David L. Dothard is a native of Knoxville, TN.   David graduated magna cum laude from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina with a major in History.  He was awarded the Odell and Gilpatrick Scholarships and was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa .  While at Furman, he worked for a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. and was also fortunate enough to participate in a foreign study program in Eastern Europe.

David next earned a Master of Science in the History of International Relations from the London School of Economics in London, England.  While in London, David lived at the International Hall, which was home to graduate students from over fifty (50) countries across the globe.

David earned his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2005.  He was the Co-Founder and Articles Editor of the Tennessee Journal of Law & Policy, a publication dedicated to scholarship at the nexus of public policy and the law.  David returned to the United Kingdom for a summer to study international law with Ms. Breeding at Cambridge University's Downing College.

David joined Shelley's practice in the summer of 2008.  He is a member of the Knoxville and Tennessee Bar Associations.  In his free time, David enjoys golf, reading, bowling, the outdoors, and University of Tennessee athletics.