Memphis attorney Donnie McFerren, 55, died on Oct. 23 after a long illness. Mr. McFerren practiced in the Public Defender’s Office for a number of years, then practiced in both the civil and criminal areas. Visitation will be held tomorrow from 4-6 p.m. at the N.J. Ford & Sons Funeral Home, 12 S. Parkway West. The memorial service will be held on Saturday at 2 p.m. Donations are being accepted to help defray the funeral expenses. Contact Carolyn Watkins at (901) 494-2965 or (901) 222-1104 or Viola Johnson at (901) 355-3269 to donate.

Longtime Knoxville attorney John B. Rayson died yesterday at the age of 79. Mr. Rayson graduated from The University of Tennessee College of Law in 1958, where he was a member of The Tennessee Law Review. He joined the firm Kramer Rayson in 1959 and focused his practice primarily in the area of employment and labor law. For many years he served as vice-chancellor (legal counsel) for the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee. He was a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, served as president of the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society and was a past president of Legal Aid of East Tennessee. A memorial service will be held on Monday at 4 p.m. at The Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 800 Northshore Dr. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Episcopal Church of the Ascension or Legal Aid of East Tennessee.

Retired Memphis attorney Joe A. Dycus, 70, died on Oct. 15 at his home after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Born in Dyersburg, he graduated from Central High School, received his bachelors degree from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) and his law degree from Memphis State University. He began the private practice of law before joining the federal public defender’s office. For 28 years, Mr. Dycus was with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, retiring as chief of the Civil Division in 2006. An Eagle Scout at age 14, he spent many years working as an adult Scouter with Boy Scout Troop 13.  Memorial services were held Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to Trinity United Methodist Church or Memphis Theological Seminary.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Oct. 22 at First Centenary United Methodist Church in Chattanooga for Paul Campbell Jr., who died last Friday. Visitation will begin at 1:30 in the church. A funeral service was held on Monday for the longtime Chattanooga lawyer. Memorials may be made to any charity, but the family notes its collective appreciation for hospice services as well as their parents' attachment to the church. Read Mr. Campbell's obituary in the Times Free Press

Lawyer Paul Campbell Jr. died this morning in Chattanooga. He was 96. A graduate of George Washington University Law School, Campbell was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1940 and joined his father in law practice at the firm the elder Mr. Campbell founded in 1908, which continues today as Campbell & Campbell. Campbell was a special agent for the FBI and also served in the United States Navy Reserve. He was the father of former Tennessee Bar Association President Paul Campbell III. Arrangements are not available at this time.

Nashville attorney Mark Ellmore died Friday (Sept. 21) at the age of 54. A native of Covington, Ind., Mr. Ellmore had operated his own law practice in Nashville for more than 25 years. He was a graduate of David Lipscomb University and Pepperdine University School of Law. A memorial service will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. Click here to read the full obituary.

Nashville lawyer Robert Peck Ziegler died Monday (Sept. 17) at the age of 77. Following graduation from Vanderbilt University Law School, he was associated with the law firm of Loewenstein Ziegler & Buffaloe. Visitation will be held Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Belmont United Methodist Church, 2007 Acklen Ave. A funeral service will follow. A private burial will take place later in the day at Elmwood Cemetery in Springfield. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be given to the Belmont United Methodist Church Benevolent Fund or the Nashville Humane Society. The Tennessean has more on the arrangements.

Retired judge Lapsley Walker Hamblen Jr., 85, died Sept. 10 at his home in Virginia. Originally from Chattanooga, Hamblen graduated from the McCallie School but moved to Virginia to attend the University of Virginia and the its law school. He went on to serve as a law clerk to U.S. Tax Court Judge Craig Atkins, regional counsel for the IRS office in Atlanta, deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and partner in the Lynchburg law firm of Caskie, Frost, Hobbs and Hamblen. In 1982, he was appointed to the U.S. Tax Court and in 1992, was elected chief judge. He served in that role until he took senior status in 1996. Hamblen retired from the court in 1999. A memorial service will be held Oct. 11 in Washington, D.C. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the McCallie School c/o The Hamblen Fund, 500 Dodds Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37404 or the University of Virginia Law School Foundation, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Read more about his life in the Chattanoogan.

Former Lewisburg city attorney and judge Robert O. "Bob" Binkley died Sept.9 at his home in Lewisburg. He was 80. The Marshall County Tribune detailed many of his accomplishments and contributions to the city in an article last week. "It is impossible to overstate the impact he had ... over 30 years, especially in the area of industrial development," former Mayor Bob Phillips told the newspaper. Other civic leaders added their praises for the Nashville native, who graduated from Vanderbilt University and the YMCA (Nashville) Law School before moving to Lewisburg to practice law. In the years since, Mr. Binkley served for over 20 years as attorney for the City of Lewisburg and City Attorney for the Town of Chapel Hill and Town of Cornersville. He also served as counsel of the Marshall County Industrial Development Board and president of the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce. Funeral services were Sept. 13.

Alyne Queener Armistead Massey of Nashville died Tuesday (Sept. 11). Originally from Columbia, Massey graduated from Vanderbilt University, and worked as a reporter with the Nashville Banner and as director of the Women’s Division of Commerce Union Bank. She later became a visible community leader and generous philanthropist, founding the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Massey’s husband Jack established the Alyne Queener Massey Library at Vanderbilt University Law School in her honor. A memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the law school or Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of Art. Read more about her life in the Williamson Herald