Los Angeles County / Public Defender / Paralegal
Job-title file
Provide legal advice, draft and review documents, and represent the agency in legal matters.
53 employees hold this title in Public Defender. Median total compensation for the role is $126,318, below the department median of $178,093.
What the records show
How total compensation varies among the 53 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.
Compared with the local labor market
Across all employers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, the median wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants — about 22,240 people — is $77,520. Public Defender pays a median base salary of $72,777 for this role, 6% below that figure — about the 43rd percentile of local pay for the occupation.
The bar is the range of annual wages for Paralegals and Legal Assistants across every employer in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Public Defender’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants — about 392,880 people — is $62,890. Public Defender’s median base salary is 16% above that national figure, about the 64th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA range relative to the national one.
Computed over the 51 of 53 people in this role paid at least $25,000 in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.
Median total compensation for this role at Public Defender is $126,318, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
Paralegal is held in 8 Los Angeles County departments. In Public Defender, the median of $126,318 ranks #8 of 8.
Median total compensation for the Paralegal role in other Los Angeles Countydepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
This role is reported in 25 jurisdictions. In Los Angeles County, the median of $142,972 ranks #1 of 25. See Paralegal across all of Los Angeles County →
Median total compensation for comparable Paralegal roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.
Same department
Record list
Page 1
Paralegal/Public Defender
Eduardo Cardenas holds the role of Paralegal at Public Defender. In 2025, their total compensation was $179,034.
Paralegal/Public Defender
At Public Defender, Marjorie Acosta serves as a Paralegal. Their 2025 pay totaled $177,942.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Angela Morales Canton is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $160,909.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Jazmin Padilla works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Jazmin earned $153,933 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Edwin Mendez works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Edwin earned $153,012 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Michael Soto works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Michael earned $151,704 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Jan Lith holds the role of Paralegal at Public Defender. In 2025, their total compensation was $149,925.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Daeterria Mclucas holds the role of Paralegal at Public Defender. In 2025, their total compensation was $149,387.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Christel Rogers is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $149,359.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Valaura Baker works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Valaura earned $147,891 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
At Public Defender, Janine Maldonado serves as a Paralegal. Their 2025 pay totaled $144,574.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Yokhoui Mullins holds the role of Paralegal at Public Defender. In 2025, their total compensation was $144,419.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Maria Medrano is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $144,060.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Tawny Rucker works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Tawny earned $143,236 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Shena Wagner is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $141,504.
Paralegal/Public Defender
April Pimentel works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. April earned $140,340 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Beverly Critikidis works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Beverly earned $139,809 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Jacqueline Hidalgo holds the role of Paralegal at Public Defender. In 2025, their total compensation was $136,241.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Melanie Lopez works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Melanie earned $135,042 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Latoya Reid works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Latoya earned $132,364 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Rocio Barrantes holds the role of Paralegal at Public Defender. In 2025, their total compensation was $131,036.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Allison Roberts works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Allison earned $130,531 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Joanna Fonseca is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $130,235.
Paralegal/Public Defender
At Public Defender, Nena Rahman serves as a Paralegal. Their 2025 pay totaled $129,484.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Matthew Henderson is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $129,273.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Tirui Getekian works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Tirui earned $128,241 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Tara Parham is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $126,318.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Gladis Sanchez is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $126,114.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Guillermo Escalona is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $125,442.
Paralegal/Public Defender
At Public Defender, Luisa Lardizabal serves as a Paralegal. Their 2025 pay totaled $124,416.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Monica Gutierrez works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Monica earned $122,691 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Cindy Crippen holds the role of Paralegal at Public Defender. In 2025, their total compensation was $122,289.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Erin Vites holds the role of Paralegal at Public Defender. In 2025, their total compensation was $121,535.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Richard Rodriguez works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Richard earned $121,242 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
At Public Defender, Vickie Gonzales serves as a Paralegal. Their 2025 pay totaled $120,942.
Paralegal/Public Defender
At Public Defender, Chelsea Cormier serves as a Paralegal. Their 2025 pay totaled $120,722.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Lilit Abramyan is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $120,695.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Anahit Altunyan works as a Paralegal for Public Defender. Anahit earned $120,640 in 2025.
Paralegal/Public Defender
At Public Defender, Lazarus Leviticus serves as a Paralegal. Their 2025 pay totaled $119,126.
Paralegal/Public Defender
Jonathan Resurreccion is a Paralegal at Public Defender. 2025 total compensation came to $118,424.