Illinois · 2025 pay
How much do Illinois State Appellate Defender employees make?
$88,400typical pay, counting everyone paid in 2025
$69,725 – $107,625what most people earned
Includes everyone paid during 2025, including part-year and seasonal workers. The source doesn't show who worked the full year.
Illinois Comptroller publishes pay by position without employee names, so there is no name search here.
Common jobs: Assistant DefenderLegal SecretarySupervisor
✓ Official data from Illinois ComptrollerMatches the agency's latest releaseillinoiscomptroller.gov ↗
What changed since 2024
- +6.8%Typical pay went up from $82,800 to $88,400.
- +14316 people were paid in 2025, compared with 302 in 2024.
The next update is expected in early 2027.
Pay by job
Jobs held by 5 or more people in 2025.
| Job | People | Typical pay | Most earn | Since 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant Defender | 194 | $90,100 | $82k – $103k | ▲ 6.9% |
| Legal Secretary | 26 | $51,950 | $15k – $70k | ▲ 2.3% |
| Supervisor | 22 | $125,400 | $114k – $129k | ▲ 7.3% |
| Docket Clerk | 11 | $63,100 | $55k – $66k | ▲ 17.3% |
| Paralegal | 11 | $61,000 | $60k – $74k | ▲ 8.7% |
| Office Administrator | 8 | $71,000 | $52k – $80k | ▼ 4.3% |
| Deputy Defender | 6 | $145,150 | $142k – $150k | ▲ 3.9% |
| Assistant Deputy Director | 6 | $127,100 | $127k – $129k | ▲ 7.7% |
How many people earn what
- Under $10k5
- $10k – $30k30
- $30k – $50k8
- $50k – $70k36
- $70k – $90k84
- $90k – $110k82
- $110k – $150k63
- $150k or more8
Includes part-time and seasonal workers, which is why many earn under $10k.
Highest paid at State Appellate Defender in 2025
- 1James ChaddAppellate Defender$210,600▲ $8,500 vs 2024
- 2Douglas HoffDeputy Defender$171,400▲ $8,500 vs 2024
- 3Kerry BrysonLegal Director$161,900▲ $8,700 vs 2024
- 4Laura MountinDirector of Training$161,900▲ $8,500 vs 2024
- 5Shawn O'TooleLegal Director$161,900▲ $8,700 vs 2024
- 6Jana BergschneiderChief Fiscal Officer$158,800▲ $8,900 vs 2024
- 7Debra ClairSupervisor$157,400▲ $9,400 vs 2024
- 8Catherine HartDeputy Defender$150,400▲ $8,500 vs 2024
- 9Santiago DurangoDeputy Defender$145,900▲ $8,500 vs 2024
- 10Martin RyanAssistant Deputy Director$145,900▲ $9,000 vs 2024
Common questions
How much does a Illinois State Appellate Defender employee make?
The typical employee was paid $88,400 in 2025: half of the 316 people paid earned more, half earned less. Most earned between $69,725 and $107,625.
Does this include benefits like health insurance or pension?
No. It is gross pay as published; the source does not split it into regular pay and overtime.
Where does this data come from, and when is it updated?
From Illinois Office of the Comptroller (illinoiscomptroller.gov). Our figures match the agency's latest release; the next update is expected in early 2027.
"Typical pay" is the median: half earn more, half earn less. "Most earn" is the middle half of workers. Figures are calculated by PublicPayData from the official dataset; 0 records with $0 or negative pay are left out. How we calculate this · Corrections & removals