Former Nashville Judge James Mayes Swiggart died Thursday (April 25). He was 91. Swiggart received his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from the University of Virginia. During World War II, he flew the F4U dive bomber for the United States Navy and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with one gold star and one silver star. After a career in private law practice, Judge Swiggart was appointed to Nashville's newly created Sixth Circuit Court where he served as judge for 23 years. During his career, he also served as president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference and led numerous civic organizations. Visitation will be held Friday at the Cheek House at Presbyterian Church on Franklin Road from noon to 1:45 p.m., followed by a service at Stanford Chapel at 2 p.m. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park. At the family's request, please make donations to Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, P.O. Box 307, Monteagle, TN 37356, Winfield Fund or Capital Fund.

John F. Sutton, former dean of the University of Texas Austin School of Law and drafter of the ABA’s Model Code of Professional Conduct, died Friday at age 95, the ABA Journal reports. A Texas native and 1941 graduate of the law school, Sutton served with the FBI as a special agent at the start of World War II and then served in Judge Advocate General’s Corps during the Korean War. From 1950-1957 he was in private practice and from 1957-2003 he served on the law school faculty at his alma mater, serving as dean from 1979-1984. From 1965-1970, Sutton was one of the original draftsmen of the ABA's Model Code of Professional Responsibility, which replaced the 1908 Canons of Ethics. Later, he consulted on the drafting of the association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Visitation and funeral services will be held Friday and Saturday in San Angelo. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made to the First Presbyterian Church of San Angelo, the San Angelo Area Foundation or a charity of one's choice.

Catherine Marie "Kaky" Joyce, 81, died April 10 at the Ave Maria Home in Bartlett. A graduate of St. Agnes Academy and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Joyce worked for more than 30 years in the Shelby County Chancery Court in various positions. Her favorite assignment was working with families going through the adoption process, according to her obituary. Funeral services were held April 13 at St. Louis Catholic Church. In lieu of customary remembrances, contributions may be made to St. Louis Catholic Church, 203 S. White Station Rd., Memphis, TN 38117; Monastery of St. Clare, 1310 Dellwood Ave. Memphis, TN 38127; Ave Maria Home, 2805 Charles Bryan Rd., Bartlett, TN 38134; or the organization of the donor's choice.

A memorial service for Memphis attorney Richard Fields, who died this past Saturday, will take place at noon on April 27 at the Church of the River, 292 Virginia Ave. W., Memphis 38103. The Memphis Bar Association reported the update.

Curtis “Wayne” Conner, administrator for the Shelby County Circuit Court Clerk, died April 11. He was 73 years old. A native of Oklahoma, Conner's funeral services and burial were held this past Saturday in Shawnee. The family requests that any memorials be made to the American Cancer Society. Condolences may be made at www.memphisfuneralhome.net. The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported the death and has more on his life.

Memphis attorney Richard B. Fields was killed Saturday after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the street in the city's Midtown area, The Commercial Appeal reports. A native of Modesto, Calif., Fields came to Memphis in 1969 with the “Teacher Corps,” a War on Poverty initiative that trained educators to teach in inner-city schools. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee and went on to serve in several high-profile civil rights cases in Memphis involving school desegregation and racial employment discrimination. In one profile, The Memphis Flyer calls Fields a “Socratic gadfly,” who angered fellow Democrats when he supported efforts to keep state Sen. Ophelia Ford from being seated amidst allegations of fraud in her election, and had a public falling out with former Mayor Willie Herenton, whose rise to power he had been instrumental in orchestrating. Funeral arrangements were not available at press time.

Nashvillian Patricia Jean Jordan died Wednesday at the age of 60. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Jordan grew up in Billings, Mont., and earned her law degree from the University of Denver College of Law. She returned to Montana to work in the attorney general’s office in Helena. In 1999, Jordan moved to Nashville, where she also earned a bachelor of fine arts from the Watkins College of Art, Design & Film. Services are Saturday at St. David's Episcopal Church in Nashville. Visitation is at 10 a.m. with a service following at 11 a.m. Memorials may be made to the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, Woodmont Blvd. Nashville, TN 37215; Friends of Warner Parks, 50 Vaughn Rd., Nashville, TN 37221; or the National Quilt Museum, 215 Jefferson St., Paducah, KY 42001.

Betty Fowlkes Boner died March 19 at the age of 64. She was a graduate of Nashville School of Law and worked for Shipley and Behm, Metro Legal and TennCare before retiring. Memorial services were held Tuesday at Westminister Presbyterian Church. Donations may be made to Nashville Children’s Alliance or Habitat for Humanity.

Memphis attorney Liza Shannon McClure, 66, died last Wednesday (March 20) at Germantown Methodist Hospital after a long illness. She received her law degree from the University of Memphis and practiced family law for many years in both private and public sectors. In recent years, McClure was a passionate advocate for animal rescue in general, and her beloved Italian Greyhounds in particular. She established a foundation for the safe housing of dogs, and mentored many others on how they could do the same. Services were held Monday. The family requests that memorials be made to The Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County, 935 Farm Rd., Memphis, TN 38134. Read more about her life in The Commercial Appeal.

Memphis attorney L. Wade Harrison Jr. died Monday. He was 74. Harrison earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from Memphis State University. Upon graduation, Harrison practiced with his father, Lawrence “Larry” Wade Harrison Sr., before opening his own practice a short time later. In 1991, his daughter Zoe joined him in the practice. Visitation will be held at 1:45 p.m. Sunday at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Collierville, with funeral services following immediately at 2:30 p.m. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Friends of Music Ministry at the Church of the Holy Apostles, the Senatobia Presbyterian Church, or Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.