Changing teams: Public defenders drawn to prosecution
“I’m not poaching, but we advertise to the world that we have vacancies,” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy (middle) said. “It’s pretty obvious that I think that public defenders have the requisite experience.” (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Experts say it’s common for attorneys to start in the public defender’s office and venture into other, potentially higher-paying jobs, like the district attorney’s office. It is also common for public defenders to make the move when a progressive district attorney, such as Steve Mulroy, is elected.
Topics
Shelby County District Attorney’s Office District Attorney General Steve Mulroy Shelby County Criminal Court Division VII Judge Lee Coffee Malia Brink Chris Santirojprapai Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Julia Baker
Julia Baker covers Memphis and Shelby County’s law enforcement agencies and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. A lifelong Memphian, Julia graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
Metro - Criminal Justice on demand
Sign up to receive Metro - Criminal Justice stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.