Terms and Conditions

NAPD Online Communities Policy:

Last Revised: June 3, 2026

1. Introduction

The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) maintains an online community platform to support connection, collaboration, and the exchange of knowledge among public defense professionals across the country. This platform is a professional space grounded in our shared values of equity and racial justice, client-centered representation, and the dignity of every person who relies on the public defense system.

This policy governs your participation in all NAPD online community spaces, including discussion forums, resource libraries, and any other collaborative features available through the platform. By joining and using this community, you agree that you have read and will abide by these guidelines.

These guidelines serve two purposes: to establish the community standards that make it a safe and productive space; and to set out the legal terms under which the platform operates.

2. Community Standards

Our online community is a professional space that reflects NAPD’s values. The following standards apply to all participation in NAPD’s online community.

2.1 Respect & Inclusion

  • Engage in discussions in a respectful, conversational manner. Personal attacks or disputes, harassment, threats, and discriminatory language have no place in this community. 

  • Extend good faith to questions posted in the community. In a community of members of all experience levels and role types, every question deserves a respectful response.

  • Keep it professional. Content that is defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, sexually explicit, or otherwise offensive is strictly prohibited.  

  • As a client-centered community, NAPD does not permit posts which cast our clients in a negative light. We understand, however, that compassion fatigue and burnout are real hazards in this work. If you are struggling, we encourage you to lean on trusted colleagues and support people, access mental health resources available to you, and take advantage of NAPD’s peer support offerings - including profession-specific meetups and the wellbeing community. 

2.2 Bring Value to the Community

  • This community is what we make it. Make a conscious effort to contribute thoughts, knowledge, best practices, and resources generously to the community discussions and libraries. The more we each contribute, the more we all have to gain!

  • Each online community has a defined purpose. Please direct your posts to the most appropriate community for the most beneficial impact. Please do NOT duplicate the same post across multiple communities. 

  • Certain communities may have eligibility requirements - for example, role-specific spaces are limited to those working in that role. Please ensure you meet those requirements before joining so that we can maintain the value of those dedicated spaces.

  • This community is not a marketplace.  Please do not use community spaces to promote or sell products or services unsolicited. If a member asks for a referral in your area of expertise, you are welcome to respond to them directly. On the other hand, if you’ve had a genuinely helpful experience with a product or service, you are welcome to share that experience in a measured and informative way. 

  • Keep our communities clear of clutter. Do not post administrative requests - such as requests to be removed from a particular community - to the community itself. Use the settings in your account or in a particular community to manage your preferences, or reach out to the NAPD team for assistance at: help@thenapd.org. 

2.3 Non-NAPD Trainings, Research, & Job Listings

  • Before sharing any non-NAPD affiliated training opportunities, research requests, etc. please first contact the NAPD team for approval at: help@thenapd.org. The NAPD team will evaluate requests for relevance to the field and alignment with our mission. We grant permission for these posts at our discretion. 

  • You are welcome to post your open job listings and internship opportunities to the NAPD communities, AFTER they have been submitted to the NAPD jobs board. You can submit to the jobs board by clicking here. 

2.4 Community Privacy

  • NAPD’s online community is intended only for the eyes of its members. Please do not share posts, discussions, files, or other community content with anyone outside the community without the explicit permission of the poster.

  • If you are posting content you would like others to share beyond the community, please state this explicitly in your post.

2.5 Professional Conduct & Obligations

  • Before creating a post or contributing to a discussion on this platform, please remember that these community spaces are NOT confidential. While we make every effort to limit this online community platform only to those within the public defense field with active NAPD membership, no online space is fully secure. Treat anything you post as if it could become public. 

  • Never post any non-publicly-available information that can be traced back to a specific client without explicit stated consent from that client. This obligation applies to everyone, regardless of role. However, attorneys in particular should remain mindful of their additional professional duty under Rule 1.6 of the Rules of Professional Conduct. 

  • Do not contribute to any discussions where you have a conflict of interest without explicitly stating your involvement. 

2.6 Guidelines Enforcement

NAPD does not actively monitor all community content, but will take action when a potential violation is brought to our attention or discovered by staff.

Enforcement actions may include, at NAPD’s discretion: 

  • A private warning from NAPD staff or assigned community moderators

  • Removal of the offending post or content

  • Temporary suspension of community access

  • Permanent removal from the community

The appropriate response will depend on the nature and severity of the violation, whether it is a first or repeated offense, and other relevant context. NAPD reserves the right to proceed directly to removal for severe violations, including but not limited to: violations of client confidentiality, threats or harassment, and deliberate posting of false or defamatory content. 

To report a concern, please use the drop down next to the post and select “mark as inappropriate” to flag the content for community moderators - or reach out to the NAPD team at help@thenapd.org. We take all reports seriously and will respond as promptly as possible. 

3. Legal Terms & Privacy Policy

3.1 Disclaimer

This community platform is provided as a service for NAPD members. NAPD is not responsible for the opinions, information, or content posted by members or third parties. NAPD disclaims all warranties with regard to information posted on this platform, whether posted by NAPD or any third party, including all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall NAPD be liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages, or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data, or profits, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information posted on this platform.

3.2 Content License

By posting content to this platform, you represent and warrant that you own the copyright in that content or have received permission from the copyright owner to post it. You grant NAPD and other members of this community a non-exclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, and use such content within the platform for community purposes.

3.3 External Sites

NAPD is not responsible for the content of external websites linked within this community. You are advised to review the privacy policies of any external sites before sharing personal information.

3.4 Changes to This Policy

NAPD reserves the right to revise this policy at any time. Members will be notified of material changes via announcement in the all-member Open Forum community. Continued participation in the community following notice of a revision constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

3.5 Information We Collect

When you register for and use this platform, we may collect personal information including your name, email address, employer, and other profile information you provide. We also collect information about your activity on the platform in accordance with our platform provider’s standard practices.

3.6 How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to administer your community membership, facilitate community communications, and improve the platform experience. We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.

3.7 With Whom We Share Your Information

Service Providers.  We may share your information with companies that perform services on our behalf, such as payment processors. These providers are contractually required to protect the confidentiality of your information and to use it only for the services they provide to NAPD.

Legal Disclosures.  NAPD may disclose personal information when required by law, court order, or subpoena; to prevent or investigate fraud or other crimes; to enforce this policy or other agreements; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of NAPD, its members, or others.

3.8 Cookies

This platform uses cookies — small data files stored in your browser — to recognize you across sessions and enable personalized features. Cookies themselves do not contain personal information. Third-party content providers on the platform may also use cookies independently.

3.9 Security

NAPD takes reasonable steps to protect your personal information, but cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted over the internet. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials. Additionally, please be aware that public defense professionals participating in this community may be posting from government-issued email accounts or devices, which may be subject to monitoring or public records laws outside NAPD’s control.

3.10 Contact

For questions about this policy or your personal information, please contact us using the Contact Us link on the platform, or by emailing: help@thenapd.org.