Georgia Defense Lawyers Association Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
581392033
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Rossville, GA, USA
Phone
7069564848
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$556,961
Expenses
$472,751
Assets
$608,347
Liabilities
$38,542

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ASHLEY RICE (PRESIDENT ELECT)
  • WILLIAM T CASEY JR (PRESIDENT)
  • PAMELA NEWSOM LEE (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • JAMES D MEADOWS (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • DAVID N NELSON (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • JENNIFER DAVIS WARD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JENNIFER DAVIS WARD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $185,001 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The purpose of this association shall be to bring together lawyers of Georgia who devote a substantial amount of their professional time to the handling of litigated cases and whose representation in such cases is primarily for the defense; to provide for the exchange among members of this association of such information, ideas, techniques of procedure and court rulings related to the handling of litigation as are calculated to enhance the knowledge and improve the skills of defense lawyers; to elevate the standards of trial practice in this area and, in conjunction with the similar association in other areas, to develop, establish, and secure court adoption or approval of a high standard code of trial conduct and courtroom manners; to support and work for the improvement of the adversary system of jurisprudence in our courts; to work for the elimination of court congestion and delays in civil litigation; and in general to promote improvements in the administration of justice.

What it reported doing in 2024

Meetings and seminars are (1) to provide information, court rulings, develop, establish and secure court adoption of trial conduct and courtroom manners; (2) to provide continuing legal education; and (3) to provide ideas and techniques of procedure and court rulings.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 98% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 66
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 54
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 87.8%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.2%; rating input score 96; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.1%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.29; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 39.1%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74% of revenue deployed · 87.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 26 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $415K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $185K · 27 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 1/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.