Texas Tech University

Joe Stephens

Clinical Lecturer
Chief Public Defender, Caprock Regional Public Defender Office

Email: joe.stephens@ttu.edu

As Chief Public Defender of the Caprock Regional Public Defender Office, Joe runs the only public defender office in the country housed inside a law school. His students represent real clients facing real consequences across rural West Texas counties where access to counsel is most fragile. As a Clinical Lecturer, he teaches criminal defense practice skills. His students learn to leverage AI tools not as a shortcut, but as a force multiplier for the kind of careful, client-centered representation that indigent defense demands.

Joe is one of a small number of legal professionals in the country who both builds and deploys AI-powered litigation tools in active casework. He has provided AI-assisted litigation support in complex federal civil rights and criminal defense matters, and his practical experience with these tools under trial pressure directly informs his teaching. He speaks nationally on the ethical use of AI in legal practice, the integration of AI into litigation workflows, and the future of legal technology — delivering continuing legal education presentations, webinars, and keynote addresses to audiences ranging from law firms and bar associations to paralegal associations and legal technology conferences across the country.

His published work on AI regulation, ethics, and practical adoption has appeared in the ABA Journal, Bloomberg Law, LAW.COM, and other national outlets. He is the author of Texas Criminal Jury Charges (James Publishing, 2026), a two-volume publication containing more than 650 jury instructions with supporting legal analysis, and was nominated for the International Legal Technology Association's Innovative Leader of the Year Award in 2026.

Before Caprock, Joe built the Concho Valley Public Defender Office from the ground up into the largest rural public defender office in Texas, covering twelve counties with locations in San Angelo and Abilene. He previously served in public defender offices across rural South Texas and the Hill Country.

Joe has served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and currently sits on TCDLA's Public Defender, Rural Practice, and Law School committees. He is a Member of the State Bar of Texas Legal Services to the Poor in Criminal Matters Committee, a mentor in the Future Indigent Defense Leaders of Texas program, and sits on the Oversight Board of two regional public defender offices. He is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a distinction held by fewer than 10% of Texas criminal defense attorneys — and speaks frequently across Texas on criminal defense matters including mental health in criminal representation, indigent defense systems, magistration, and pretrial procedure.

Joe was born in Australia and grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. He was an Ingram Scholar at Vanderbilt University, where he was President of the Vanderbilt Prison Project. In 2010, he graduated from the University of Texas School of Law with honors. He has also worked for two committee chairmen across three legislative sessions in Austin and spent time in private practice in Baltimore, where he worked on appellate and post-conviction matters.

Outside the office, Joe is an amateur potter, a Master Gardener, and an eleven-time Ironman finisher.

Joe Stephens

Education

  • J.D., University of Texas School of Law, 2010
  • B.A., Vanderbilt University, 2004

Select Publications

AI, Legal Technology & Ethics

  • “If Lawyers Are Not Using AI, Are They Committing Malpractice?” Above the Law, forthcoming March 2026.
  • "From Experiment to Infrastructure: The ABA’s Assessment on the AI Transition," ABA Journal, forthcoming February 2026.
  • “Private Equity and the Contested Future of Law Firm Ownership,” Legalverse, February 4, 2026.
  • “The Vendor View 2026 – A breakthrough AI year, and one of reckoning,” Legal IT Insider, January 15, 2026.
  • “Legal Tech’s Predictions for the Business of Law in 2026,” LAW.COM, January 12, 2026.
  • “Legal Tech’s Predictions for Data Privacy in 2026,” LAW.COM, January 9, 2026.
  • “Why state bars are struggling to keep pace with AI in legal practice,” ABA Journal, December 15, 2025.
  • “Detecting AI Misconduct by Opposing Counsel Is a Lawyer’s Duty,” Bloomberg Law, November 18, 2025.
  • “Navigating the Algorithmic Frontier: AI Regulation and Legal Practice in Texas, Part 2,” LAW.COM, October 30, 2025.
  • “Navigating the Algorithmic Frontier: AI Regulation and Legal Practice in Texas, Part 1,” LAW.COM, October 23, 2025.
  • “Crafting Your Law Firm’s Generative AI Playbook: A Step by Step Guide for NYC Firms,” LAW.COM, September 24, 2025.
  • “Why Aren’t More State Bar Associations Regulating AI?” LAW.COM, July 15, 2025.
  • “AI Frontier: Ethical and Practical Guidance for Texas Law Firms,” LAW.COM, July 15, 2025.
  • “10 Legal AI Trends That Are Changing Law Practices,” Legalverse, May 19, 2025.
  • “Becoming the Rockstar Paralegal Your Team Needs This Year,” Legal Reader, March 14, 2025.
  • “From Experiment to Essential — How Legal AI is Changing Everything for my Team,” LawSites, March 12, 2025. 

