Empower Women. Transform Public Defense.

Support Women in Public Defense

"I felt brave because of the speakers, I felt empowered because of them, and I felt like I'm better equipped to better empower other women I encounter (at work, and well beyond)....I'm confident I would never have heard such profound truth in a conference other than this one,"--feedback from 2024 participant

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Who We Are & Why Your Support Matters

The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) is a 26,000+ member organization that unites public defense professionals across the country with one clear mission: to address the systemic failure to uphold the constitutional right to counsel and to transform advocacy through collective power, collaboration, and innovation. With a dedicated team of just 18—only four of whom are full-time—NAPD provides year-round support through training, technical assistance, strategic partnerships, and thought leadership. In the past year alone, we’ve trained over 5,500 defenders and delivered countless resources to strengthen the field.

Among our most vital initiatives is the NAPD Women’s Conference, a transformative space where women across the public defense community—social workers, investigators, system impacted professionals, attorneys, paralegals, secretaries, leaders, and advocates—gather to be seen, supported, and empowered. The conference is more than a professional event; it is a powerful affirmation that women, especially those from historically excluded communities, are essential to reimagining justice. Through fellowship, learning, and leadership development, the Women’s Conference reflects NAPD’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and sustaining the heart of our movement.

How You Can Help

Providing a scholarship ($125) — cover the registration cost for someone who needs it.
Making a donation — every dollar helps us build a stronger, more inclusive public defense community. Donate today through this page or directly at NAPD's Fund for Justice

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsoring the conference — packages range from $500 to $10,000
Sponsoring a season — sponsor multiple conferences in a year
Becoming a Strategic Partner — establish an ongoing relationship with us
Email us to discuss sponsorship opportunities [email protected]

The Future: Bringing Us Together In-Person

Our goal: host our first-ever in-person women's conference within the next three years. The energy of this event is already electric online — imagine it amplified, face-to-face.

To make it happen, we need strategic partners: individuals, companies, organizations who can help fund scholarships, travel stipends, venue costs, and more.

If you or your organization would like to help, contact us at [email protected].

Let's build something powerful — together.

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Learn more about us at publicdefenders.us and find all of our important links at linktr.ee/PublicDefense