Allegheny County, Pennsylvania / Public Defender
Agency file
The Public Defender handles legal functions of government — prosecution, legal advice, and representing the state in court.
In 2025, this agency had 176 employees with median total compensation of $66,610; the highest distinct record was $119,612.
What the records show
These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.
How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 176 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($66,610) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.
What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.
The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $90,199 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $13,717. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).
The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.
Trend
How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 3 published years.
| Year | Total payroll | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $8.8M — | 160 — | $64,231 — |
| 2024 | $9.3M ▲ 5.0% | 161 ▲ 0.6% | $66,875 ▲ 4.1% |
| 2025 | $9.9M ▲ 6.5% | 176 ▲ 9.3% | $66,610 ▼ 0.4% |
Record list
Page 1
Senior Deputy Director/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
At Public Defender, Sarah E. Linder Marx serves as a Senior Deputy Director. Records show a hire date of 1/3/2021. Their 2025 pay totaled $100,425.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Patrick A. Sweeney is a Trial Defender 2 at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 9/29/1997. 2023 total compensation came to $98,567.
Deputy Director Trial Division/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
At Public Defender, Steven A Tehovnik serves as a Deputy Director Trial Division. Records show a hire date of 2/22/2016. Their 2025 pay totaled $98,402.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
At Public Defender, Michele B. Harden serves as a Trial Defender 2. Records show a hire date of 2/17/1998. Their 2025 pay totaled $98,369.
Deputy Director Post Trial Division/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Brandon P. Ging is a Deputy Director Post Trial Division at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 5/5/2008. 2025 total compensation came to $98,280.
Deputy Director Pretrial Division/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Max Cotton is a Deputy Director Pretrial Division at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 11/5/2012. 2025 total compensation came to $98,275.
Deputy Director Juvenile Division/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Brianna I Sulenski is a Deputy Director Juvenile Division at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 6/17/2019. 2025 total compensation came to $97,643.