The National Legal Aid & Defender Association is now accepting nominations for the 2024 Kutak-Dodds Prizes. NLADA bestows the prestigious Kutak-Dodds prizes annually at its Exemplar Awards Gala 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. The Kutak Foundation values equity, diversity and inclusion and through this process seeks to develop a diverse pool of nominees and awardees. Each prize carries a cash award of $10,000.

The Kutak-Dodds Prizes are jointly sponsored by the Robert J. Kutak Foundation and NLADA, and are 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.

To qualify for a prize the nominee must:

1. 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.
2. 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:

• Personal, vision and commitment
• Nature of the need(s) addressed by the nominee’s advocacy
• Innovation in the nominee’s work
• Impact of successes achieved through effective advocacy, including but not limited to indication that the advocacy has advanced racial equity
• Difficulty of circumstances surrounding the achievement

The Nomination Deadline is March 15, 2024

The prizes will be presented at the NLADA 2024 Exemplar Awards Gala in June 2024, where the Exemplar Award Honorees, the Kutak-Dodds Prize winners, and the Beacon of Justice awardees will be honored.

For more information, please contact Aileen Moffatt at a.moffatt@nlada.org or 202-452-0620 x 223.

More Information
Nomination Form