Clarence Counts

From the NDIA:  Clarence E. Counts, Jr., an investigator with the Federal Public Defender's Office in Jacksonville, FL, died March 13, 2013, at the very young age of 28.  Clarence was a member of the NDIA for only five years, but, in that time, he made a tremendous impression on those he knew in the organization.  In fact, Clarence Counts was profiled in the July 2012 edition of the NDIA's newsletter, Eagle's Eye, only a short time before he discovered he had cancer.  The article told an amazing story of how Clarence worked hard to break free from the extreme poverty of his early years, how his adopted family taught him about love, and his college trials.  In short, it was awe inspiring.  Clarence's presence at our conferences and his zealous work for the indigent will most certainly be missed.  For more about Clarence's life, login to the NDIA website's Members Area and read Patti Gallo's Spotlight article on Clarence.  You may also read his obituary here.

2011 NDIA Regional Conference

2011 NDIA Regional Conference

September 15-16, 2011

The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel

1550 Court Place

Denver, Colorado 80202

Telephone: 303-893-3333

Toll Free: 1-800-325-3535

www.sheratondenverdowntown.com

2011 NDIA National Conference

This year the 2011 NDIA National Conference will be held April 28-29, 2011 at:

The Huntington Beach Hyatt Regency
21500 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, California 92648
Telephone: 714/698-1234
Fax: 714/845-4990
www.huntingtonbeach.hyatt.com

Introduction to the 2011 National Conference by Sean Broderick
Current 2011 National Conference Agenda
2011 National Conference Registration Form
Conference At-A-Glance

Room Rate: $123 per diem OR prevailing Government per diem rate
Room Reservations Telephone: 714/698-1234
(Refer to NDIA Group Meeting when making reservations)

Check-In: 4:00 p.m.
Check-Out: 11:00 a.m.

Deadline for Hotel Reservations: April 8, 2011!

2011 NDIA National Conference

This year the 2011 NDIA National Conference will be held at:

The Huntington Beach Hyatt Regency
21500 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, California 92648
Telephone: 714/698-1234
Fax: 714/845-4990
http://www.huntingtonbeach.hyatt.com/

Melissa Kupferberg NDIA Scholarship

Melissa Kupferberg was a nationally recognized investigator with the Tampa, Florida Federal Public Defender office when she passed away. Only 32 years old, she was a skilled investigator, capital mitigation specialist, and sentencing advocate who had a wonderful ability to relate to and work on behalf of clients. Her Master’s Degree in Social Work and considerable experience in both capital and non-capital cases gave her great expertise in understanding and addressing mental health issues. This expertise helped her to develop a rapport with all types of clients, even those with significant mental illnesses or intellectual disabilities.

First and foremost, Melissa was dedicated to her clients. She was a fierce advocate, always seeking the most persuasive way to demonstrate a client’s humanity to judge or jury, from the mentally ill death row prisoner to a defendant facing child pornography charges. Melissa worked tirelessly to ensure thorough investigation of her clients’ cases. Innocent or guilty, Melissa helped clients open up about their pasts, including painful details they would not reveal to others, so that information could be developed that might eventually persuade a judge or jury to give a lighter sentence than they would otherwise receive. Most importantly, she respected them and appreciated their humanity.

To honor Melissa, her family has created the Melissa Kupferberg NDIA Scholarship. The goal of the scholarship is to recognize those NDIA members who have followed in Melissa’s footsteps, through their client-centered approach to indigent criminal defense, by providing them with funding to attend an NDIA National Conference.

If you are interested in applying for the scholarship, please fill out the following form by clicking here.

The form may be filled out online and emailed via an email button on the form to Beverly Davidson at ndia@cox.net, or the form may be printed and submitted by mail. The address is:

Beverly Davidson, Executive Secretary

460 Smith Street, Suite K

Middletown, CT 06457