Defense Attorney Salary in Houston, Texas

How much does a Defense Attorney make in Houston, TX?

As of March 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a Defense Attorney in Houston, TX is $106,175. According to Salary.com, salaries can range from a low of $78,083 to a high of $138,417, with most professionals earning between $91,471 and $123,052.

Search Defense Attorney Jobs in Houston, TX

Develop a Job description

Pay Equity

2024 Compensation Trend

Benefits Consulting

Salary range for an Defense Attorney

$91,471 to $123,052

Employers: Find Surveys For This Job

Employers: Price Your Company Jobs

View Average Salary for United States
Adjust Defense Attorney Salary:
Select State
Select City in TX
Choose Similar Job
Pick Related Category
View Cost of Living in Houston, Texas

Facing Salary Structure Challenges? Let Our Expert Guide You

The job market is increasingly challenging. Our whitepaper, Navigating the Challenges of Creating Salary Structures, offers guidance on creating salary structures. Provide your phone number and work email to download the full version.

We will handle your contact details in line with our Privacy Policy. If you prefer not to receive marketing emails from Salary.com, you can opt-out out of marketing communications at any time by clicking unsubscribe.

Defense Attorney

Review the job openings and experience requirements for the Defense Attorney job to confirm that it is the job you are seeking.

See user submitted job responsibilities for Defense Attorney.

Search Defense Attorney Job Openings

Job Openings for Defense Attorney in Houston, TX

What does a Defense Attorney do?

Common responsibilities of a Defense Attorney

Represent defendants in all legal proceedings including, but not limited to arraignments, pre-trial motions, trials, guilty pleas and post-trial matters, including but not limited to post-trial motions, sentencing hearings, restitution hearings, sentence reviews and the filing of appeals.

October 09, 2022

Prepares a variety of legal forms and documents such as discovery requests and responses, pleadings, subpoenas, medical summaries, etc.

November 05, 2022

Drafting pleadings, findings of fact, motions, briefs, opinions, and other legal documents.

December 24, 2022

Meet with detained noncitizen clients and potential clients via telephone and in-person at 630 Sansome Street in San Francisco, Mesa Verde ICE Processing Facility in Bakersfield, Yuba County Jail in Marysville, and other ICE facilities as necessary.

February 02, 2023

Attend pre-trial hearings on behalf of clients and advise clients following each hearing about best strategies.

February 17, 2023

Admitted to practice law and in good standing with the State of Florida Bar.

February 17, 2023

Provide effective and timely communications, information, legal advice, status reports and other services to clients and claims on legal and factual issues.

March 09, 2023

Act on a rotating basis to provide 24-hour access to counsel to individuals under arrest and or investigation for DUI.

March 09, 2023

Participate in workshops for the public and collaborative partners on basic pathways to citizenship, benefits eligibility, understanding individual rights, and other topics.

April 16, 2023

Works under the direction and guidance provided by higher level Attorneys and/or Managing Attorney.

May 15, 2023

Submit Other Responsibilities

Not the job you're looking for? Search more salaries here:

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
Job and employee pricing reports
Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.

Learn about

Defense Attorney Salary By Experience Levels in Houston, TX

How much should you be earning in Defense Attorney in Houston, TX based on your current experience?

Tell us how much experience you have and see an estimate of earnings and view how different experience leavels impact potential pay for Defense Attorney in Houston, TX

RELEVANT JOB EXPERIENCE

Length of experience is a pay differentiator. Those with greater experience may have an advantage in negotiating salary. For those with less experience, other factors such as education or special skills could impact your pay. Please visit Professional Salary Report for more details.

Defense Attorney Salary By Level of Education in Houston, TX

Do you know how much should you be paid for a Defense Attorney position in Houston, TX based on your education level?

Tell us about your education and see an estimate of earnings for Defense Attorney in Houston, TX and well to know the impact of education on future careers.

