Clark & Washington, P.C.

Focus and practice areas

Bankruptcy is the whole of what this firm handles. Clark & Washington files Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases for individuals and families in the Knoxville area and across East Tennessee. A single focus like this means the same body of law comes up on every file, and the attorneys work it day after day.

The two chapters solve different problems. Chapter 7 clears qualifying unsecured debts through liquidation, and many filers keep exempt property while the rest is discharged. Chapter 13 builds a court-approved repayment plan that runs over a set number of years, which can help someone hold onto a house or a car while catching up. The firm handles both, so it can point a client toward the chapter that matches their income and their goals.

The work reaches the pressures that push people toward filing. The firm deals with wage garnishments, foreclosure, and vehicle repossession. It handles debt elimination and debt reorganization, the practical shape of the two chapters it files. For clients still weighing their choices, Clark & Washington offers debt relief counseling that sets bankruptcy next to other ways of handling debt.

How long the firm has practiced

Emory L. Clark co-founded Clark & Washington in 1983. The firm counts more than 40 years of practice from that year, and it works under the name Clark & Washington, P.C.

That span covers four decades of consumer debt work. A firm that has filed cases for that long has seen how the local courts run and how trustees handle common issues. In my opinion, that familiarity counts for a first-time filer who has never set foot in a bankruptcy court. The rules are technical, and small missteps can slow a case down.

How the team is built

Three attorneys appear on the firm's profiles page: Colton Hobbs, Dylan Manning, and Jennifer Schilling. Each studied law in Tennessee, and their training sits close to the money questions that bankruptcy cases turn on. The mix pairs newer graduates with the firm's long record.

Colton Hobbs

Hobbs earned a law degree from Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law. They studied finance at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before law school. They are admitted to practice in the State of Tennessee and before the Eastern District of Tennessee, the federal court that hears these filings. That admission means Hobbs can appear in the court where Knoxville bankruptcy cases actually land.

Dylan Manning

Manning graduated magna cum laude from Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law and summa cum laude from Tennessee Wesleyan University. They received the CALI Award in Interviewing, Negotiation, and Counseling, a prize given to the highest-scoring student in a law school course. They are admitted to practice in Tennessee.

Jennifer Schilling

Schilling earned a BS in Environmental Studies from the University of Tennessee in 2015, then a JD from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2022. Both degrees come from the University of Tennessee. That path through a state university and its law school keeps the training local to the courts where the firm files.

How a case begins

The firm offers an initial consultation before any case starts. Clients can hold that meeting by phone, by video, or in person, so the first conversation fits around work and travel. For people facing a sudden deadline, Clark & Washington handles emergency filings, which matter when a garnishment or a repossession is days away.

An emergency filing can pause certain collection actions once the case is on file. Attorneys who file these cases regularly can move the paperwork without a long ramp-up. Timing often decides how much a filer keeps, so quick access has real value.

Reach and language access

The firm works out of a Knoxville office and takes cases across East Tennessee. Clients from outside the city can meet by phone or video, so distance is less of a barrier to getting started. That setup fits a region where many people live well outside the county seat.

Spanish-language service is available for clients who prefer it. Bankruptcy paperwork runs dense, and the filing deadlines are firm. A client who can follow each step in their own language can make clearer decisions about which chapter fits their situation.

Points worth noting

As a reviewer, I read Clark & Washington as a firm that has kept its work to one field on purpose. More than 40 years in, it files Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases and backs them with debt counseling and emergency filings. The attorneys trained in Tennessee schools and practice in Tennessee courts.

The firm names its founder, its founding year, and the scope of its bankruptcy work in plain terms. That clear self-description helps anyone comparing options for a consumer bankruptcy filing in East Tennessee. The Knoxville team is Hobbs, Manning, and Schilling.