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What is a public defender and how to become one
Generally, the Public Defender's responsibilities include providing clients with legal representation during all phases of a case and preparing and presenting their defense. They are state-employed attorneys appointed by a court to defend accused individuals who cannot afford legal representation.
As an exceptional Public Defender, you should defend criminal cases successfully and maintain cooperative working relationships with all stakeholders. You should also be able to perform legal research, analyze and apply legal principles.
Though this job might seem quite interesting, the associated requisites are demanding similarly. To become one, you will need a doctorate or a bachelor's degree in law alongside a license to practice law, which as a whole make the prospects of this job quite challenging yet highly lucrative at the same time.
This profession's salary range broadly spans from $42,000 to over $90,000. As an early-career public defender with up to four years of experience, you can expect to earn around $53,261 per year.
Avg. Salary $69,052
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 10%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%
Asian 6.28%
Black or African American 5.44%
Hispanic or Latino 7.66%
Unknown 4.36%
White 75.95%
Genderfemale 54.91%
male 45.09%
Age - 45American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 45Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
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Public Defender career paths
Key steps to become a public defender
Explore public defender education requirements
Start to develop specific public defender skills
Skills 
Percentages Mental Health 15.36% Law Enforcement 9.35% Criminal Cases 9.20% Legal Research 8.28% Litigation 4.49% Complete relevant public defender training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New public defenders learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a public defender based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real public defender resumes.Research public defender duties and responsibilities
- Achieve not guilty verdicts in DUI, aggravate assault, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, and battery trials.
- Research, file, and present all types of pretrial motions, trial motions, writs and appeals.
- Perform all aspects of criminal defense litigation, including felony preliminary hearings, and felony and misdemeanor jury trials.
- Engage witnesses on direct and cross-examination.
Prepare your public defender resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your public defender resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a public defender resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Public Defender Resume templates
Build a professional Public Defender resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Public Defender resume.
Apply for public defender jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a public defender job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
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Average public defender salary
The average Public Defender salary in the United States is $69,052 per year or $33 per hour. Public defender salaries range between $48,000 and $98,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do public defenders rate their job?
Public Defender reviews
Getting innocent people out of jail.
Long shifts, multiple cases at once, no breaks
Advocating for children in foster care ❤
Sometimes things don't work as planned 😕
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Updated January 8, 2025
