Appellate Defender Council

ILS's appellate efforts are informed by many sources of information and insight. A critical role is played by the Appellate Defender Council, an ILS advisory group established in 2018. The Council has 30 members, nearly half of whom are chief appellate attorneys at defender offices around the state. Other members include staff attorneys, appellate assigned counsel, and NYSDA attorneys. For a Council roster, click here.

ILS has worked with the Council to develop several innovative all-day CLE appeals programs on topics ranging from how to attack a waiver of appeal or plea of guilty to how to draft a persuasive criminal leave application. Future CLE programs will be developed in 2024. Among other things, the Council has also discussed proposed appellate legislation, systemic appellate problems and solutions, appellate data and funding, best practices in appeals, and revisions to the ILS Appellate Standards and Best Practices.