ray Kelly, New York State Capital Defender Kevin M. Doyle on behalf of the New York State Capital Defender Office, Donald G. Rehkopf, Jr, Gerald Shargel, Benjamin Brafman, Mark J. Mahoney, James P. Harrington, and Susan Brune.

In 1995, a special President's Award was presented to Joseph Fahey of Syracuse, New York. In 1998 a special Justice Award was given to Presiding Justice Francis T. Murphy of the Appellate Division, First Department upon his retirement from the Bench. Outstanding Service to the Criminal Bar Awards have been presented to Gustave H. Newman, Ira D. London, Myron Beldock and Martin B. Adelman. David Steinberg, Malvina Nathanson, Alan Rosenthal and Stephen J. Pittari have been honored with Distinguished Service Awards. A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Jack T. Litman.

The Clarence Darrow Award for Outstanding Achievement was presented to Benjamin Brafman at the 2007 Annual Dinner and to Ray Kelly at the 2010 Dinner.

Keynote Speakers at our Annual Dinner have included Morris Dees, Millard Farmer, Johnnie Cochran, Jr., Steven Brill and Sol Wachtler, former Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals.

Gideon Champion of Justice Awards were first presented in 2000 to the pro bono team at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind & Wharton for their assistance in the NYSACDL v. Hon. Judith Kaye litigation; Elinor Jackson Piel, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld for their efforts on behalf of the innocent; John J. P. Howley and Dean C. Garfield of Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays and Handler, whose pro bono efforts resulted in obtaining grants of clemency for 3 death row inmates; and to Priscilla Read Chenoweth; Jethro M. Eisenstein; and Denis O’’Sullivan, NYPD Ret. for tirelessly working to overturn a wrongful murder conviction. In 2002 Norman Reimer, Jonathan Gradess and the Davis Polk & Wardwell pro bono team received Gideons for their tireless efforts to increase indigent defense compensation which resulted in the NYCLA v. Governor Pataki litigation. Edward Hammock has also received a Gideon Award. At the 2008 Annual Dinner, the team or attorneys who represented Martin Tankleff and whose efforts resulted in his being released from prison after 17 years,  were presented with Gideon Awards.  The WilmerHale team who secured release for Dewey Bozella receivedt he award in 2010.

At the  first Annual Dinner, we were honored by Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., who, in his last public appearance as a sitting Supreme Court Justice, personally accepted an award in his honor.