Washington, DC­ (March 9, 2009) – Houston attorney Jim E. Lavine was elected First Vice President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) at the association’s mid-winter meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Feb 28. Mr. Lavine also serves as Chair of the Steering Committee for NACDL’s Capital Campaign and previously served on the Board of Directors of NACDL. In addition, he will continue his service on the Executive Committee as Parliamentarian for NACDL.

A former prosecutor in Chicago, Ill., and Houston, Tex., Mr. Lavine is a criminal defense lawyer with extensive trial and appellate level experience. In 2007, Jim Lavine received the Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award, NACDL’s most prestigious honor, given annually to the one criminal defense lawyer who best exemplifies the goals and values of the Association and the legal profession. In 2006, Mr. Lavine was the Percy Foreman Lawyer of the Year, awarded by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, as well as the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association 2006 Attorney of the Year. He graduated from Williams College and the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago Kent College of Law. Mr. Lavine is admitted to practice in both Texas and Illinois.

Contacts

Jack King, Public Affairs, (202) 872-8600 x288, jack@nadcl.org

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.