Meet Our Staff

Tom Wright, Of Counsel

Tom Wright served as a judge for 25 years before joining CS. Most of those years he was a Circuit Court Judge for the State of Tennessee in the Third Judicial District. Most recently, he was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve the State as a Senior Judge. In that position, he presided over a wide variety of civil and criminal cases in numerous jurisdictions throughout the State. Judge Wright resigned his Senior Judgeship in 2023 and joined CS where he uses his invaluable experience in the firm’s litigation practice and to help litigants resolve conflicts outside of court through alternative dispute resolution services.

Judge Wright graduated with High Honors from the University of Tennessee College of Law and was inducted into the Order of the Coif, an elite legal honor society. Following a brief stint on staff with Cru, a Christian ministry, he began his legal career as a judicial law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Tom Hull. Several years of private trial practice followed the clerkship until he was selected to open the office of the Federal Defender in Greeneville, Tennessee, where he was the sole attorney and exclusively represented the accused in federal trials and appeals.

In 1998 Judge Wright successfully unseated a 16-year incumbent to become the General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge for Greene County, Tennessee. In 2006 he became a Circuit Court Judge after prevailing in a contested primary election. Upon announcing that he would retire from the bench to seek a new professional challenge, the Tennessee Supreme Court, recognizing his wide-ranging legal and judicial experience, asked him to serve as one of only four senior judges in the State.

Judge Wright and his wife, the former Dawn White of Greene County, worship at Asbury United Methodist Church and are active supporters of YoungLife and FCA. He serves as the Chaplain for the Greeneville High School football team and leads a Bible study with high school guys. The Wrights spend most of their travel time visiting their children and grandchildren. Both their son and son-in-law are active duty members of the U.S. Army. Their daughter and daughter-in-law are professional educators.

Curt Collins, Attorney At Law

Curt Collins, an accomplished attorney and partner of Collins Shipley, PLLC, hails from
Greeneville, Tennessee. With an unwavering commitment to justice and an exceptional legal career, Curt has earned a reputation as a tenacious advocate and a dedicated community leader.

Licensed to practice law in Florida and Tennessee, Curt’s professional journey includes pivotal experiences throughout his life. A pivotal role model, his mother, Schery Collins, served as a judicial assistant to the late Circuit Court Judge Ben Wexler and his successor, Judge Tom Wright, spanning over three decades. Curt also began his legal career under the guidance of the late John Rogers in Greeneville prior to starting his own firm, C Collins Law Firm, in 2012.

With over 13 years of experience, Curt’s legal practice encompasses an array of areas, including Personal Injury, Business and Corporate Law, Federal Criminal Law, Property Management, Family Law, and Estates. His track record includes numerous successful outcomes in car accident and trucking litigation, as well as complex federal criminal cases involving drug conspiracies, money laundering, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Notably, he has taken multiple federal criminal trials to a jury verdict, including cases of theft of trade secrets and espionage, showcasing his tenacity and legal acumen.

Curt obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from East Tennessee State University, where he not only excelled academically but also distinguished himself as the Vice President of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. During this time, he initiated the TN Gamma Balanced Man Scholarship, showcasing his commitment to fostering educational opportunities within his community.

His passion for public service was further evidenced during a Congressional Internship in Washington, D.C., working with then local Congressman Bill Jenkins. Curt’s dedication to the legal field continued as he pursued his law degree. He was an active member of the Trial Practice Team and the Criminal Law Student Association. He expanded his legal horizons through a transformative study abroad program with the University of Miami School of Law, delving into Comparative International Law while in Greece and Italy.

Curt currently serves as the President of the Greene County Bar and plays an active role in the Federal Bench Bar Committee and Federal Court Technology Advisory Committee. With memberships in esteemed organizations such as the Tennessee Bar Association, Greene County Partnership, Young Life Committee, Capitol Theater Board, Greene County Tennis Association Board, and Link Hills Country Club Board, Curt’s dedication to his community is apparent in every facet of his life.

Curt Collins is not just an attorney – he’s an advocate of the people. Fueled by an unyielding determination, he never backs down from a challenging case. His commitment to his clients is unparalleled, as he meticulously works through every aspect of a case to deliver winning outcomes.

Corey B. Shipley, Attorney At Law

Corey was born and raised in Baileyton, TN. After attending Greeneville High School, he received a football scholarship to play at Tusculum College. While at Tusculum, he played for three years and started at linebacker in his final season for the Pioneers.

After leaving Tusculum, he attended the University of Tennessee to finish college and focus on the study of law. At Tennessee, Corey received the Political Science Departmental Memorial Scholarship. He graduated from the University of Tennessee summa cum laude in May of 2009.

Corey decided to travel to Charleston, South Carolina for law school to pursue his interest in maritime and admiralty law. Even though he worked in the field, which included a highly competitive internship in Manhattan, New York and was Editor in Chief of the school’s maritime law journal, he found that he not only missed the East Tennessee area but also, and most importantly, missed the people from East Tennessee. Corey decided to come back to the East Tennessee area and intern the summer before his graduation. Upon returning to Charleston to finish law school, he continued his success inside and outside of the classroom arguing in the National Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition, advancing to the Final Four of the Regional ABA Arbitration Competition in New York, and graduating from law school cum laude. Corey accepted a position at the Terry Law Firm in Morristown, Tennessee and worked there as an associate attorney until February of 2015.

