ADI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

As a nonprofit corporation chartered since 1972 under the laws of California, Appellate Defenders, Inc., is governed by a 13-member board of directors. The board, which also governs Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc., selects and oversees the executive director of each organization. It meets approximately monthly to discuss the business of the organizations and the projects of the board as a whole.

The board names four officers – President (two-year term) and Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer (one-year term). To facilitate its work it has a number of committees, both standing and ad hoc. Examples include Finance, Management Liaison, Awards and Annual Dinner, Board Development, Nominating, Audit, etc.

At the annual Defender Dinner, which it sponsors, the board presents the Paul E. Bell Memorial Award for excellence in appellate advocacy and the E. Stanley Conant Award for excellence in trial advocacy. Each year it also awards the Paul Bell Fellowship, which provides scholarship money for appellate training. In addition, the board confers recognition for lifetime achievement and other outstanding accomplishments.

Members are chosen by the present board for three-year terms. They receive no compensation for their service. At present they include:

President: Elizabeth Missakian, criminal defense attorney, criminal law specialist, former ADI panel attorney.

Secretary: Jami Ferrara, criminal defense attorney.

Vice President: Vacant.

Treasurer: Gerald Blank, criminal defense attorney.

Charles Bird, civil appellate attorney, Luce, Forward, Hamilton et al.

Martin Buchanan, appellate attorney, former ADI staff and panel attorney, appellate specialist.

Arthur Campbell, professor of law, California Western School of Law.

Jerry Coughlan, criminal defense attorney, Coughlan, Semmer & Lipman.

Linda Keller, professor of law, Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Alex Landon, criminal defense attorney, criminal law specialist.

James Mangione, civil attorney, Wingert Grebing Brubaker & Juskie.

John Mitchell, criminal defense attorney.

Jean Ramirez, professor of law, University of San Diego School of Law.

Patricia Robinson, criminal defense attorney.

A non-director serving on an advisory basis to the Audit Committee is Kim Ufford, Certified Public Accountant with Levitzacks.