National College for DUI Defense
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The National College for DUI Defense (NCDD) is a professional, non-profit corporation dedicated to the improvement of the criminal defense bar, and to the dissemination of information to the public about drunk driving law and related issues. With approximately 800 attorney members nationwide, the organization consists of a Dean, a governing Board of Regents, a Founding Membership, a Sustaining Membership and a General Membership, and is headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. The College was founded in 1992 in Chicago by 12 of the most respected DUI defense attorneys in the country; these attorneys formed the original Board of Regents, and each has subsequently served as Dean of the College for one year prior to automatically retiring from the Board as a Fellow.
The College's Mission Statement states that "In sum, the mission of the College is to vindicate the promise of the United States Constitution, that a citizen accused has the right to the effective assistance of his or her counsel". As part of this mission, the College presents seminars to the profession on a regular basis. These include a 3-day Summer seminar held annually at Harvard Law School since 1993; a 3-day Fall seminar in Las Vegas, Nevada, in conjunction with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; and a 2-day Winter seminar at changing locations.
In 1999, the College instituted Board Certification as a means of recognizing lawyers within the College who exemplify the program's standards, and who meet the criteria established by the Board of Regents: extensive experience trying DUI cases and litigating pre-trial issues, a broad knowledge of the science involved in testing for intoxicants, and a command of the legal process on which DUI cases are framed. In 2003, the American Bar Association, recognized DUI Defense Law as a specialty area in the practice of law, and awarded its "Certificate of Accreditation" to the Board Certification program of the National College for DUI Defense. The NCDD is currently the only organization in the country accredited to certify lawyers as DUI Defense Law specialists.