Corey then decided to take a position with the United States Attorney’s Office as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. During his time at the United States Attorney’s Office, Corey was involved in approximately 150 federal criminal prosecutions at both the trial level and the appellate level. He successfully tried numerous jury trials to reach a verdict, which involved cases ranging from a $15,000,000.00 Ponzi Scheme to a sex trafficking case in Washington County, Tennessee. He continued to serve the people of the United States in his capacity as a Special Assistant United States Attorney until December 2016 when he and Curt Collins decided to form Collins Shipley, PLLC.

Corey’s extensive experience in criminal law, especially in federal court, make him a uniquely valuable resource for those facing prosecution. Corey also enjoys helping people with personal injury claims, products liability cases, and civil litigation of all kinds. He is an accomplished legal writer and handles both civil and criminal appeals in both state and federal court.

Hunter Shelton, Attorney At Law

Hunter was born and raised in Greeneville, Tennessee. Hunter attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he was a cum laude graduate, earning dual degrees in business administration and human resource management from the Haslam College of Business.

Hunter was then accepted to Belmont University College of Law in Nashville, Tennessee where he earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree. During law school, he was vice president of the criminal law society, earned high honors for academic papers on federal income taxation and estate and gift taxation, and achieved multiple favorable verdicts in mock trial competitions.

Hunter began his professional experience in the legal world in 2014 when he began working for the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s office. He continued in this role until 2016 when he took time off to prepare for law school. During his time with the District Attorney’s Office, Hunter assisted in multiple first-degree murder cases, vehicular homicide investigation, drug trafficking stings, and various other state crimes.

Hunter then worked for the personal injury firm, Daniel & Gaines in Knoxville, Tennessee, a firm founded by legendary Tennessee trial lawyer, Zane Daniel. At Daniel & Gaines, he worked on multiple wrongful death lawsuits, learning how to serve families in some of their most trying times.

In 2017, Hunter was hired by the Department of Justice at the United States Attorney’s Office and worked there until joining Collins Shipley, PLLC in 2020. This highly competitive position gave Hunter the opportunity to learn federal litigation practice at the highest level. During his time at the United States Attorney’s Office, Hunter had the privilege of representing the United States in Federal District Court, giving him an unprecedented level of experience in litigation at this stage in his career. While at the United States Attorney’s Office, Hunter worked on a wide variety of cases including the investigation of 4.5-billion-dollar pharmacy benefits scheme; lead the government’s investigation and prosecution of a 96 vehicle “chop shop” case; and worked closely with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the Drug Enforcement Agency on complex, multi-defendant drug and gun trafficking conspiracies.

Hunter’s unique and extensive experience makes him especially valuable to our clients and the team at Collins Shipley, PLLC. Hunter is a high-energy, passionate attorney and enjoys connecting with clients and helping them achieve their legal goals. If you need an attorney with the experience, enthusiasm, and education to handle your case and successfully guide you or your family through the legal process, then you need Hunter Shelton on your team.

Kristen Blair, Associate Attorney

Kristen is a native of Greeneville, Tennessee. She attended East Tennessee State University, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Legal Studies. Following graduation, she returned to Greeneville to work as a legal assistant, gaining valuable practical experience. Kristen attended law school at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Following her second year of law school, she interned at the District Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial District in Jonesborough. During her third year of law school, she worked as a judicial extern for the Honorable J.C. McLin, Justice for the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, performing research and drafting appellate opinions on a variety of legal issues. After graduating from law school, Kristen returned to East Tennessee and worked as an associate attorney for Thomas C. Jessee for eight years. During her time with Tom Jessee, Kristen mastered pleadings, responses, memorandums, and appellate briefs, performed in-depth legal research, and assisted with trial preparation in a wide variety of cases, including personal injury,family law, contractual disputes, and criminal defense. Kristen joined Collins Shipley PLLC in October 2021.

Emily Rogers, Paralegal

A Greeneville native, Emily Rogers is a 1998 graduate of the University of Tennessee, obtaining her B.A in English Literature. In 2000, Emily went on to obtain her M.A. in Women and Literature in English from the University of Hull, Kingston upon Hull in the United Kingdom. Most of her career, she has worked in the legal field with her father, John T. Milburn Rogers, who was a renowned attorney in east Tennessee and beyond. Emily has a unique understanding of legal cases and the various stages of litigation. She has assisted with the successful representation of clients in numerous trials. In her current position, Emily serves as a paralegal for the firm’s attorneys and supports any administrative duties necessary for the litigation process.

Lori Mysinger, Administrative Assistant

Lori is the face and initial contact for Collins Shipley. Always greeting you with a smile, she is the glue that holds the firm together. Born in Illinois, Lori moved to Tennessee as a teenager, and has been a native to Greeneville, Tennessee for over 40 years. She loves interacting with clients and keeping them informed and up to date in order to make sure all their needs are being satisfied. With over 24 years of experience in an administrative capacity, Lori really helps make the entire legal process seamless and productive for every client. In addition to handling the firm’s administrative matters, Lori handles appointment scheduling, and is responsible for the firm’s constant communication with their clients.

Casey Holt, Legal Assistant

Casey Holt is a native of Greeneville, TN and serves as a legal aid administrative assistant for the firm. She loves interacting with clients and keeping them informed and up to date in order to make sure all their needs are being satisfied. With over 10 years of experience in an administrative capacity, Casey really helps make the entire legal process seamless and productive for every client. In addition to handling the firm’s administrative matters, Casey is secondarily responsible for the firm’s constant communication with their clients. Casey creates, updates, and sends letters, ensuring that all clients are up to date with information regarding their case and pertinent dates.