50 Years at a Glance
Over its 50 year history, the Legal Defense Fund has provided over 1200 consultations a year, participated in over 400 amicus briefs to ensure the social work perspective is heard on policies that impact social workers and our communities, provided over $300,000 in grants to assist social workers in litigation, and written over 150 articles that provide legal information on issues that are important for social workers to understand.
Since 1972, NASW's Legal Defense Fund (LDF) has provided financial legal assistance and support for legal cases and issues of concern to NASW members and the social work profession. LDF supports educational projects and programs to improve the legal status and knowledge of the social work profession.
LDF's 3 prongs of work includes a fund that was created from member contributions to support NASW members with legal fees in cases involves social work issues. The LDF was created to give a voice to NASW and the social work profession in the courts, in particular in precedent setting appellate litigation involving NASW policy issues or social work practice. LDF was also created to offer education on legal issues thru publications, articles, and trainings.