Melody Carlisle

Assistant Public Defender

Melody graduated from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law with her J.D. and LL.M. in International Human Rights Law in 2016. Prior to law school, she worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague as a courtroom clerk. She went to law school planning to return to The Hague and build a career in international law, but the more she learned about the criminal justice system in the United States, she realized that becoming a public defender is the human rights work of our time. After interning with the Kanawha County Public Defender’s office in Charleston, West Virginia in her 3L year, she went on to become an assistant public defender in Shelby County, Tennessee in 2016 as a Gideon’s Promise Fellow through the Law School Partnership Program.

Melody has worked in the specialty Mental Health Court, the Youth Trial Division, and the specialty Domestic Violence Court throughout her time as an assistant public defender, representing thousands of clients on cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies. She is passionate about providing client-centered representation and advocates fiercely to ensure the State confronts the humanity in each person she represents.

 Along with her passion for advocacy, Melody is committed to finding balance between work and the rest of life as a cornerstone of sustainability as an assistant public defender. She is assisted in this endeavor by her husband, her daughter, and their two giant dogs. Together, they enjoy all that the wonderful city of Memphis has to offer. She also enjoys singing in her church choir.