Client

Client Council 

The Client Council provides a forum for client inclusiveness and involvement in NLADA.  The Client Council is composed of:

• One member is a client representative on the Civil Council and is elected by the Civil Council.
• One member is a client individual member of NLADA and is elected by the client individual members.
• One member is a client representative on the Defender Council and is elected by the Defender Council.
• One member is a client individual member of NLADA and is elected by the Defender Council.
• One member is a chief staff officer or staff representative on the Civil Council and is elected by the Civil Council.
• One member is a director or staff representative on the Defender Council and is elected by the Defender Council.
• One member is appointed by the chairperson of the Client Council, in consultation with staff and the Leadership Development Committee, to meet the diversity goals of NLADA.

Click Here for Client Council Materials

Members

• Liza E.L. Merrill, Chairperson
  Phoenix, AZ
• Ronald Simpson-Bey, Vice Chairperson
  Atlanta, GA
• Larry E. Carlton
  Waverly, FL
• Soummer Crawford
  Detroit, MI
• Eddie Ellis
  Washington, DC
• Robyn Hasan
  Atlanta, GA
• Suzanne Small
  Boston, MA
• Rosita Stanley
  Macon, GA
• LaShung Willis
  Hammond, IN
• Marquita Wise Jones
  Baltimore, MD

Client Committees 

The purpose of the NLADA Client Section is to promote the mission of NLADA by providing a forum for clients of legal aid and public defense programs to voice their interests and concerns as members of NLADA, as program board members, as customers of legal services, and as advocates for themselves.

• Communications Committee
  The Communications Committee addresses issues of communication among and with the client membership, the Council, and NLADA.  One of the committee's first recommendations to the Council was the creation of a newsletter to be published jointly with the National Association of Client Advocates (NOCA). The Client Update is published three times per year. To view the current and past issues of the Client Update, please go to the Client Resource Center.
• Training Committee
  The Training Committee addresses the training opportunities and needs of the client membership.  NLADA offers training for clients and client advocates at the Annual Conference, and these opportunities are planned by a design committee that includes members of the Training Committee.
• Membership Committee
  The Membership Committee was established because NLADA members expressed interest in establishing a client section. The committee was instrumental in achieving this objective, and in March 2001 the NLADA board approved the creation of the Client Section. The committee now works to promote membership in the section and in NLADA. 

Client Section

This section promotes the mission of NLADA by providing a forum for clients of legal aid and public defense programs to voice their interests and concerns as NLADA members, as customers of legal assistance, and as advocates for themselves. Membership is open to all NLADA members, with a special focus on NLADA client members.