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
Manager-Trial/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Kelly E Mclaughlin is a Manager-Trial at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 11/5/2018. 2025 total compensation came to $18,831.
Financial Analyst/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Scott Graff is a Financial Analyst at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 4/18/2022. 2025 total compensation came to $18,245.
Legal Secretary 1//Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Savannah A Johns holds the role of Legal Secretary 1/ at Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 7/17/2023. In 2025, their total compensation was $18,219.
Trial Defender/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Ernest Simon works as a Trial Defender for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 10/9/1978. Ernest earned $18,129 in 2023.
Manager of Investigation/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Robert L Thornton is a Manager of Investigation at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 4/29/2019. 2023 total compensation came to $17,456.
Chief Deputy Director/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Laura K Mcwilliams is a Chief Deputy Director at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 6/3/2013. 2024 total compensation came to $17,085.
Social Worker/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Krista Shugart holds the role of Social Worker at Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 5/2/2022. In 2023, their total compensation was $16,342.
Investigator/Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Kaylyn Shaffer holds the role of Investigator at Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 2/3/2020. In 2023, their total compensation was $15,375.
Legal Secretary 1//Public Defender
Source-specific fields
At Public Defender, Ashley Friday serves as a Legal Secretary 1/. Records show a hire date of 2/6/2017. Their 2023 pay totaled $15,218.