Welcome to the Montana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Website (MTACDL).  We are an affiliate of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), a nationwide organization of 10,000 dedicated criminal defense attorneys.  The Montana Association was formed in 1997 to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crimes; to foster the integrity, independence and expertise of those who represent persons accused of crimes; and to promote the proper and fair administration of justice.  We do this by providing educational programs at our annual seminar held each March at the Chico Hot Springs resort; through the exchange of information and ideas in our brief bank and on our private listserve; and by simply being there for one another to discuss a case, celebrate a victory, or console one another in defeat.

Defending those accused of crimes is a difficult calling, whether you are a full time public defender, a court appointed attorney, a private practitioner, or a tribal court advocate.  The actions you must take on behalf of your client and your ethical obligations to your client will often not be understood or supported by the general public.  

One cannot do this work without being asked some version

In 1997 a group of Montana attorneys got together to form the Montana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MTACDL). We are an affiliate of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), a nationwide organization of 10,000 dedicated criminal defense attorneys. According to our founding documents, MTACDL was formed to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crimes, to foster the integrity, independence, and expertise of the criminal defense profession, and to promote the proper and fair administration of criminal justice. Our specific goals include:

• promoting study and research in the fields of criminal defense law and procedure, and constitutional law.
• disseminating by lecture, seminars, and publications such theories, technologies, and techniques that support or promote the field of criminal defense advocacy.
• sponsoring periodic meetings of the criminal defense bar.
• providing a forum for the exchange of information regarding the administration of criminal justice, and thereby to protect individual rights and improve the practice and procedures of criminal law.
• representing MTACDL before the legislative, executive, and judicial bodies which determine policy for the state and federal governments in a manner that promotes the mission of MTACDL and its objectives and purposes.
• preserving, protecting, and defending the adversary system

If you are a criminal defense lawyer in good standing, their associated employees, or an approved affiliate, please join us!

We need legal professionals like you to help MTACDL defend the Constitution and protect the Bill of Rights, ensuring our clients have the best possible representation in a fair judicial environment.

And you need us. For nominal dues, we provide indispensable mutual support in a nonprofit organization of sincere and committed professionals just like you. Here are some of the benefits of membership:

1. Support: Immediate and direct access to the best criminal defense expertise in Montana.
2. Professional CLE: Substantial discounts to one or two high-value CLE seminars per year.
3. Listserve: Through MTACDL's popular listserve, members can communicate spontaneously by email with criminal defense practitioners throughout the state.
4. Website: MTACDL employs one of the most fully-featured group "intranets" anywhere. It includes tools such as:
   1. Mini-websites that allow each member to present his or her credentials and market their practice around the state.
   2. Optional listing on the Association's "Find a Lawyer" list. This list receives a large number of searches from the public.
   3. Online library/brief bank that contains an easily-searchable multimedia library of briefs, pleadings, experts, CLEs, opinions and much more.
   4. Listserve