Joe Stephens is a Consulting Attorney at Steno and a Clinical Lecturer & Chief Public Defender at Texas Tech University School of Law, where he leads the only public defender office based within a law school. With over 15 years of experience in criminal defense and public service, he previously founded and directed Texas’ largest rural public defender office, serving a 12-county region. Joe is a Board Member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and actively serves on multiple committees focused on public and rural defense. He earned his J.D. (cum laude) from The University of Texas School of Law and his B.A. from Vanderbilt University.
