Indigent Defense Awards

The Indigent Defense Awards recognize deserving individuals, groups, and entities that perform exceptional work in the field of indigent defense.

Warren Burnett Award
This award is named after the late, legendary Texas Attorney Warren Burnett. This award honors an individual (private citizens and members of the bar) or an organization in recognition of extraordinary contributions to improving the quality of criminal legal representation to indigent Texans. The award will be given to an individual or organization for their work in the courtroom, the legislature, or the community. The nomination form can be found here.

Michael K. Moore Award
This award is named after Dr. Michael K. Moore for his pivotal role in several research and writing efforts that had a major effect on indigent defense in Texas. The award will be presented to an individual (including both private citizens and members of the Bar) or organization in recognition of exceptional research or writing that deals with indigent criminal defense and that represents a significant contribution to the knowledge and practices of the bench, bar, and scholarly communities. The recipient does not need to be an attorney. The nomination form can be found here.

Jeff Blackburn Award
This award is named after the late, legendary criminal defense attorney Jeff Blackburn, who tirelessly fought for the wrongfully convicted and reformed the Texas criminal legal system. This award honors his legacy and goal of improving the systems that empower and improve indigent criminal defense in Texas. The award may be given to a Texas-based organization of any size, non-profit or otherwise, that is an innovator in the field of indigent criminal defense. The recipient organization fights to dismantle systemic injustice and inequality in the criminal legal system and focuses on indigent criminal defense representation. The nomination form can be found here.