Faculty Profile: Mark Stephens

After serving as the elected Public Defender for the Sixth Judicial District for over 29 years, Mark Stephens recently returned to the private practice of law. He will focus his practice on criminal defense work, but also plans to engage in civil rights litigation and some civil practice plaintiff's work. During his career as a public defender, Stephens served as President of the Tennessee District Public Defender's Conference and Chair of the Tennessee Supreme Court's Indigent Defense Commission. Mr. Stephens served as Chairman of the National Association for Public Defense and on the Board of Gideon's Promise. In 2011, Gideon's Promise presented him with the Stephen B. Bright Award in recognition of his contribution to the effort to improve the quality of indigent defense in the South. Mr. Stephens is a member of the ABA and NACDL. On the state level, he is a member of TACDL, which twice awarded him the prestigious Robert W. Ritchie Award (2000 and 2007), and the TBA. On a local level, he is a member of the KBA, which in 1995 presented him with the Law and Liberty Award for his efforts in the advancement and protection of law through liberty. In 2002, Mr. Stephens was presented with the UT Pro Bono award for outstanding contributions to the Innocence Project. Since 2004, Mr. Stephens has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he teaches Trial Advocacy.