Mary Helen Whitley

While I can’t say born, I’m proud to say I was raised in Somerville, Tennessee! My parents took a leap of faith and adopted me from China in 2002, and I’ve been a West Tennessee girl ever since. Back home, I have my wonderful parents, three younger sisters who are my best friends, the sweetest grandparents, and more cousins and friends than you could imagine. Growing up in a small town taught me the value of hard work, tradition, community, and most of all, faith. My faith is the most important thing to me. It’s what grounds me, gives me purpose, and guides every aspect of my life.

Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, making new friends and spending time with old, relaxing with a good book or show, and anything involving shopping, baking, or hosting. Occasionally, you may also find me putting some years of lessons to use and playing around on a piano. My favorite time of year is anytime the Vols are playing, but especially football and baseball season! As a loyal Tennessee fan, I’m proud to say that despite spending three very fun years at Ole Miss, I have never once done the Hotty Toddy chant.

My journey to the law looks a little different than most. If you had asked me if I could see myself as a lawyer at any point in my life before my senior year of college, I would have said absolutely not.

I graduated from high school in 2019 and couldn’t bring myself to go far from home, so I chose to stay in West Tennessee and attend the University of Tennessee at Martin where I made many wonderful friends and memories, both in my sorority and around campus. While at Martin, I double majored in Accounting and Finance and planned to take the CPA exam. During my undergraduate summers, I had the opportunity to work for my hometown bank, gaining financial literacy and experience. However, during my senior year of college, I met with my favorite professor and shared that I wasn’t sure if accounting was the path for me. She encouraged me to consider law school, and the rest is history! I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Tennessee at Martin in May of 2023 with my Bachelors of Science in Accounting and Finance. Following graduation, I again wanted to stay near my family and friends, so I attended Ole Miss for law school!

Throughout my time in law school, I was involved in the Federalist Society, the Republican National Lawyers Association, the Pro Bono Initiative, the Christian Legal Society, and several other organizations. I also enjoyed spending time with friends on the Square, Saturdays in the Grove, and most of all, reminding Ole Miss fans that I was right about Lane Kiffin all along!

While I cherished my time in Mississippi and the wonderful friends and memories I made in Oxford, I couldn’t wait to be back in Tennessee. Going into law school, I knew that I wanted to pursue estate and tax planning, so when I got the chance to do what I loved in the place that I loved, I jumped at the opportunity. I had the joy of clerking at Crow the summer before my 3L year, and enjoyed every second! Being surrounded by such a compassionate and dedicated work family solidified my passion for estate planning and my desire to practice in this area.

I graduated Cum Laude from Ole Miss Law in May of 2026 and am beyond thrilled for the opportunity to join Crow full-time. I look forward to meeting and serving you and your family very soon!