We are America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. NLADA has pioneered access to justice at the national, state, and local levels, and works to establish and strengthen the nation’s public defense and civil legal aid systems. There is no other legal organization that touches on all the access points of poverty as does NLADA.
As civil legal aid and public defense attorneys and staff, legal navigators, client and community advocates and private bar allies, we witness and fight against the intersectional symptoms of systemic racism every day. We are among the first responders in the justice system. We witness the human consequences of these systems and we witness the patterns of these impacts. We know the law and its limitations. Collectively, we have a deep bench of nationwide experts who work in virtually every legal system as well as other systems that perpetuate racial inequity.
We believe that directly impacted people should control the power and resources within their own communities.
We aspire to be anti-racist: by holding ourselves accountable to racially-oppressed communities, by sharing power with those most impacted, and by proactively advocating against systemic racism within and outside of our institutions.
We believe in the power of collaboration with diverse constituencies, inclusive of organizers, client and community advocates, business leaders, law firm professionals, educators, healthcare providers, and families, to better understand the systems and dynamics at play within each of our communities and each of our respective roles.
We have an affirmative responsibility to educate ourselves about the history and culture of the communities in which we operate as service providers and collaborators. This understanding is foundational to advancing racial equity through our work.
We are America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. There is no other legal organization that touches on all the access points of poverty as does NLADA.
