Atlantic Center For Capital Representation

What Atlantic Center For Capital Representation does

Atlantic Center for Capital Representation (ACCR) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit legal services organization founded in 2010 by Marc Bookman and Dana Cook, both formerly of the Defender Association of Philadelphia Homicide Unit. ACCR provides direct legal representation, consultation and case tracking, and professional training to attorneys and mitigation specialists representing indigent defendants facing the death penalty, death by incarceration, and other excessive punishments in Pennsylvania's criminal justice system. The organization operates an integrated three-part service model: direct representation in capital cases, the only pretrial-to-disposition case tracking system for new death penalty cases across all 67 Pennsylvania counties, and a training program co-hosted with the Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania that includes monthly webinars, CLE courses, and the annual Bring Your Own Case training. ACCR also engages in systemic impact litigation, including a 2025 extraordinary jurisdiction petition against Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh's use of capital charges.

ACCR is funded primarily through grants and donations solicited via its website and processed through Network for Good, with a stated annual budget under $500,000. The team consists of approximately five core staff members — including an Interim Executive Director, Legal Director and Co-Founder, Mitigation Director, Director of Development, and Legal Assistant — supported by a 14-member board of directors. Revenue streams include one-time gifts, monthly sustaining contributions, donor-advised funds, gifts of stock, planned giving, and merchandise sales through an Etsy shop. Thought leadership is disseminated through the ACCR blog, press releases, podcast appearances, and Marc Bookman's 2021 book "A Descending Spiral: Exposing the Death Penalty in 12 Essays." The organization uses a standard Squarespace-built website with Google Forms for volunteer signup and Google Calendar integration for training events, with no proprietary technology platform or developer-facing API.

Name

Atlantic Center For Capital Representation

Legal name

Atlantic Center for Capital Representation, Inc.

Website

https://atlanticcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Atlantic Center for Capital Representation (ACCR) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit founded in 2010 that provides direct legal representation, pretrial case tracking, and training for capital defense attorneys representing indigent defendants facing the death penalty in Pennsylvania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: ACCR is supported primarily through grants and donations from individuals who support their mission of providing effective representation for those facing capital punishment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Atlantic Center for Capital Representation provides direct legal representation to indigent defendants facing the death penalty in Pennsylvania, including case-specific and systemic impact litigation before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. It is the only agency in the state that tracks new capital cases from pretrial through resolution across all 67 counties, and it delivers ongoing training, CLE programs, and the annual Bring Your Own Case conference for capital defense attorneys and mitigation specialists.

Product overview

Atlantic Center for Capital Representation (ACCR) is a nonprofit legal services organization that operates as a three-part integrated service offering: (1) Direct Representation providing legal counsel in capital cases through case-specific and systemic litigation, (2) Consultation & Case Tracking serving as the only agency in Pennsylvania tracking all new death penalty cases from pretrial through disposition and providing resources to defense teams, and (3) Training & Events delivering webinars, CLE credits, and annual conferences for capital defense practitioners. ACCR also maintains a thought leadership platform through its blog and publishes educational materials including the book 'A Descending Spiral.' Funded primarily through grants and donations, ACCR's small team conducts these activities from its Philadelphia office while accepting donations through its website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct Representation Direct legal counsel in capital cases, including case-specific litigation before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and systemic litigation to improve standards of capital defense throughout Pennsylvania and nationally. Provided to indigent defendants facing death sentences or excessive punishments.
• Consultation & Case Tracking The only Pennsylvania service that tracks new death penalty cases from pretrial through resolution, monitoring news outlets, collaborating with defense practitioners, and providing consultations and resources to capital defense teams across all 67 counties.
• Training & Events Ongoing training for capital defense attorneys and mitigation specialists delivered through webinars, CLE credits, and the annual Bring Your Own Case (BYOC) training program, all hosted in partnership with the Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95 death row inmates currently represented/monitored in Pennsylvania
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania (PDAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACCR partners with PDAP to host training webinars for capital defense attorneys and mitigation specialists. All ACCR webinars are hosted in partnership with PDAP, providing joint continuing legal education on topics including mental health, trauma, forensic science, and capital defense litigation strategies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Reprieve: International nonprofit focused specifically on death penalty representation and policy reform, including US capital cases. ACCR's interim ED previously held a fellowship there, evidencing direct organizational alignment on mission and practitioner training.
• Witness to Innocence: Philadelphia-based nonprofit of death row exonerees that advocates against capital punishment through storytelling, policy work, and direct support. Shares ACCR's Philadelphia base, anti-death-penalty mission, and integration of advocacy with case-level engagement.
• Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania statewide association that delivers CLE training and support to public defenders, including capital defense teams. ACCR's co-training partner; comparable in training mission and practitioner-development focus, though operating as a membership/professional association rather than direct representation provider.
• Equal Justice Initiative: Alabama-based nonprofit legal and policy organization that combines direct capital representation, impact litigation, and criminal justice reform advocacy. Closely comparable to ACCR in the integrated representation-plus-systemic-reform model, though operating at significantly greater scale and geographic scope.

Broad incumbents

• The Sentencing Project: National criminal justice policy and research nonprofit that conducts research, advocacy, and reform campaigns including on capital punishment. Adjacent to ACCR's policy and public-opinion work but operates at the research/advocacy layer rather than direct representation.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: Large civil rights nonprofit combining impact litigation, policy advocacy, and education across criminal justice (including death penalty) and other civil rights areas. Comparable nonprofit-plus-litigation structure at far greater scale and broader issue scope.
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund: National civil rights legal organization with a long-running capital punishment project and post-conviction tracking. Operates at much greater scale than ACCR and explicitly leaves the pre-trial tracking niche that ACCR fills in Pennsylvania.
• ACLU: National civil liberties organization with an active capital punishment project that pursues impact litigation and policy reform. Comparable advocacy model to ACCR's systemic-litigation arm, though embedded in a far broader portfolio of civil rights and civil liberties work.

Emerging players

• Center for Constitutional Rights: Progressive legal nonprofit that engages in impact litigation and advocacy on criminal justice, including capital punishment cases. Comparable litigation-plus-advocacy model, though with a wider civil liberties docket than ACCR's capital-only focus.
• Equal Justice Under Law: Civil rights legal nonprofit pursuing impact litigation to address systemic injustices in the criminal justice system. Smaller and broader in scope than ACCR but shares the model of combining direct representation with systemic court action.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Atlantic_Ctr
• Facebookfacebook.com/AtlanticCTR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atlantic-center-for-capital-representation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Atlantic Center For Capital Representation