California / Court of Appeal / Lead Appellate Court Attorney

Job-title file

Lead Appellate Court Attorney

Provide legal advice, draft and review documents, and represent the agency in legal matters.

160 employees hold this title in Court of Appeal. Median total compensation for the role is $188,680, above the department median of $108,983.

Employees: 160
Total payroll: $27.8M
Role median: $188,680
Agency median: $108,983
Comparison: Above

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$260$227,890+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 160 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.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Peter Cooney

Lead Appellate Court Attorney/Court of Appeal

2025 total comp

$288,441

Sub-department: Second Appellate District
Base pay: $204,820
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $83,621
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $288,441
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: E88
Work county: Ventura
Middle name: F

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,321
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 1520022486297
Salary Total: $15,831
Total Pay: $288,441

Peter Cooney is a Lead Appellate Court Attorney at Court of Appeal within Second Appellate District. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $288,441. Their bargaining unit is E88.

Kara Persson

Lead Appellate Court Attorney/Court of Appeal

2025 total comp

$257,460

Sub-department: Fourth Appellate District
Base pay: $194,411
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $63,049
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $257,460
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: E88
Work county: San Diego
Middle name: B

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,321
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 1580012486252
Salary Total: $15,831
Total Pay: $257,460

Kara Persson holds the role of Lead Appellate Court Attorney at Court of Appeal within Fourth Appellate District. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $257,460. They are represented by E88.

Gregory Miller

Lead Appellate Court Attorney/Court of Appeal

2025 total comp

$254,014

Sub-department: Fourth Appellate District
Base pay: $204,435
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $49,579
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $254,014
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: E88
Work county: San Diego
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,321
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 1580042486286
Salary Total: $15,831
Total Pay: $254,014

Gregory Miller works as a Lead Appellate Court Attorney for Court of Appeal within Fourth Appellate District. Their status is full-time. Gregory earned $254,014 in 2025. They are represented by E88.

Mary Asher

Lead Appellate Court Attorney/Court of Appeal

2025 total comp

$228,549

Sub-department: Second Appellate District
Base pay: $158,431
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $70,118
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $228,549
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: E88
Work county: Los Angeles
Middle name: K

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,321
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 1520012486909
Salary Total: $15,831
Total Pay: $228,549

Mary Asher is a Lead Appellate Court Attorney at Court of Appeal within Second Appellate District. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $228,549. Their bargaining unit is E88.

Richard Helms

Lead Appellate Court Attorney/Court of Appeal

2024 total comp

$224,889

Sub-department: Fourth Appellate District
Base pay: $150,904
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $73,984
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $224,889
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: E88
Work county: Orange
Middle name: W

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $15,846
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 1580032486220
Salary Total: $15,846
Total Pay: $224,889

At Court of Appeal, Richard Helms serves as a Lead Appellate Court Attorney within Fourth Appellate District. They work full-time. Their 2024 pay totaled $224,889. Union affiliation: E88.

Donna Hecht

Lead Appellate Court Attorney/Court of Appeal

2023 total comp

$222,981

Sub-department: Fourth Appellate District
Base pay: $139,960
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $83,021
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $222,981
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: E88
Work county: Riverside
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $15,017
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 1580022486059
Salary Total: $15,017
Total Pay: $222,981

At Court of Appeal, Donna Hecht serves as a Lead Appellate Court Attorney within Fourth Appellate District. They work full-time. Their 2023 pay totaled $222,981. Union affiliation: E88.

Laurel Paul

Lead Appellate Court Attorney/Court of Appeal

2025 total comp

$217,043

Sub-department: First Appellate District
Base pay: $213,923
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $3,120
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $217,043
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: E88
Work county: San Francisco
Middle name: T

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,794
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 1510012486205
Salary Total: $16,290
Total Pay: $217,043

At Court of Appeal, Laurel Paul serves as a Lead Appellate Court Attorney within First Appellate District. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $217,043. They are represented by E88.