Chattanooga attorney Thomas Swain Kale died Dec. 20 after a battle with cancer. He was 83. Kale earned his law degree from Duke University Law School before moving to Chattanooga and joining the law firm of Spears, Moore, Rebman & Williams. Kale spent his 53-year legal career at the firm where he retired as senior partner. After retirement, Kale remained head of the firm’s Business Section and maintained an office there until his death. Kale was a member of the Tennessee, American and Chattanooga bar associations, the Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association and the Estate Planning Council of Chattanooga and was active on a number of boards in the community. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions in Kale’s honor may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Metropolitan Ministries or to any other charity of the donor's choosing.

Retired 22nd Judicial District Judge Jim Travis Hamilton of Columbia died on Sept. 18. He was 81. Hamilton earned his law degree from Memphis State University School of Law in 1966. When he was just 26, Hamilton was elected mayor of his hometown, Selmer, Tennessee, making him one of the youngest mayors in the United States. Hamilton was elected to the bench for the 22nd Judicial District Circuit Court in 1982 and served until 2015. He had for 15 years been an adjunct professor for the Criminal Justice Department at Cumberland University and sat on the University Board of Trustees. He was also an adjunct professor at Martin Methodist College in Pulaski.

Nashville lawyer Robert Lee Ballow died yesterday. He was 91. Ballow, an east Nashville native, graduated from the Nashville School of Law at the top of his class in 1963. He opened King & Ballow with Frank S. King in 1969, growing it into a national law firm that represented newspapers and other media companies in every state. Ballow was a member of the Media Law Reporter Advisory Board and was previously a guest lecturer for the American Press Institute and Vanderbilt University. He is past president of the Southern Circulation Managers Association and twice served as chair of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Executive Clinic. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

William Joseph “Joe” Aldridge Sr. of Memphis died Dec. 7 at the age of 67. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Aldridge practiced as a commercial real estate attorney in Mississippi and Tennessee. Most recently, he was a member at Apperson Crump. Aldridge also was active in the community serving as a board member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church of Memphis, the Ric Nuber YMCA and Christ Community Health Center. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christ Community Health Services of Memphis, 2595 Central Ave., Memphis, TN 38104.

Nashville lawyer Kenneth Roberts died on Dec. 2. He was 89. Roberts earned his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School in 1959 went on to teach and practice law for several years before pursuing politics and eventually launching his long and distinguished career in banking, business and leadership. He helped establish the Frist Art Museum in Nashville’s historic downtown post office and served as president of the museum’s Board of Trustees for more than 20 years. An article from the Tennessean credits Roberts with having championed women and people of color during his time as president of First American National Bank in the 1970s. A memorial celebration service is set for 1 p.m. CST on Dec. 10 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3900 West End Ave. A visitation will be held at the church immediately after the service. Donations in Roberts’ memory can be made to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Frist Art Museum or the Nashville Jazz Workshop.

Nashville lawyer Emmitt Clifton Knowles died Nov. 21 at the age of 71 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. A 1977 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Knowles began his legal career clerking for U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge George Edwards. He later joined and was named a partner at Bass, Berry & Sims. He completed his career as a federal magistrate judge for the U.S. Middle District of Tennessee, serving from 2000 to 2016. Knowles was a past president of the Nashville Bar Foundation and chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Litigation Section. He taught for many years as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School and volunteered with the University School of Nashville Mock Trial Team. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorial gifts may be given to the Legal Aid Society, 1321 Murfreesboro Pike, Ste. 400, Nashville TN 37217 or Tennessee Justice Center, 211 7th Ave. N., Nashville TN 37219.

Memphis lawyer Stephen H. Biller died on Nov. 27 and was laid to rest today at Temple Israel Cemetery. A graduate of Boston University School of Law, Biller was recruited by the National Labor Relations Board in Memphis and joined the practice of Goodman Glazer as a litigation attorney. He then joined what is now known as Baker Donelson as a partner practicing in civil litigation and labor and employment law. Biller later practiced at the Bogatin Law Firm and later the Biller Law Firm. He served as commissioner of the Memphis Civil Service Commission, as trustee and chairman of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and as a fellow on the American Bar Foundation. Contributions can be made in Biller’s memory  to the Tennessee Bar Foundation, the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County or Temple Israel in his memory.

Memphis lawyer Louis F. Allen died Monday at the age of 85. A 1964 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law, Allen primarily practiced as a trial lawyer and achieved partner status at both Waring Cox and Glankler Brown. He retired in 2017 after 53 years of service. He also served in the Judge Advocate General Corp of the Air Force Reserves. He was a fellow of the American College Trial Lawyers, Tennessee Bar Foundation and Memphis Bar Foundation. Visitation and funeral services were held today at Christ Church Memphis following a private burial. Memorial donations may be made to the church at 4488 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38117 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Tennessee attorney Luther H. Icenhour passed away on Sept. 28. He was 87. Icenhour graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and practiced law for 58 years. He is survived by his wife of 64 years and enjoyed traveling, boating, football and fishing. Icenhour was interred at Glenwood Cemetery in Virginia. Donations can still be made in Icenhour’s name to St. Lukes United Methodist Church in Bristol, Virginia, or to a local animal shelter of your choosing.

James Edward Wise, 90, of Memphis died on Nov. 4 and was remembered by family and friends in a memorial service at Temple Israel on Nov. 6. Wise was born and raised in Sumner, Mississippi. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1953 and from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1956, when he joined the U.S. Navy. Following his military service, Wise worked at a trial attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Tampa. In 1965, he returned to the mid-south to join the general practice law firm later known as Armstrong Allen. In 1996, Wise and several colleagues left Armstrong Allen to join others and form a regional labor and employment law firm known as Kiesewetter Wise Kaplan Schwimmer & Prather. He continued with Kiesewetter Wise until it became part of the international labor and employment practice of Littler Mendelson in 2012. He retired from the active practice of law in 2016, though he continued to mentor and share his expertise with those who entered the field.