The Illinois Public Defender Association was incorporated in 1969 as a non-profit 501 [c][6] educational organization for Public Defenders. There were 3 incorporators: Gerald W. Getty, then the Cook County Public Defender, Marshall J. Hartman, retired head of the Capital Litigation Division of the Office of the State Appellate Defender, and Morton Zwick, retired justice of the First District Appellate Court.

Currently, there are 32 officers and directors representing the geographical and demographic differences in the State. In addition, the Association employs no staff and thus relies heavily on members of the Office of the State Appellate Defender and other volunteers to coordinate its programs and services.

The goals of education, interchange of ideas, and camaraderie are reflected by semi-annual seminars serving Public Defenders and court-appointed counsel in all 102 counties. In recent years, efforts have begun to establish caseload standards and to fairly fund public defender services.

The Illinois Public Defender Association has cooperated with the Illinois State Bar Association and the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender in reviewing and suggesting amendments to criminal and juvenile bills in the legislature. It has also worked with the State Bar Association to develop model rules and statutes to standardize Public Defender appointment procedures.

In cooperation with the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender and the Office of the State Appellate Defender, the Association sponsors an annual Public Defender Trial Advocacy School, where hands-on experience makes both attendees and instructors better advocates, as well as regional Public Defender Advocacy Programs and two annual state-wide training seminars.

This award is presented by the Illinois Public Defender Association to an Assistant Public Defender or an Assistant Appellate Defender whose efforts embody the core values of the Public Defender Movement in the United States and the State of Illinois. This award recognizes the efforts, whether on a single case or over the course of the previous twelve months, which epitomize the selfless dedication to the constitutional precepts which form the basis of the criminal defense of the indigent accused in Illinois.

Nomination Form

• Spring Seminar - March 29th
  
• Fall Seminar - September 15th