LEVEL OF EDUCATION

Depending on the job, educational levels may have a significant impact on pay levels. Be informed and understand how things like education and certifications can help to increase potential earnings for the career you are interested in. Please visit Professional Salary Report for more details.

Average Salary Range for Defense Attorney in Houston, TX

Average Base Salary

Core compensation

91471

123052

106175

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

94415

131771

111150

What is the average salary for Defense Attorney in 2025?

These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Defense Attorney in Houston, TX. The base salary for Defense Attorney ranges from $91,471 to $123,052 with the average base salary of $106,175. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $94,415 to $131,771 with the average total cash compensation of $111,150.

View Average Salary for Defense Attorney as table

	Average Salary	Average Salary Range
Base Salary	$106,175	$91,471 - $123,052
Bonus	$4,974	$2,945 - $8,720
Total Pay	$111,150	$94,415 - $131,771

* Base Salary represents gross income before taxes and deductions. It does not include additional pay such as benefits, bonuses, profit sharing or commissions.

* Total Pay combines base salary, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job.

Defense Attorney Salary Near Houston, TX

CITY, STATE	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE	COMPARE TO Houston, TX
CITY, STATE Pasadena, TX	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $92,452 - $124,372	COMPARE TO Houston, TX
CITY, STATE Galveston, TX	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $92,875 - $124,941	COMPARE TO Houston, TX
CITY, STATE Beaumont, TX	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $88,452 - $118,991	COMPARE TO Houston, TX
CITY, STATE Port Arthur, TX	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $86,656 - $116,574	COMPARE TO Houston, TX
CITY, STATE Lake Charles, LA	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $82,641 - $111,174	COMPARE TO Houston, TX
CITY, STATE Austin, TX	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $89,693 - $120,660	COMPARE TO Houston, TX

See salaries for Defense Attorney in locations close to Houston, TX. Pay for the same job may vary based on the location and on the location and on other factors such as the size of company, the industry, and other local conditions.

About Houston, Texas

Houston is located 165 miles (266 km) east of Austin, 88 miles (142 km) west of the Louisiana border, and 250 miles (400 km) south of Dallas. The city has a total area of 627 square miles (1,620 km2); this comprises 599.59 square miles (1,552.9 km2) of land and 22.3 square miles (58 km2) covered by water. The Piney Woods are north of Houston. Most of Houston is located on the gulf coastal plain, and its vegetation is classified as temperate grassland and forest. Much of the city was built on forested land, marshes, swamp, or prairie and are all still visible in surrounding areas.[citation need...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/11/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

View Salary for Similar Jobs to Defense Attorney in Houston, TX

See Additional Similar Jobs

Loading results...

JOB TITLE	LOCATION	MINIMUM SALARY	MAXIMUM SALARY
JOB TITLE Insurance Defense Attorney	LOCATION Houston, TX	MINIMUM SALARY $154,894	MAXIMUM SALARY $199,485
JOB TITLE Criminal Defense Attorney	LOCATION Houston, TX	MINIMUM SALARY $85,732	MAXIMUM SALARY $117,095
JOB TITLE Civil Defense Attorney	LOCATION Houston, TX	MINIMUM SALARY $73,658	MAXIMUM SALARY $93,141
JOB TITLE Med Mal Defense Attorney	LOCATION Houston, TX	MINIMUM SALARY $81,005	MAXIMUM SALARY $102,220
JOB TITLE Medical Malpractice Defense Attorney	LOCATION Houston, TX	MINIMUM SALARY $105,353	MAXIMUM SALARY $185,058
JOB TITLE Workers Compensation Defense Attorney	LOCATION Houston, TX	MINIMUM SALARY $158,075	MAXIMUM SALARY $193,722

The Defense Attorney job could be listed using titles that are not exactly the same, but actually are for the same or very similar job. Here are some job titles in Houston, TX that might be a good fit for the type of job and salary you are looking for.

Discover how your pay is adjusted for skills, experience, and other factors

How much should you be paid?

For a real-time salary target, tell us more about your role in the four categories below.