About Our Chief Public Defender

Attorney Phyllis Aluko is the 11th Chief Public Defender for Shelby County and directs the largest and oldest public defense system in Tennessee. On March 25th, 2019, the Shelby County Commission made history when it unanimously approved Aluko as the first female Chief Public Defender of Shelby County.

Aluko began her tenure at the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office as a volunteer and has been with the office for more than 25 years. She served in the Trial Division for 10 years, rising to the rank of division leader. Aluko then transferred to the Appellate Division and would become the first woman and the first African American to serve as supervisor of the Appellate Division.

She is a graduate of Whitehaven High School in Memphis. She received her bachelor of arts from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Aluko is on the executive board of the Memphis Bar Foundation. She is also a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association and the Memphis Bar Association.

Chief Aluko News