National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
741916260
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2028728600
Rating confidence
Limited

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,004,296
Expenses
$9,042,191
Assets
$8,843,174
Liabilities
$4,763,309

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

Leadership & pay

84 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANDREW S BIRRELL (PRESIDENT)
  • C MELISSA OWEN (PRESIDENT ELECT)
  • CHRISTOPHER A WELLBORN (IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT)
  • NINA GINSBERG (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • OSCAR GOODMAN (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • MARTIN PINALES (PAST PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • LISA WAYNE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $374,220 total reported compensation
  • KYLE O'DOWD (DEPUTY DIRECTOR): $224,828 total reported compensation
  • GERALD LIPPERT (ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECT): $190,228 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Serve as a leader, alongside diverse coalitions, in identifying and reforming flaws and inequities in the criminal legal system, and redressing systemic racism, and ensuring that its members and others in the criminal defense bar are fully equipped to serve all accused persons at the highest level.

What it reported doing in 2024

"the champion magazine" offers timely, informative articles written for the defense bar and others interested in the criminal legal system authored by criminal defense lawyers and other professionals working in the field. The articles address the latest developments in all areas related to the nation's criminal legal system on the federal, state and local levels, including myriad cutting-edge issues related to practice and policy in the criminal legal process. The publication seeks to elevate standards of practice throughout the criminal defense bar and promote systemic reforms that address a wide range of issues including protection of first, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth and fourteenth amendment rights, promoting a fair, rational, and humane criminal legal system, and redressing systemic racism.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 91
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.4%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.98; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.54; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.7%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 77 of 77 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $374K · 84 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.4M reported
  • Consistency: 14 of 14 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.