Erin Sheehey Downs was born in Washington, D.C., on September 21, 1962.  In 1980, she graduated from the College of William and Mary, where she received the Olympia Award, the Martha Barksdale Scholarship Award and was an All-American swimmer.  She was also selected for membership in Omicron Delta Kappa.

     Erin received her Juris Doctorate from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary in 1987 where she was on the Benton moot court team.  She began her legal career as an Associate in the Trusts and Estates department of the law firm of Christian & Barton in Richmond,Virginia.  She also served as Trust Counsel for Crestar Bank in Richmond for several years before moving to Bristol to join the law firm of Jones and King, P.C., in 1996. 

     Erin is listed in Best Lawyers in America and is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, which recognizes individual attorneys for distinguished contributions to the practice of estate planning, probate and trust law.  She has written a number of published articles and frequently lectures to other lawyers on trust and estate topics.  Erin is certified as a specialist in Estate Planning by the Tennessee Commission on C.L.E. and Specialization and by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.  She is a member of the Tri-Cities Estate Planning Council, the Virginia Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

     Erin resides in Bristol, Tennessee with her husband Butch, and their two sons, Brendan and Logan.  She has served on a number of community and non-profit boards, including the Bristol Public Library, Court Appoint Special Advocates for Children and Wellmont Foundation.  She has also served the College of William and Mary on a variety of Boards and Committees.