Jackson lawyer Linda Morrison Butler, 73, died yesterday (Nov. 30). A graduate of the Nashville School of Law, she practiced law for more than 30 years, most recently serving as an assistant district attorney in the 24th Judicial District. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the North Chapel of George A. Smith and Sons, with burial to follow in Hollywood Cemetery. Visitation with the family will take place today from 5 to 7 p.m. and on Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Jackson Humane Society. The Jackson Sun has more on her life.

Knoxville lawyer Lewis Spilman Howard died Sunday (Nov. 29) in his sleep. A Knoxville native, Howard attended the University of Tennessee and graduated from the College of Law in 1953. Howard served in the U.S. Army JAG Corps from 1953 to 1956, then returned to Knoxville to practice law. He maintained an active business and trial practice for 62 years and mentored many young lawyers. A memorial service will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Berry Highland Memorial, 5316 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, 37919. Read more from the Knoxville Bar Association.

The funeral for former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson is set for Friday, 10 a.m. at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville. The service is open to the public. Read more from The Tennessean.

Former U.S. Senator and attorney Fred Thompson died on Sunday in Nashville after a reoccurrence of lymphona. He was 73. After working as an attorney in Tennessee and later as an attorney and lobbyist in Washington, D.C., Thompson won a special election in 1994 to fill Al Gore’s vacated U.S. Senate seat. “Very few people can light up the room the way Fred Thompson did. He used his magic as a lawyer, actor, Watergate counsel, and United States senator to become one of our country’s most principled and effective public servants,” Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said. Read more on Thompson’s life from The Tennessean.

Knoxville lawyer Brandt Wilson Davis died Saturday (Oct. 17) at the age of 80. Davis attended the University of Tennessee College of Law, graduating from the University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, later to return to Tennessee to practice law. A celebration of his life will be at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension on Friday (Oct. 23) at 3 p.m. The family will receive friends following the service in the fellowship hall. Read about his life in Knoxnews.com.

Retired Cookeville lawyer Donald Gerard Dickerson, 72, died Oct. 13. A native of Philadelphia, Dickerson earned his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School in 1968. After graduation, he relocated to Cookeville and launched a legal practice there that would span 43 years. He retired in 2011. Dickerson loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter, skeet shooter and golfer. A service celebrating his life will be held at a later date. The Herald Citizen has more.

Memphis lawyer Donald Wellford died Tuesday (Oct. 13). He was 92. A graduate of Tulane University Law School, Wellford served in the Navy during World War II and then moved to Memphis in 1948 to practice law. His career spanned 47 years. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at Idlewild Presbyterian Church. Visitation will start at 1 p.m., followed by a memorial service at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to Idlewild Presbyterian Church or to the Village Foundation at the Village of Germantown. The Commercial Appeal has more on his life.

Long-time Knoxville attorney Jonathan Burnett Sr. died Thursday (Sept. 10). He was 87. Prior to receiving his undergraduate and law school degrees from the University of Tennessee, Burnett entered the U.S. Navy at the age of 17. He became a partner in the firm of Hodges, Doughty and Carson in 1970 and practiced with the firm until his retirement in 2004. He was a member of the American Bar Association and a TBA Senior Counselor. A celebration of his life was to be held today at 5:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Knoxville, where Burnett was a lifelong member. Donations may be made in Burnett’s honor to First Baptist Church, 510 West Main St., Knoxville, 37902.

Oak Ridge attorney and altenate judge William Lawrence Tunnell died Sept. 5, The Oak Ridger reports. He was 94. Tunnell attended the University of Tennessee Knoxville for his undergraduate degree and for law school. He was a U.S. Army sergeant major during World War II and received the Republican Senatorial Medal of Freedom in 2004. Weatherford Mortuary in Oak Ridge is in charge of the arrangements.

Robert Etheridge “Jack” Irvin Jr. of Crossville died Aug. 18. He was 88. Irvin graduated from Vanderbilt Law School in 1969 and was a senior counselor member with the TBA. Memorial donations may be made to the Cumberland County Playhouse, 221 Tennessee Ave., Crossville, TN 38555, one of many places Irvin performed.