Tennessee / Public Defenders Conference / Assistant Public Defender

Job-title file

Assistant Public Defender

Provide administrative support — record-keeping, scheduling, correspondence, and customer service.

288 employees hold this title in Public Defenders Conference. Median total compensation for the role is $133,236, above the department median of $106,596.

Employees: 288
Total payroll: $38M
Role median: $133,236
Agency median: $106,596
Comparison: Above

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$34,320$185,724+

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

How total compensation varies among the 288 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

Assistant Public Defender pay vs. Tennessee

Across all employers in Tennessee, the median wage for Lawyers — about 9,010 people — is $136,180. Public Defenders Conference pays a median base salary of $133,236 for this role, 2% below that figure — about the 48th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Public Defenders Conference sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$76,510

$98,750

$136,180

$198,470

$324,880

Public Defenders Conference median · $133,236

The bar is the range of annual wages for Lawyers across every employer in Tennessee, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Public Defenders Conference’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Lawyers — about 754,500 people — is $159,670. Public Defenders Conference’s median base salary is 17% below that national figure, about the 38th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$78,360

$102,990

$159,670

$221,370

$351,600

Public Defenders Conference median · $133,236

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 Tennessee range relative to the national one.

Median total compensation for this role at Public Defenders Conference is $133,236, 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 jurisdictions

Assistant Public Defender beyond Tennessee

This role is reported in 6 jurisdictions. In Tennessee, the median of $133,236 ranks #2 of 6. See Assistant Public Defender across all of Tennessee →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

$513,588 · 8

$63,121 · 579

$54,640 · 267

$37,440 · 35

Cook County, Illinois

$26,404 · 508

Median total compensation for comparable Assistant Public Defenderroles 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.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Leslie Mcbride

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$146,160

Sub-department: JD-16-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $146,160
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,160
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $12,180
Employee ID: 109372

At Public Defenders Conference, Leslie Mcbride serves as a Assistant Public Defender within Jd-16-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $146,160.

Caleb Mccain

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$146,160

Sub-department: JD-16-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $146,160
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,160
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: B

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $12,180
Employee ID: 531905

Caleb Mccain works as a Assistant Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-16-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Caleb earned $146,160 in 2026.

James Bagby

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$146,160

Sub-department: JD-19-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $146,160
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,160
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $12,180
Employee ID: 486461

James Bagby is a Assistant Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-19-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $146,160.

Donna Bolton

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$146,160

Sub-department: JD-02-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $146,160
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,160
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: Michael Hall

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $12,180
Employee ID: 439514

Donna Bolton holds the role of Assistant Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-02-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $146,160.

Kevin Loper

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$146,160

Sub-department: JD-11-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $146,160
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,160
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: Lee

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $12,180
Employee ID: 439337

Kevin Loper holds the role of Assistant Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-11-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $146,160.

Keith Lowe

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$146,160

Sub-department: JD-06-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $146,160
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,160
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $12,180
Employee ID: 556712

At Public Defenders Conference, Keith Lowe serves as a Assistant Public Defender within Jd-06-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $146,160.

Robert Martin

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$146,160

Sub-department: JD-19-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $146,160
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,160
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $12,180
Employee ID: 570090

Robert Martin works as a Assistant Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-19-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Robert earned $146,160 in 2026.

Trenena Stanley

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$146,160

Sub-department: JD-14-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $146,160
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,160
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: G

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $12,180
Employee ID: 118004

Trenena Stanley holds the role of Assistant Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-14-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $146,160.

Melissa Downing

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$146,160

Sub-department: JD-25-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $146,160
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $146,160
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $12,180
Employee ID: 374244

Melissa Downing works as a Assistant Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-25-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Melissa earned $146,160 in 2026.

David Stowers

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$142,140

Sub-department: JD-25-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $142,140
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $142,140
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: Anthony

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $11,845
Employee ID: 418335

At Public Defenders Conference, David Stowers serves as a Assistant Public Defender within Jd-25-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $142,140.

Vikki Clark

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$142,140

Sub-department: JD-12-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $142,140
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $142,140
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $11,845
Employee ID: 533960

At Public Defenders Conference, Vikki Clark serves as a Assistant Public Defender within Jd-12-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $142,140.

Parker Dixon

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$142,140

Sub-department: JD-26-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $142,140
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $142,140
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: O

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $11,845
Employee ID: 351220

Parker Dixon is a Assistant Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-26-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $142,140.

James Lee

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$142,140

Sub-department: JD-25-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $142,140
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $142,140
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $11,845
Employee ID: 107849

James Lee holds the role of Assistant Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-25-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $142,140.

Jennifer Luther

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$142,140

Sub-department: JD-03-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $142,140
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $142,140
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $11,845
Employee ID: 583693

Jennifer Luther is a Assistant Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-03-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $142,140.

Matthew Ridley

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$142,140

Sub-department: Appellate Division
Base pay: $142,140
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $142,140
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: T

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $11,845
Employee ID: 143811

Matthew Ridley holds the role of Assistant Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Appellate Division. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $142,140.

James Stephens

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$142,140

Sub-department: JD-12-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $142,140
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $142,140
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $11,845
Employee ID: 105282

James Stephens works as a Assistant Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-12-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. James earned $142,140 in 2026.

Barrett Painter

Assistant Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference

2026 total comp

$142,140

Sub-department: JD-10-Dist Pub Defender
Base pay: $142,140
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $142,140
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay basis: Monthly

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate: $11,845
Employee ID: 601192

At Public Defenders Conference, Barrett Painter serves as a Assistant Public Defender within Jd-10-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $142,140.