Ethics Advisory Committee - Roster

The Ethics Advisory Committee is a ready source of timely information and guidance for NACDL members with ethics issues relating to their representation of persons accused of crime. Criminal defense lawyers have ethical concerns not faced by other lawyers, so the needs for advice and consultation of NACDL members are unique. In confronting ethical issues, criminal defense lawyers have to consider the implications of the Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel, the governing state ethical rules, the law of criminal law and criminal procedure, and their personal moral code. Sometimes there may appear to be conflicting duties between ethical rules or between ethical rules and our constitutional duties to the client. The committee provides NACDL members with a sounding board to whom they can seek to explain their rationale in anticipation of having to explain it to a court, the client, or the prosecutor, or to get guidance on how to resolve a seemingly intractable question or one they cannot confidently answer. The committee provides confidential assistance to members regarding inquiries concerning ethics and professional responsibility. The committee works with the Lawyers Assistance Strike Force to come to the aid of lawyers accused of professional misconduct in their representation of persons accused of crime. Finally, the committee reviews submissions to The Champion and CLE materials to insure that NACDL members are getting consistent and correct advice on ethical matters.