Nashville attorney Mandi Preston Parl died March 4, The Tennessean reports. She was 33. After graduating from the University of Maryland, Parl went on to earn a law degree from the University of Memphis. Funeral details have not been released at this time, but will be posted online. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to CampJudaea or ThistleFarms.

Former General Sessions Court Judge Mattie Joyce Mills Ward-Spradlin died Wednesday at 73 after a lengthy illness, the Citizen Tribune reports. Ward was first appointed as a General Sessions judge in 1978 to fill out an unexpired term and was the first woman to hold a general sessions judgeship in Hamblen County. She was instrumental in the creation of the county’s Recovery Drug Court program and remained in the position until her retirement. “Morristown is a better place because of Joyce,” said Third Circuit Criminal Court Judge John Dugger.

Funeral services for retired Shelby County Judge Ann Pugh will take place next week at Bellevue Baptist Church, 2000 Appling Rd. in Cordova, TN 38018. Visitation will be March 5 from 1 to 2 p.m., with a memorial service to follow. The family requests all judges to wear their robes and arrive at 1:45 p.m. for procession.

Retired Shelby County Judge Ann Pugh, one of the area’s first female judges, died Tuesday. She was 70, The Commercial Appeal reports. An Arkansas native, Pugh was a teacher before attending law school. After serving on the City Court, Pugh served four terms on the General Sessions Criminal Court bench. She also led a specialized court handling domestic violence cases. Pugh retired in 2010 after 32 years. “She cared very deeply about the system and the courtroom, the victims that appeared before her and the defendants charged with the crimes,” said Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich.

Harper Lee, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “To Kill a Mockingbird”, died today (Feb. 19) at the age of 89. Attorneys since 1960 have been inspired by Atticus Finch, a noble lawyer who unsuccessfully defended a black man in the South wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Reuters reports Lee lived privately following her book’s success and spent her final years in Monroeville, Alabama.

Attorney Peyton Thomas Hairston Jr. died Feb. 13, according to the Knoxville Bar Association. Hairston, who earned his law degree from Wake Forest University, began working for the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1993. A memorial service will be held Friday at noon at St. John's Lutheran Church, 544 N Broadway, Knoxville. A memorial service will follow at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Jimmy V Foundation in memory of Peyton.

Marion County attorney and former state representative Howard G. Swafford died yesterday (Feb. 4). He was 96. Swafford attended law school at the University of Tennessee College of Law after serving in World War II.  A Republican, he was elected to the state legislature in 1972, practiced law and won his last jury trial at age 92. He is survived by fellow lawyers, his wife Claude Galbreath Swafford; a son, Howard Graham Swafford Jr. of Jasper; a daughter, retired Magistrate Claudia Swafford Haltom and son-in-law, former Tennessee Bar Association President William Haltom, of Memphis. Visitation is Feb. 7 at 1 p.m., at the First Baptist Church of Jasper. The funeral will follow at 3 p.m. The family requests no flowers, but contributions may be made in Swafford’s honor to the First Baptist Church of Jasper, the Family Life Center Fund at McKendree Methodist Church of Jasper, and A Step Ahead Foundation of Memphis or Chattanooga. Read more about his life.

Nashville attorney John Bradbury Reed died Tuesday (Feb. 2) after a 25-year battle with cancer, the Nashville Post reports. He was 76. Reed graduated from Vanderbilt Law School and joined the school's faculty from 1964-1972. He practiced with Bass, Berry & Sims for more than 50 years and went on to finish his career with Riley Warnock & Jacobson. Reed was also very involved in the Nashville community and was honored with the Junior League of Nashville’s Community Service Award in 2003. A brief visitation and a funeral liturgy will be held at Christ Church Cathedral at 900 Broadway, Nashville, on Feb. 7. Visitation with family members will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the liturgy at 2:30 p.m.

Nashville attorney and politician John Jay Hooker died Sunday morning. He was 85. Hooker, previously a partner at the firm of Hooker, Hooker and Willis, ran for various political offices in Tennessee, including governor. After being diagnosed with stage four melanoma in January 2015, Hooker began urging Tennessee lawmakers to adopt “death with dignity” legislation. “John Jay Hooker Jr.’s remarkable personality spread a bright light across Tennessee government and politics for a half century,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. “He had friends everywhere.” Funeral announcements have not been announced yet. Read more from The Tennessean.

Longtime Chattanooga lawyer John M. Higgason Jr. died Thursday (Jan. 21) after a 35-year struggle with kidney disease. He was 66. After practicing for many years, Higgason closed his law practice in 2009 to become a full-time mediator focused on alternative dispute resolution with Arbitration and Mediation Services Inc. He also served as city judge for Lookout Mountain for several years. Visitation will be held Monday from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Lookout Mountain. A memorial service will follow. Words of comfort for the family can be shared online. Read more from The Chattanoogan.