Kathy D. Aslinger
Associate
- P: (865) 546-7311
- F: (865) 524-1773
KATHY D. ASLINGER graduated summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1998 and was elected to the Order of the Coif. She received her Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University in 1994, graduating magna cum laude with Distinction in University Honors. Following law school, she worked as a judicial clerk for judges on the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, where she honed her research and writing skills. She continued her appellate practice for the next four years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Justice Division of the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General. In that capacity, Ms. Aslinger represented the State of Tennessee in approximately 200 appeals before the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, the Tennessee Supreme Court, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is counsel of record in thirteen published opinions, including State v. Jackson, 173 S.W.3d 401 (Tenn. 2005); Hogan v. Mills, 168 S.W.3d 753 (Tenn. 2005); State v. Wilson, 164 S.W.3d 355 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2003); State v. Jordan, 116 S.W.3d 8 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2003); and State v. McCary, 119 S.W.3d 226 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2003). Additionally, Ms. Aslinger engaged in civil trial practice in the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Tennessee, representing the State of Tennessee in federal habeas corpus matters.
After seven years as primarily an appellate attorney, Ms. Aslinger began prosecuting criminal cases at the trial court level as an Assistant District Attorney, first in Nashville, Tennessee, and more recently in Maryville, Tennessee. As an Assistant District Attorney, Ms. Aslinger handled all types of felony and misdemeanor offenses, but her practice focused largely on prosecuting felony drug offenses from the initial charge in General Sessions Court through jury trial in Circuit Court.
Ms. Aslinger moved to private practice with Kennerly Montgomery in January 2010 after practicing for eleven years as a government lawyer and prosecutor. She continues to practice in the area of criminal law by representing persons charged with criminal offenses in the State and Federal courts of East Tennessee. Her primary focus, however, is on pension and employee benefits, where she provides assistance with the design, documentation, administration, audit, litigation, termination and qualification of all employee health and welfare and pension plans for both public and private employers, including 401(k), Cafeteria (125), ESOPs, Profit-Sharing, Money Purchase Pension, Defined Benefit Pension, 403(b) (tax sheltered annuity, tax deferred annuity), nonqualified deferred compensation (including 457(b) and 457(f), and 409A), individual retirement accounts (IRA), supplemental executive retirement, stock options, health, COBRA, health savings accounts, retiree health plans and other post-employment benefits (OPEB), short and long term disability (STD/LTD), and day care assistance plans.