NJ Civil Service Navigator

ASSISTANT DEPUTY PUBLIC DEFENDER 1

Code: 30775 State Unclassified Range: P25 (FY2026)

Career Family: ASSISTANT DEPUTY PUBLIC DEFENDER

Salary: $77,143.55 - $113,263.8/year FY2026 schedule (last updated 2026-05-08)

Assistant Deputy Public Defender 1 is an unclassified role, so it is appointed at the discretion of the hiring authority and does not carry the usual exam-and-tenure track.

This is where the Assistant Deputy Public Defender ladder starts, one grade under Assistant Deputy Public Defender 2, whose band tops out about $29,912 higher. The minimum is a doctoral degree and a professional license. The FY2026 range lands between $77,144 and $113,264, and state payroll currently lists about 177 people in the title, most of them at Office of the Public Defender.

How to get hired

  1. Assistant Deputy Public Defender 1 is an unclassified title. It is filled by appointment rather than by examination, and it sits outside civil service tenure protection.
  2. Openings are made directly by the appointing authority, usually a department head, board, or elected official.
  3. Salary for unclassified roles is often set individually, so the published range is a guide rather than a fixed grade.

Read the official specification at NJ Civil Service Commission.

Pay ladder: Assistant Deputy Public Defender series

  1. Assistant Deputy Public Defender 1 — $77,144 – $113,264 (this title)
  2. Assistant Deputy Public Defender 2 — $97,100 – $143,176
  3. Assistant Deputy Public Defender 3 — $111,629 – $164,957

Promoting to Assistant Deputy Public Defender 2 raises the top of the band by about $29,912. Its top salary lands around the 55th percentile of all NJ civil service titles that publish a range.

Rungs are ordered by FY2026 pay. NJ level numbers are not always sequential, so ordering follows salary rather than the title number.

Who employs this title

State payroll records show 177 people working under this title. The median actual salary is $84,368. The agencies employing the most are:

  • Office of the Public Defender (177)

Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.

Official job specification

The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator.

Definition

Under the close supervision of a Deputy Public Defender, serves in a professional capacity as the civil or criminal attorney to indigent persons who are formally charged with an offense of an indictable nature or juvenile offense, or children who are abused/neglected, or commitments to mental institutions, or resolves disputes, or persons on intense supervision parole, or in need of guardianship, or who are alleged to have abused/neglected children, or are facing termination of their parental rights, or who are sexually violent predators, or who are subject to Megan's Law; performs bench trials and appeals arising from these offenses; work is closely-monitored and regular feedback is received; responsible for handling less complex cases; does other related duties as required.

Examples of work

  • Conducts research and analysis on questions of law, procedures, and evidence.
  • Conducts investigations and interviews clients and witnesses; consults with involved governmental agencies.
  • Prepares legal pleadings, motions, briefs, and related documents.
  • Represents clients in court at the pre-trial stage, trial stage, post-conviction proceedings, and appellate proceedings.
  • Participates in the referral of matters within the regional trial office to counsel designated by the Public Defender.
  • Studies, plans, and advises on the less complex legal issues relating to representing indigent persons concerning their admission, retention, or release from confinement in a hospital, institution, or facility; or concerning a class action on behalf of such persons.
  • Assists in the investigation of the financial status of clients as the circumstances warrant.
  • Assists in conducting litigation in representing persons admitted to a mental hospital as individuals or as a class.
  • Prepares correspondence regarding representation of clients.
  • Compiles information and prepares statistical reports, regional reports, and case reports.
  • Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.

Education

Graduation from an accredited law school with a Juris Doctor degree.

License

Appointees must be licensed as an Attorney-at-Law in the State of New Jersey.

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

  • Knowledge of the methods used to gather and analyze information.
  • Knowledge of investigative and interviewing techniques.
  • Knowledge of legal proceedings and trial practices.
  • Knowledge of legal forms and documents.
  • Ability to interview clients to gather and analyze information.
  • Ability to understand and analyze criminal law procedures and evidence.
  • Ability to process and dispose of cases.
  • Ability to prepare pleas, motions, and legal briefs pertaining to clients' cases.
  • Ability to engage in the trial of clients' cases.
  • Ability to conduct research and investigations.
  • Ability to study, plan, and advise on the less complex legal issues relating to representing indigent persons concerning their admission, retention, or release from confinement in a hospital, institution, or facility; or concerning a class action on behalf of such persons.
  • Ability to assist in the investigation of the financial status of clients as the circumstances warrant.
  • Ability to assist in conducting litigation in representing persons admitted to a mental hospital as individuals or as a class.
  • Ability to prepare correspondence.
  • Ability to analyze the technical and medical issues presented by clients' cases, such as ballistics, fingerprinting, insanity, handwriting analysis, etc.
  • Ability to prepare accurate and comprehensive case records.
  • Ability to prepare all administrative records required by the Office of the Public Defender regarding clients' cases.
  • Ability to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
  • Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
  • Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.