Description
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is currently accepting proposals from individuals to serve as an independent contractors for various projects related to NACDL's Capital Case Litigation Initiative (CCLI). Contractors may propose some or all of the following objectives: (1) provide ongoing technical assistance to capital defense teams who have attended Bring Your Own Case (BYOC) training programs; (2) provide targeted training and technical assistance to defender offices concerning capital representation; and (3) conduct online, web-based training programs for capital defense teams. Applicants must either be an attorney or attorney organization licensed in their state with extensive expertise in litigating death penalty cases, or must have extensive demonstrable in capital case mitigation or investigation. Applicants must have experience providing training to capital defense attorneys. The consultant(s) will serve as an NACDL Death Penalty Training and Assistance Counsel funded by the BJA grant.
For purposes of the training program and this grant NACDL is supported by the National Consortium for Capital Defense Training (the Consortium). NACDL, working with partners and with support from the Consortium, coordinates bring-your-own-case training programs for capital defense teams in addition to developing and refining the curriculum, selecting the trainers and developing the materials. The role of the contractor is to support the Consortium trainings by providing ongoing technical assistance to participating capital defense teams, and to augment the training programs by developing or helping to develop web-based training programs.
Supervision and Duties
The Death Penalty Training and Assistance Counsel (Counsel) will be an independent contractor engaged by NACDL and will be supervised by the Association’s executive director. The chair of the Consortium’s Executive Committee will serve as the primary liaison to the Consortium but neither the chair nor any member of the Consortium’s executive committee will serve in any supervisory capacity in terms of ongoing work. Specifically, Counsel's responsibilities will include some or all of the following, based upon the scope of proposed and accepted work:
- Provide technical assistance to capital defense teams and state training grantees, including possible travel to the jurisdiction of the person requesting assistance;
- Attend capital defense team training programs sponsored by NACDL in order to foster a working relationship with the teams in order to provide effective ongoing technical assistance;
- Assist in the preparation of internet-based training programs to support capital defense teams;
- Aggregate web-based resources relevant to capital defense practitioners and maintain contact with capital defenders throughout the country to provide mentorship and guidance to those who seek assistance;
- Coordinate outreach efforts to identify capital defense team members in under-served areas and arrange for them to attend the training programs;
- Assist in identifying faculty for the training programs as well as experienced capital practitioners who would benefit from teacher training programs;
- In concert with NACDL’s program staff, assist with the administrative and logistical matters related to conferences, workshops, and project-related meetings;
- Assist in the completion of training program and grant reports to the BJA;
- Assist, as necessary, in the process of travel reimbursement from participants and faculty;
- Collect CLE forms for those participants requesting CLE credit at the end of the training, and forward to NACDL program staff; and
- Provide monthly invoices for services and travel and miscellaneous expenses, pursuant to the approved budget. Indicate the number of consultation hours on the monthly invoice (NACDL cannot pay for any incidental expenses that are not within the scope of the grant budget).
Assumptions and Agreements
The selection and appointment of a consultant will be formalized in a written agreement signed by both parties. The agreement will specifically outline duties, terms and fees, reimbursement of expenses and other requirements stipulated by the grant. At the conclusion of the grant all non-privileged course materials and work documents become the property of NACDL. Travel and lodging should be billed at cost not to exceed the daily federal per diem rates for the city visited. A budget has been approved by BJA and there will be no significant changes to the budgeted line item tasks. Reports should be submitted to comply with BJA grant reporting requirements and timeliness.
Place of Work
The national office of NACDL is located in Washington, DC. Residence in the DC metropolitan area is not required.
How to Apply
Proposal Requirements
Proposals should include:
- A brief description of training and technical assistance that the consultant intends to contribute to the overall project (up to 400 words);
- A resume or statement of qualifications and experience providing training or technical assistance; and
- The state of bar admission and bar number (if applicable).
