Larry Jefferson

Larry Jefferson was appointed in April of 2021 by the Washington Supreme Court to become the new Director of Public Defense for the State of Washington. He has worked as a public defender in King and Thurston Counties since 1996, and is a graduate of The Evergreen State College and Seattle University’s School of Law. 

Larry currently serves as a board member with the Campaign for Equal Justice and a councilmember with the Washington State Re-Entry Council. He is past President of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Thurston County Bar Association. In 2023 he was named the Loren Miller Bar Association’s recipient of the Excellence in Law Award, in 2022 he was named Luminary of Year by the Seattle Clemency Project, and in 2020 he received the Daniel Bigelow award from the Thurston County Bar Association and was named Attorney of the year. 

Larry is a devoted husband, father of two wonderful adult children, and a self-proclaimed mama's boy. He enjoys spending time transforming harm into justice, standing by his barbecue, and cheering for the Seahawks.