Former Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Sam E. Boaz died Feb. 8, the Leaf Chronicle reports. He was 95. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Boaz practiced law in Knoxville, then joined the legal department of Aluminum Co. of America. In 1944, he was appointed to the U.S. Foreign Service and served in the American embassy in London. He resigned from diplomatic service in 1946 and returned to Tennessee to practice law. He later moved to Clarksville to practice with then state Sen. Austin Peay. After Peay died, he founded Boaz and Beach with William O. Beach. From 1963 to 1967, Boaz represented Montgomery and Cheatham counties in the state House of Representatives. And for 16 years, he served as a judge on the Montgomery County Criminal Court. Services were held today in Clarksville. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Austin Peay State University Professors Scholarship of Excellence in the Arts; the Boaz Scholarship at Bethel University in McKenzie; or the charity of choice.

Memphis lawyer Kemper Durand, who died last Saturday, is remembered by friend and law partner Bill Haltom in this tribute out today. Among Durand's notable accomplishments was his pro bono work that secured freedom for an innocent man who had been in jail 22 years. Read that inspiring story in a 2002 Tennessee Bar Journal article. A crime victim himself, Durand once testified, Haltom writes, for one of his kidnappers to recieve the most lenient sentence possible because he felt the man was an unwilling accomplice. Details for a memorial service, set for next month, are incomplete.

William R. Barnes of Chattanooga died Feb. 1. After graduating from the Nashville YMCA Night Law School (now the Nashville School of Law), Barnes began a 37-year career with State Farm Insurance. Graveside services were held yesterday at Hamilton Memorial Gardens in Hixson. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Chattanooga, 4411 Oakwood Dr., Chattanooga, TN 37421, or American Cancer Society, 6221 Shallowford Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37416. Chattanoogan.com has more on his life.

Don W. Ownby, age 82 of Powell, died Feb. 3. Ownby was a University of Tennessee College of Law graduate and spent most of his career at the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the university. He retired in 1991. The family will receive friends Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cumberland Baptist Church, 5600 Western Ave., Knoxville, TN 37921. A memorial service will follow at 7:30 p.m. On Friday morning at 11:30 a.m., Ownby will be laid to rest with full military honors at East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Cumberland Baptist Church.

Brentwood lawyer Timothy C. Phillips, 51, died Jan. 30 after an extended illness. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Phillips spent a brief time in private practice and then joined the office of the State Attorney General. For 10 years he worked as a consumer advocate and senior counselor. A service was held today at 4:30 p.m. at Brentwood United Methodist Church in the suburbs of Nashville. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Center for Youth Ministry Training, c/o Brentwood United Methodist Church, 309 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN 37027. The Tennessean has more on his life.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney and long-time Memphis attorney Kemper Durand died unexpectedly Saturday (Feb. 2). A partner at Thomason Hendrix Harvey Johnson & Mitchell PLLC, Durand earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee and was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1964. In addition to his work in criminal defense and litigation, Durand was extensively involved in The Innocence Project, where his efforts led to the freeing of an individual who had served over 22 years in prison for a crime which he did not commit. Durand also was a founding member of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and was often called on by judges of the U.S. district court in Memphis and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to sit on court committees. Arrangements for memorial services are still pending. The Commercial Appeal has more on his life.

Memphis attorney Alex Migliara died Thursday (Jan. 31) at the age of 81. A graduate of the University of Memphis, he practiced law for over 50 years. Services were held this morning at St. Louis Catholic Church followed by burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. The family requests donations be directed to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Knoxville attorney A. Thomas Monceret died yesterday (Jan. 30) after a brief illness at the age of 66. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Monceret was a United States Marine Corps veteran who served in the Vietnam War. Visitation will be Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Greenhill Funeral Home, with the funeral to follow at 2 p.m. 

Wm. Reece Smith Jr., whose legal career was recounted in the book "A Consummate Lawyer", died Jan. 11 after a brief illness. He was 87. Smith was president of the American Bar Association from 1980-1981 and during that time established the ABA Center for Pro Bono. He also chaired the ABA's Committee on Legal Services for 12 years. During the 1980s, Smith opposed the Reagan Administration's efforts to defund the Legal Services Corporation and is credited with leading a lawyer "March on Washington" – an event that eventually led to the creation of ABA Day. Though he was born in Athens, Tenn., Smith attended the University of Florida College of Law and practiced in Tampa with the firm of Carlton Fields. Funeral services will be held Thursday at the Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the ABA Fund for Justice and Education, the Florida Bar Foundation, Bay Area Legal Services or the Hillsborough County Bar Foundation. Learn more about his life and the funeral arrangements from Carlton Fields.

Family and friends will remember retired Chattanooga lawyer Hal Fredric Sherman Clements at a memorial service Jan. 16 at 3 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 305 West 7th St., Chattanooga 37402. Visitation will precede the service beginning at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center, or St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Clements died Dec. 29 at the age of 73. After graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1965, Clements developed a practice representing management in labor and employment matters. In 1981, he co-founded the law firm of Clements, Ingham and Trumpeter, which merged with Miller & Martin in 1987. He spent the rest of his career at Miller & Martin, serving as chair of the labor and employment department. He retired from the firm in 2010. Read more about his life