Awards

The Coffey Defender Award is to be given to an individual who has made significant contributions to professionalism in the criminal practice. There are no limitations on who may be nominated: judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, non-lawyers, legislators, elected officials, organizations, advocacy groups, etc. The contributions may be by virtue of teaching, through bar and professional activities, through cumulative career achievements, or by virtue of some specific outstanding achievement in the recent past.

Nominations for the William M. Coffey Defender Award can be made in writing directly to WACDL as described below, by letter, fax or email. There is no prescribed format for nominations. If you are nominating an individual who may not be a “household name” or whose virtues may not be readily apparent, obviously you should tell us about the person and why he or she meets the criteria.

The William M. Coffey Defender Award is voted on by the President and Ex-Presidents of WACDL

The Advocate’s Prize is awarded to those practitioners who have accomplished the rare and difficult task of winning a criminal homicide case.  The reason for making the award is to give some recognition to the good work being done by members of the criminal defense bar in representing their clients.  We are confident that most attorneys defending these serious charges do a good job regardless of the outcome, but we know that every attorney who secures an acquittal has done an outstanding job.

This prize is named for Martin Hanson, and is intended as a compliment to the recipient.  Martin Hanson was one of the finest criminal law advocates of his generation, and was a founding director of the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

The Board of Directors of WACDL decided that the Martin Hanson Memorial Prize is automatic for acquittal on any criminal homicide, and that in certain cases dismissals short of trial will be awarded based upon an evaluation of the merits by the directors from the district in which the dismissal was obtained.  The Advocate’s Prize is retroactive to Martin’s date of death in September of 1995.

Procedurally any attorney can be nominated.  Self nominations are accepted. The nomination is referred to the directors of the district who confirm the information and send it on to the Board to make the award.

Dave Niblack was Wisconsin’s State Public Defender from 1979 until 1983. He died unexpectedly in the Fall of 2000, but will always be remembered by those for whom he advocated, and those he taught or befriended. He was a good friend to anyone committed to the protection of rights for the least popular among us. When our clients had no one to stand with them, Dave stood with them. He delighted in teaching young attorneys the way, and sure knew how to tell a story. Under his leadership, the SPD as we know it today survived in a period of daily attack and controversy.

To honor Dave Niblack’s memory, and to encourage others to follow in his footsteps, in 2001 the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (WACDL) established the David C. Niblack Award, to be given every December at the WACDL Ethics seminar in Madison, at which Dave taught.

The purposes of this award:

To recognize the contributions of an attorney to the effective defense of the indigent, either cumulative career contributions or outstanding accomplishments.
To honor and preserve the memory of an outstanding attorney who devoted his life and considerable talents to the defense of those who needed it but could not pay for it.

Criteria: Pride and professionalism in the work; competence in provision of services; respect for the clients.

WACDL is committed to promoting the proper administration of criminal justice, the protection of individual rights and due process.  WACDL can only achieve its goals through the efforts and dedication of its members.

Ellen and Robert Henak personify service to WACDL’s goals and members.  The Henaks have served on WACDL’s Board of Directors, the Executive Committee and chaired the Amicus Committee, writing dozens of briefs supporting WACDL’s ideals.

All WACDL members are eligible for this award upon performing outstanding service to WACDL and its goals.  This award can be bestowed by majority vote of the Board of Directors upon nomination from any WACDL member.  Further, this award may be bestowed by the President of WACDL at anytime for exemplary service. When this award is bestowed by the President, it shall contain the notation “Presidential Commendation.”

This award was created in 2021 to honor criminal defense lawyers  who have secured acquittals in cases alleging felony sexual assault of either an adult or a child.  (Specifically, any violation of Wis. Stats. 940.225(1), (2), or (3) or Wis. Stats. 948.02(1) or (2).)

The WACDL seeks to acknowledge and honor the particular combination of sensitivity, toughness, research, and trial advocacy skills necessary to achieve acquittals in these especially challenging cases.  The laws surrounding sexual assault prosecutions are complicated and dynamic,  and typically require attorneys that try these cases to develop specialized knowledge of medical evidence such as SANE results, DNA evidence, protocols regarding videotaped interviews with child witnesses, and, of course, how to effectively pierce rape shield.

In addition, traditional cross-examination techniques are often turned on their heads when handling witnesses that are young children or developmentally disabled, and the lawyers that are tasked with performing such cross-examinations must develop a wide range of tones and techniques to be effective in front of juries.

As we charge further into the 21st century and the era of #metoo, the social and political implications of being charged with or convicted of sex crimes is so devastating, and the prejudice against even the accusation is so strong that committed criminal defense attorneys handling these cases face a constant uphill battle.  As such, we seek to celebrate the rare and remarkable achievement of a felony-level acquittal for these charges.

The award gets its’ name from three lawyers (Kathleen Stilling, Donna Kuchler, and Jessa Nicholson, respectively)  that have devoted their careers to sensitive crime defenses and have achieved outstanding results, including notable acquittals, often in high-profile cases.

Nominations are open and will be referred to the directors of the district who can confirm the information and send it on to the WACDL  Board of Directors to formally issue the award.