Memphis lawyer Marvin A. Bienvenu Jr. died yesterday, the Memphis Bar Association reported today. Before he retired, Bienvenu was a partner at Gatti, Keltner, Bienvenu & Montesi PLC. Visitation will be held Monday at 9:30 a.m. CST at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 8151 Chimneyrock Blvd. The funeral will begin at 10:30 a.m.

A memorial service for Andrew C. “Andy” Branham will take place Saturday at 11 a.m. CST at The Church of The River, 292 Virginia Ave W., Memphis 38103. Branham died Nov. 3 at the age of 69. A graduate of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, he enjoyed a long tenure at International Paper before developing the Memphis office for Counsel on Call. Most notable, however, were the countless hours of service he gave both as an attorney and as a pillar of the recovery community. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to MidSouth Sober Living — which Branham founded —at 1950 Madison Ave., Memphis, TN 38104. Read the full obituary in the Tennessean.

Lawrenceburg lawyer James G. "Jim" White II died Nov. 1 at the age of 77. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, White spent nearly 30 years as an assistant district attorney general. He also served as president of the Lawrence County Bar Association. During his naval career, White served in Vietnam and commanded seven naval reserve units in Alabama and Louisiana. He was a longtime supporter of the Boy Scouts and once served as vice-president of the Middle Tennessee Council of Boy Scouts and as an active fundraiser. A celebration of life was held yesterday. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to Middle Tennessee Council of Boy Scouts, 3414 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37215 or the Children’s Ministry at First United Methodist Church, 212 Waterloo St., Lawrenceburg, TN 38464.

Memphis lawyer and access to justice champion Andrew C. “Andy” Branham died yesterday. He was serving as executive director of the legal placement firm Legility and as president of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program. In an email to members of the TBA Access to Justice Committee, Chair Ann Jarvis Pruitt wrote that “Andy always made time to share his wisdom — often using humor and a warm smile to make an important point.” Pruitt also announced that the access to justice community will be making plans to celebrate and honor Branham. Those with special remembrances can send details to Pruitt at annjarvispruitt@gmail.com. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. The family announced today that memorial donations may be made to MidSouth Sober Living.

Memphis lawyer and retired naval officer Captain James “Jim” P. Googe, Jr. died on Aug. 3. Googe was a 1957 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and later left the Navy to attend the University of Georgia Law School. He practiced for two years in Savannah before returning to the Navy as a judge advocate, serving as military judge and deputy director of law centers in Jacksonville, Florida, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He later served as staff judge advocate to the Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Force Pacific, as chief counsel to the Naval Inspector General in D.C. and as Commanding Officer, Naval Legal Service Office, Memphis. Among his decorations are the Legion of Merit and two Meritorious Service Medals. He retired from the Navy and later returned to Memphis in 1985 to join First Tennessee Bank as senior vice president, where he served for 31 years. Memorials may be directed to Emmanuel United Methodist Church or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Kingsport attorney John Bingham died on Oct. 16. He was 70. Bingham earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and began his legal career as an associate with Frank Slaughter’s law firm in Bristol. Bingham served four years as an assistant district attorney in Sullivan County before joining Hawkins, Moody, Bingham & Miller in 1994. He spent his last 28 years with the firm, focusing his practice on accident, personal injury, and medical malpractice cases. Donations in Bingham’s memory can be made to Humphreys County Center for Higher Education, 695 Holly Lane, Waverly, TN 37185.

Funeral arrangements have now been announced for the late Rep. Barbara Cooper. Visitation will be held 4-7 p.m. on Nov. 4 at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 1169 Kerr Ave., Memphis 38106. Funeral services will be held Nov. 5 at 12:30 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Cathedral, 1695 Central Ave., Memphis 38104. Burial will follow at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery, 4000 Forest Hill Irene Rd, Memphis 38125. A meal will then be served at the Southbrook Town Center, East Shelby Dr., Memphis 38116. All times central. Read more about Cooper’s career.

Longtime Lewisburg attorney Walter Woods Bussart died peacefully on Tuesday. He was 80. Upon graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1966, Bussart clerked for Justice Thomas Dyer of the Tennessee Supreme Court. He later founded the Bussart Law Firm in Lewisburg. During his distinguished career, Bussart partnered in law practice with notable lawyers, including Fred Thompson, Barbara Medley, and his daughter, Judge Lee Bussart. He was a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, speaker of the House of Delegates for the TBA and was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, serving in the 90th General Assembly. He was chosen as the Marshall County General Sessions Judge in 1972 and later appointed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals in 1997. Bussart was featured in an episode of the TBA YLD Presents: War Stories podcast in 2020, when he discussed some of his top cases and his 1994 gubernatorial primary run. Visitation will be held tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT at Bills-McGaugh Hamilton Funeral Home in Lewisburg. Funeral services will begin at 2 p.m. with interment at Round Hill Cemetery in Belfast.

Tennessee Rep. Barbara Cooper, D-Memphis, the oldest serving legislator in state history, died Tuesday at the age of 93. She served in the legislator for more than 25 years, the Commercial Appeal reports. Cooper was first elected in 1996 to District 86. During her tenure, she served on the Health and Safety Committee and the Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee. Cooper earned a bachelor's and master's degree from Tennessee State University and a doctorate degree in religious philosophy and Christian psychology from the Jackson Theological Seminary. Tributes from colleagues include remarks from House Minority Leader Karen Camper, who said Cooper “was a warrior for her community and the City of Memphis, a tireless advocate on education and equality issues and just a delightful person.” Funeral information has not yet been announced.

Former Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter died suddenly of a “cardiac event” at age 68. He served as secretary of defense under former President Barack Obama from February 2015 to January 2017. His family said in a statement, "As secretary, he launched the successful campaign to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria, opened all combat positions to women, and forged new connections between the Department of Defense and the nation’s technology community." Read more from ABC News.