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 represented thousands of clients on cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies. Throughout her time as an assistant public defender, she has worked in the Mental Health Court, the Youth Trial Division, the Domestic Violence Court, and she was serving as courtroom anchor for Criminal Court Division IV before being selected to join the Appellate Division in January of 2026. 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, their two young children, 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.