Ted Engel

A tenth-generation Tennessean, Ted grew up just outside the small, rural town of Dayton. He was raised by two hardworking parents who taught him the importance of integrity, honesty, and a full day’s labor. As a child living in the town famous for the Scopes Trial of 1925, Ted dreamed of becoming an attorney from a very young age. After finishing high school as the valedictorian of his class, Ted attended Tennessee Technological University, graduating in three years of study with a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, in political science. He then proceeded to the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude, with a concentration in advocacy and dispute resolution. After graduation, Ted returned to his hometown of Dayton and opened a small business offering legal services to the community with a practice consisting primarily of family law, estate planning, and criminal defense. In 2013, Ted joined the Hamilton County District Public Defender’s Office as an assistant public defender. Since that time, he has represented thousands of clients accused of crimes ranging in severity from public intoxication to first degree murder. Ted rose through the ranks of his office, eventually becoming a supervisor managing a team of five other attorneys responsible for representing defendants in ten different courts with jurisdiction over the fourth most populous county in the state. He also initiated the office’s first in-house training program designed to develop and foster trial skills among his fellow assistant public defenders. In 2018, Ted became a founding team member of the Hamilton County General Sessions Recovery Court. This program was initiated to fill a critical gap in the treatment options available to criminal defendants who suffer from drug and alcohol dependency, targeting those charged with misdemeanor offenses for intervention to hopefully divert them from the criminal justice system and help prevent more serious criminal conduct. Ted served as the Public Defender’s representative on the Court, advocating for the needs, interests, and wishes of those enrolled in the program. After nearly a decade of practicing law, Ted decided to further develop his litigation skills by pursuing a Master of Laws in trial advocacy from the Temple University Beasley School of Law, widely considered to be the best such program in the entire country. There, he joined students from around the world in receiving intense instruction in trial skills training from many of America’s most skilled trial attorneys. Continuing to work full-time as an assistant public defender throughout the program, Ted earned his Master of Laws, with distinction, and was awarded the Faculty Award, recognizing him as his graduating class’ most outstanding student in courtroom presentation and performance. In 2022, Ted was elected to serve as the District Public Defender of Tennessee’s 12th Judicial District, where he leads a team of nine other attorneys serving the needs of clients across six Tennessee counties. A staunch advocate of the rule of law, small government, and individual rights, Ted is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Gun Owners of America, and the Second Amendment Foundation. Ted is a life member of the National Rifle Association and also serves as chairman of the Rhea County Republican Party. Ted lives in Dayton with his wonderful wife, Ashley, an emergency room nurse practitioner and educator. They live on a small farm with their son, Theodore. Ted is passionate about history, promoting individual liberty and advancing conservative political ideals. In his spare time, he enjoys working on his farm, hiking, and sport shooting.