Criminal Law

  • “Texas Criminal Jury Charges,” James Publishing, 2025. (A two-volume publication containing more than 650 charges covering everything from arson to murder – each instruction is supported by legal analysis and case citations, and an updated version is forthcoming in 2026.)
  • “Court Cost Pamphlet,” Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, revised for 2026. (Part of a statewide workgroup that compiled the authoritative manual on how the indigent accused can challenge court costs, fines, fees, and restitution.)
  • “Opening a Rural Public Defender Office (a three-part series),” as published in The Voice, the trade magazine for the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, May – August, 2022.

Speaking Engagements

  1. “Most Common Issues in DWI Cases” – 3/2026 (Lubbock, TX), at a multi-day judicial training seminar sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties.
  2. “Dealing With Challenging Defendants” – 3/2025 (Lubbock, TX), at a multi-day judicial training seminar sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties.
  3. “Handling Challenging Courtroom Situations” – 11/2024, (College Station, TX), at a multi-day judicial training seminar sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties.
  4. “Criminal Law – Basic Training for County Judges” – 10/2024, (San Marcos, TX), 9/2024, (Terlingua, TX) at a multi-day judicial training seminar sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties.
  5. “Mental Health Issues in Criminal Representation” – 6/2024, (San Antonio, TX), as part of the annual Rusty Duncan Conference sponsored by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
  6. "Riding For the Defense” – 4/2024, (San Angelo, TX), served as Course Director of a full-day continuing legal education seminar through the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Subjects ranged from jury selection to cross-examination, opening statement to mental health.
  7. “Admonishments: Rights and Consequences of a Plea” – 4/2024, (Amarillo, TX), at a multi-day judicial training seminar sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties. 
  8. “Embracing the Guilty: Mitigation & Continued Holistic Client Representation” – 6/2023, (San Antonio, TX), as part of the annual Rusty Duncan Conference (Public Defender Program) sponsored by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
  9. “Magistrate’s Duty Regarding Mental Health” – 4/2023, (Abilene, TX), as part of a “Mental Health Workshop” through the Texas Association of Counties.
  10. “Considerations for Setting Bail” – 3/2023, (Lubbock, TX), at a multi-day judicial training seminar sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties.
  11. “Indigent Defense” – 1/2023, (Lubbock, TX), at the Judicial Orientation for New County Judges” sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties.
  12. “The Stigma of Mental Health in the Criminal Legal System” – 11/2022, (Grapevine, TX), as part of the Judicial Summit on Mental Health. And again in 6/2022, (San Antonio, TX), as part of the annual Rusty Duncan Conference (Mental Health Program) sponsored by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
  13. “Magistration and SB6” – 10/2022, (Cedar Creek, TX), 9/2022, (Terlingua, TX), at a multi-day judicial training seminar sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties.
  14. “Magistration: County Judge's Role in Bail Setting” – 7/2022, (Denton, TX), 4/2022, (Arlington, TX), 3/2022, (Lubbock, TX) at a multi-day judicial training seminar sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties.
  15. “Sentencing in DWI Cases” – 2/2022, (Bryan, TX), at a multi-day judicial training seminar sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties.
  16. “The Future of Indigent Defense in Texas” – 1/2022, sponsored by the University of Texas School of Law, on the 20th Anniversary of the Fair Defense Act.
  17. “Pre-Trial Motions Practice” – 11/2021, (Boerne, TX), at a multi-day judicial training seminar sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties.
  18. “Mental Health Issues in Criminal Defense” – 10/2021, (Wichita Falls, TX), 9/2021, (Victoria, TX), at a continuing legal education event sponsored by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

School of Law

  • Address

    Texas Tech University School of Law, 3311 18th Street, Lubbock, Texas 79409-0004

  • Phone

    806.742.3791

  • Email

    law@ttu.edu
© 2026  Texas Tech University Feb 19, 2026 1:30 PM

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