The Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy (ICDA) was founded In 1991 through a generous grant to California Western School of Law (“CWSL”) from the San Diego Indigent Defense Fund. The Institute’s charter is to improve the quality of criminal defense representation.
In 2013, ICDA was designated by the San Diego County Bar Association to administer funds that are to be used exclusively to reimburse eligible panel attorneys of the Office of Assigned Counsel (OAC) Division of the Department for the Public Defender, or panel attorneys of an organization that succeeds OAC with respect to the administration of the Assigned Counsel Program, or a similar County funded indigent criminal defense conflicts panel, for specific expenses listed below.
In order to receive reimbursement for eligible expenses, please click on the Submit Form tab and follow the step-by-step instructions.
Expenses should be submitted within 90 days of incurring the expense. CWSL can make one-time exceptions for expenses older than 90 days (but under 6 months). Under NO circumstances will CWSL consider any expenses more than 1 year old.
ALLOWED REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES:
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Item Description: |
Maximum Annual Amount Per OAC Panel Attorney: |
| Cost of membership and/or dues to the following organizations only:San Diego County Bar AssociationCalifornia Public Defenders Association
National Legal Aid & Defender Association National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers North County Bar Association San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association San Diego Criminal Defense Lawyers Club California Attorneys for Criminal Justice
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up to $400 maximum per calendar year |
| Malpractice Insurance |
up to $500 maximum per calendar year |
| CLE seminars and training (basic courses) course fees.Travel related expenses are not allowed. |
up to $1,000 maximum per calendar year |
| CLE death penalty and murder seminars and course fees, provided that each panel attorney seeking such reimbursement (i) shall have obtained the Institute’s prior approval before incurring the expense, and (ii) shall have attained the appropriate OAC (or Successor Organization) program attorney level rated to handle murder cases.Travel related expenses are not allowed.
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per calendar year |
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Reasonable portable electronic devices and related software, including but not limited to computers, tablets, laptops, ultrabooks, etc., provided that: (i) the device and/or software is reasonable for use by attorneys as part of a criminal defense practice, as determined by the Institute; and, (ii) each panel attorney seeking such reimbursement shall have (a) obtained the Institute’s prior approval before acquiring such device and/or software; and, (b) certified that such device and/or software will be used to access electronic discovery made available by the District Attorney’s Office in indigent criminal cases. |
Reimbursement for this item shall be up to $2,500 maximum every three (3) years, based on 50% of actual costs incurred for the devices and/or software |