Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, and Northeast Tennessee
Tri-Cities Criminal Defense and Personal Injury Lawyers
Our attorneys spent years on the other side of the table as federal and state prosecutors. Now that experience works for people charged with crimes and people hurt by someone else’s negligence.
Free and confidential. We respond within one business day.
How We Can Help
Personal Injury
Hurt in a crash or on unsafe property? We help injured people and families across Northeast Tennessee understand their options and preserve the evidence early. Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee.
Personal injury overviewCriminal Defense
Facing state or federal charges? A former federal prosecutor knows how the government builds a case, from investigation through trial. We defend clients charged with DUI, drug offenses, serious felonies, and federal crimes across Northeast Tennessee.
Criminal defense overviewA Team That Has Seen Both Sides of the System
Our team has built cases, prosecuted them, and investigated them at the state and federal level. Now they put that experience to work for clients across Northeast Tennessee.
Corey B. Shipley
Founding Attorney
A former Assistant U.S. Attorney who led the prosecution of hundreds of complex federal cases. Corey now defends clients facing federal charges and serious felonies, and represents people injured by others’ negligence, across Northeast Tennessee.
View full profileEmily M. Swecker
Attorney, Of Counsel
Thirteen years as a prosecutor, first as a Sullivan County Assistant District Attorney and then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Greeneville, where she led a multi-agency task force targeting drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies. Emily has tried roughly 40 jury trials.
View full profileMichael Templeton
Investigator
A retired DEA Special Agent and licensed Tennessee private investigator, Michael spent 25 years leading complex drug conspiracy, money laundering, and narco-terrorism financing investigations, including a decade in the DEA’s Johnson City office. Michael is not an attorney.
View full profileWhen you hire Shipley Law Firm, you work with people who have done those jobs.
Serving the Tri-Cities and Northeast Tennessee
We are based in Johnson City and represent clients throughout the region. Where a case is filed depends on where it happened and who is involved.
Washington County
Johnson City and Jonesborough
- Our office is at 2903 E Oakland Avenue in Johnson City.
- Circuit court sits in Jonesborough.
- Johnson City Medical Center is the region’s Level I trauma center.
- 3,235 reportable traffic crashes in 2025, including 705 with injuries or deaths.
Sullivan County
Kingsport, Bristol, and Blountville
- Circuit court sits in Blountville, Bristol, and Kingsport.
- Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport and Bristol Regional Medical Center are Level III trauma centers.
- I-81 and I-26 meet in Sullivan County.
- 3,930 reportable traffic crashes in 2025, including 856 with injuries or deaths.
Carter County
Elizabethton
- Circuit court sits in Elizabethton.
- 1,161 reportable traffic crashes in 2025, including 268 with injuries or deaths.
Greene County
Greeneville
- Circuit court sits in Greeneville.
- Federal cases from this region go to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, which holds court in Greeneville.
- 1,490 reportable traffic crashes in 2025, including 452 with injuries or deaths.
Unicoi County
Erwin
- Circuit court sits in Erwin.
- I-26 runs through Erwin to the North Carolina line.
- 384 reportable traffic crashes in 2025, including 87 with injuries or deaths.
Johnson County
Mountain City
- Circuit court sits in Mountain City.
- Johnson County promotes US-421 through Shady Valley, known as The Snake, as a motorcycle route.
- 333 reportable traffic crashes in 2025, including 84 with injuries or deaths.
Source: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, TITAN, County Rankings and Statistics by Emphasis Area, 2021–2025, revised February 12, 2026. Counts are reportable traffic crashes of all vehicle types and exclude parking-lot and private-property crashes. Crashes with injuries or deaths combine the report’s fatal and injury crash counts. 2025 is the most recent year available, and its figures may be revised.
Check Your Timeline
Tennessee generally allows one year to file a personal injury lawsuit. Enter the date to see how much of that time has passed.
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Your timeline will appear here.
- Cases against a city or county generally must be filed within 12 months.
- A related criminal prosecution can make the period two years in limited cases.
- Some facts can change when the period starts.
This shows the general rule only. It is not legal advice, and your actual deadline depends on your facts.
How It Works
- 1Tell us what happened
- 2We review your case, free
- 3You decide how to proceed
Get a Free, Confidential Case Review
Former federal prosecutors. A retired DEA Special Agent on the team.
Takes about a minute. Only your name and phone number are required.
Free, confidential case review. We respond within one business day.
Your information stays with our firm. See our Privacy Policy.
Prefer to Call?
Talk with our team about your situation.
(423) 777-7447 Shipley Law Firm, PLLC2903 E Oakland Avenue
Johnson City, Tennessee 37601
Questions We Hear Most
What kinds of cases does Shipley Law Firm handle?
We handle criminal defense, including DUI, drug offenses, serious felonies, and federal charges, and personal injury cases, including car, trucking, and motorcycle accidents, slip and fall injuries, and wrongful death.
Do you only take cases in Johnson City?
No. Our office is in Johnson City, and we represent clients across Northeast Tennessee, including Kingsport, Bristol, Elizabethton, Greeneville, Jonesborough, Erwin, and Mountain City.
What does it mean that your attorneys are former prosecutors?
Corey B. Shipley and Emily M. Swecker both served as Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and Emily also served as a Sullivan County Assistant District Attorney. They have built and tried cases from the government’s side, and they now use that experience for their clients.
Is the first consultation free?
Yes. Your first case review is free and confidential. Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee, so there is no fee unless you win.
How quickly will someone get back to me?
We respond within one business day. If you need to talk sooner, call (423) 777-7447.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.
