Amy Hinkle Easterling
Attorney & Founder, Amy Easterling Legal, PLLC
Amy Hinkle Easterling is the founder of Amy Easterling Legal, PLLC, a Kingsport, Tennessee law firm serving clients across East Tennessee in family law and misdemeanor criminal defense. She has practiced law for more than 18 years, and her career path, from prosecutor to private practice, gives her clients a perspective most attorneys simply don't have.
Before founding her own firm, Amy served as a prosecutor with the Second and Third Judicial District Attorney's Offices, where she handled cases across the full spectrum of severity, from traffic offenses to serious felonies, including homicide. She worked across General Sessions, Juvenile, and Criminal Courts, building a working knowledge of how the Tennessee legal system actually functions at every level. That experience now directly benefits the clients she represents, whether they're navigating a contested divorce or defending against a misdemeanor charge.
During her time in prosecution, Amy founded the Vulnerable Adult Protective Team, an initiative dedicated to investigating and addressing abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of elderly and vulnerable adults. She also worked closely with the Children's Investigative Protective Team, partnering with law enforcement and child services to pursue justice on behalf of children who couldn't advocate for themselves. That work shaped something fundamental in how she practices law today: an unwavering belief that behind every case file is a real person whose situation deserves to be taken seriously.
How Amy Practices
Amy Easterling Legal, PLLC was built on a simple belief: strong legal representation and genuine compassion are not in competition. They should always go together.
Too many people walk into a legal crisis feeling like they are just another file on someone's desk, processed rather than heard. Amy built her practice to be the opposite of that, without sacrificing the strategic, aggressive advocacy a real legal fight demands. Clients should not have to choose between an attorney who cares and one who is genuinely equipped to win.
That means an attorney who listens before recommending a strategy, who explains what is happening in plain language instead of legal jargon, and who fights just as hard for a client's dignity as for the legal outcome. Every client, whether facing a divorce, a custody dispute, or a misdemeanor charge, receives the same standard of care: honest communication, a personalized strategy, and an advocate who treats their situation like it matters, because it does.
This is not softness where strength is required. Amy's background as a prosecutor means she knows how the other side builds a case, whether that is an opposing spouse's attorney or a state prosecutor, and she brings that strategic thinking to bear on behalf of every client she represents. Compassion and strength are not opposites in this practice. Both are required, and clients get both.
Who She Serves
Amy represents individuals and families throughout Kingsport and East Tennessee, including Bristol, Johnson City, and Greeneville. Her practice covers two areas: family law, from divorce and custody to adoption and guardianship, and misdemeanor criminal defense, from DUI to theft to probation violations.
Clients come from every walk of life: professionals, parents, first-time defendants, all looking for the same thing, an attorney who will actually be in their corner.
Credentials & Experience
Bar Admissions
- Licensed Attorney, State of Tennessee (2008)
- Licensed Attorney, State of Florida (inactive)
Education
- Appalachian School of Law — Juris Doctor
- East Tennessee State University
Professional Background
- Former prosecutor, Second & Third Judicial District Attorney's Offices
- Founder, Vulnerable Adult Protective Team
- Children's Investigative Protective Team member
Practice Areas
- Family Law — divorce, custody, support, adoption, guardianship
- Misdemeanor Criminal Defense — DUI, assault, theft, drug possession
Work Directly With Amy
As a solo practitioner, Amy personally handles every case the firm takes on. Schedule a consultation to talk through your situation with the attorney herself.