Dear friends,
Nominations are open for the 2020 Kutak-Dodds Prizes! The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) bestows the prestigious Kutak-Dodds awards annually at its Exemplar Awards Dinner to honor the accomplishments of one civil legal aid attorney and one public defender who, through the practice of law, are reinforcing the principle and reality of justice for all under the law. Each prize carries a cash award of $10,000.
About the award
The Kutak-Dodds Prizes are jointly sponsored by the Robert J. Kutak Foundation and NLADA, and bestowed in memory of Robert J. Kutak and Kenneth R. Dodds. Both men were former partners in the Omaha, Nebraska Office of Kutak Rock LLP, and advocates of public service, legal education and high ethical standards throughout their lives. In addition to legal services for low-income individuals, the Kutak Foundation supports education in professional ethics, minority scholarships and a variety of other public interest projects. The Foundation is maintained by Mr. Kutak’s former friends and associates.
Award criteria
To qualify, the nominee must:
- Be an attorney employed by or affiliated with an organization serving persons who cannot afford to pay for legal representation OR, be an attorney working for a public interest, nonprofit organization.
- Have at least ten (10) years of practice in legal services or public interest work and must be currently involved in legal advocacy and/or active representation of clients on a daily basis.
Selection will be based on:
- Persona, vision and commitment
- Nature of the need(s) addressed by the nominee’s work
- Impact of successes achieved through effective advocacy
- Difficulty of circumstances surrounding the achievement
The deadline to sumbit nominations is: FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2020
You can find more information about the awards here, and submit you nomination here.
Best,
Marta