The New York State Defenders Association, a not-for-profit, membership organization, has been providing support to New York's public defense community since 1967. Its mission is to improve the quality and scope of publicly supported legal representation to low income people.
NYSDA supports and enhances the quality of public defense across the state of New York by providing training, publications, and case consultation for New York's public defense community through its Public Defense Backup Center, Veterans Defense Program, Public Defense Recruitment and Retention Program, and Public Defense Case Management System. NYSDA offers high-quality training to public defense attorneys, investigators, social workers, and other members of the public defense community.