Legal Aid attorneys Amanda Jack and Kalle Condliffe were recently honored by the New York State Defenders Association for their work defending New York State’s historic pretrial reforms to discovery.

Each was presented with the Jonathan E. Gradess Service of Justice Award, which recognizes individuals or organizations that have provided outstanding support to public defense and to the Association.

During a contentious budget season in Albany, where some lawmakers sought to draw a false correlation between 2019’s pretrial reforms and rising crime, Jack and Condliffe worked to ensure that the hard-won victories for New Yorkers involved with the criminal legal system remained intact.

Prior to discovery reform, prosecutors routinely withheld evidence from the accused, forcing pleas that led to wrongful convictions. The reform sought to remedy this flawed system by, among other things, linking discovery disclosure with the speedy trial law. The law now requires prosecutors to automatically share evidence with the defense early in the case or face a potential speedy trial dismissal.

Congratulations to AJ and Kalle, who were honored at NYSDA’s 56th Annual Meeting and Conference late last month.