Memphis attorney Ralph Hold died Sunday (Feb. 24) at the age of 91. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was a practicing attorney in Memphis for over 40 years. Funeral services were held Tuesday. The family requests any memorials be sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Holt was a member of the Tennessee and Memphis Bar Associations. The family requests that any memorials be sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Knoxville attorney Geoffrey D. Kressin died Monday (Feb. 25) at the age of 65. Born in Oklahoma, Kressin received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and law degree from the University of Tennessee. He practiced in Knoxville with the Luedeka Neely Group, P.C and was an associate professor at the University of Tennessee from 1974 to 1988. Kressin’s practice emphasized patent, trade secret, trademark and copyright litigation. He was a member of the American, Tennessee and Knoxville Bar Associations. Funeral services will be held March 11 at 3 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 800 Northshore Dr., Knoxville. Receiving of friends will immediately follow the service in the church fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to “Dr. Joe,” Kressin’s oncologist or memorial donations to Johns Hopskins University.

Memphis lawyer Clinton Ray Pearson, 96, died Monday (Feb. 18). A native of Mississippi, Pearson came to Memphis to attend the University of Memphis School of Law. He was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1941 and became a certified public accountant in 1947. His career included serving as managing partner of Touche Ross & Co., financial consultant at the National Bank of Commerce Trust & Asset Management and in private law practice from 2005 to 2012. A memorial service will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at the Second Presbyterian Church Chapel in Memphis. Visitation will follow. The family requests that any memorials be made to the Salvation Army or a charity of the donor’s choice. Learn more about Pearson’s life in this obituary in the Commercial Appeal.

Funeral arrangements have been announced for former Criminal Court Judge W. Otis Higgs, who died last week at the age of 75. Visitation will be held on Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church,  70 North Bellevue Blvd., Memphis. The funeral service will follow.

Martin Ernest Simmons died Feb. 12 at the age of 73 after a long battle with cancer. A Mississippi native, Simmons earned a bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University where he held leadership roles in a number of student organizations, including ROTC. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia and served two years in the military before joining the legal department of Life & Casualty Insurance Company in Nashville. Simmons later was a founding partner of the Dearborn & Ewing law firm and helped form the Nashville office of Frost Brown Todd LLC in 2001. Visitation was held Saturday, with funeral services following. The family has asked that memorials be made to Nashville Symphony Association, Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Ingram Cancer Center, St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Franklin or Alive Hospice.

Former Nashville lawyer Bill Steltemeier died Friday (Feb. 15) at his home in Hanceville, Ala., after a long illness. He was 83. Steltemeier graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School and was co-founder of the firm Steltemeier & Westbrook, which specialized in bankruptcy and commercial law and still serves clients today. For more than 30 years, Steltemeier also worked to rehabilitate prisoners, co-founding a prison Junior Chamber of Commerce program, serving on the boards of several charities, and serving on a state board reviewing prison reform. After being ordained as a deacon, Steltemeier also served as the Catholic chaplain at the Tennessee State Prison for Men. He most recently was serving as chairman of the board of Eternal Word Television Network. A funeral mass will be held tomorrow at 9 a.m. at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville. Burial will take place at 2:30 p.m. at Calvary Cemetery in Nashville, the Tennessean reports.

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge W. Otis Higgs died suddenly Friday (Feb. 15) after hearing motions in court that morning. He was 75. Higgs has been called a “trailblazing, brave civil rights leader” and an accomplished judges. His experience includes representing workers involved in the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike; serving as Shelby County’s first and only black sheriff; and managing a lawsuit that overturned runoff rules that ultimately led to election of the city's first black mayor. He served as criminal court judge from 1970 to 1975 and again from 1998 to the present. Higgs also spent many years in private practice, working with Walter Bailey and D'Army Bailey at the Bailey Higgs Bailey firm. A graduate of the University of Memphis School of Law, Higgs also was an ordained minister, most recently serving at St. James CME and Second Congregational United Church of Christ. Funeral arrangements are pending. The Commercial Appeal and Memphis Daily News have more on his life.

Judge Phil B. Harris died yesterday (Feb. 13) at the age of 94. He was a graduate of the University of Tennessee and received his J.D.  from the University of Virginia. During law school, Harris left to serve in the military during World War II, was honorably discharged, then returned to finish his degree. He was elected as Circuit Court Judge for the 14th Judicial District, presiding until his retirement in 1990. Judge Harris also served specially on the Worker's Compensation Panel of the Supreme Court. Visitation will be Friday 5-8 p.m., with  funeral service set for Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian in Greenfield. The family requests any donations should go to charity.

Frank Slaughter Sr. died Feb. 12 at the age of 78. A prominent criminal defense attorney in Bristol, Slaughter was a graduate of Tennessee High School, Stetson University School of Business, and the University of Tennessee College of Law. He was appointed to the bench in the mid-1990s and served briefly as a criminal court judge. Slaughter was a member of the American Judicature Society, American Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, and Bristol Tennessee Bar Association. The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Akard Funeral Home Chapel. A private burial will be in Campground Cemetery with military rites conducted by the Bristol VFW Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to the charity of your choice.

Memphis lawyer Sam L. Crain Jr. died this past Saturday (Feb. 9) after a long battle with cancer. He was 61. Cain earned his law degree from the University of Memphis in 1983 and had served as an adjunct professor there since 1999. He joined the law firm of Burch, Porter & Johnson in 1984 and was named a member in 1991. He focused his practice primarily on products liability and personal injury defense as well as a range of transportation and employment law. Visitation will take place Tuesday at Canale Funeral Home from 5-7 p.m. A funeral mass will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 190 Adams Ave., Memphis 38103. A reception will follow at the offices of Burch, Porter & Johnson, 130 North Court Ave. The family asks that memorials be sent to Overton Park Conservancy or M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The Memphis Bar Association reported the news.