Tennessee / Public Defenders Conference / Public Defender
Job-title file
Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.
30 employees hold this title in Public Defenders Conference. Median total compensation for the role is $217,056, above the department median of $106,596.
What the records show
How total compensation varies among the 30 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 Tennessee, the median wage for Lawyers — about 9,010 people — is $136,180. Public Defenders Conference pays a median base salary of $217,056 for this role, 59% above that figure — about the 77th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
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 36% above that national figure, about the 73rd 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 Tennessee range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Public Defenders Conference is $217,056, 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
This role is reported in 3 jurisdictions. In Tennessee, the median of $217,056 ranks #2 of 3. See Public Defender across all of Tennessee →
Median total compensation for comparable 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
Page 1
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Billy Burk is a Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-25-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
At Public Defenders Conference, John Burlison serves as a Public Defender within Jd-21-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Melanie Cagle holds the role of Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-32-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Ann Coria works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-07-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Ann earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Sean Day works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-29-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Sean earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
David Doyle works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-18-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. David earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Jeremy Epperson holds the role of Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-26-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Theodore Engel works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-12-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Theodore earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Craig Fickling works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-13-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Craig earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Jason Estep is a Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-03-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Robert Gardner works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-24-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Robert earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
At Public Defenders Conference, Shelley Gardner serves as a Public Defender within Jd-15-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
At Public Defenders Conference, Raymond Garner serves as a Public Defender within Jd-05-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Rachele Gibson works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-28-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Rachele earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Andrew Gibbons works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-02-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Andrew earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Donna Hargrove holds the role of Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-17-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
At Public Defenders Conference, Leif Jeffers serves as a Public Defender within Jd-08-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
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Travis Jones holds the role of Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-22-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
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Rebecca Lee works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-04-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Rebecca earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Eric Lutton works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-06-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Eric earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Gerald Melton is a Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-16-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Kim Nelson holds the role of Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-09-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
At Public Defenders Conference, John Nicoll serves as a Public Defender within Jd-14-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Roger Nell works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-19-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Roger earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Matthew Mitchell holds the role of Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-23-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
John Partin is a Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-31-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
William Randolph works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-27-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. William earned $217,056 in 2026.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Melanie Sellers is a Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-01-Dist Pub Defender. They work full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Donald Shahan holds the role of Public Defender at Public Defenders Conference within Jd-10-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $217,056.
Public Defender/Public Defenders Conference
Source-specific fields
Steven Smith works as a Public Defender for Public Defenders Conference within Jd-11-Dist Pub Defender. Their status is full-time. Steven earned $217,056 in 2026.