Selma Cash Paty, one of Chattanooga’s first female attorneys, died Sunday (May 1) at the age of 89. After receiving her law degree at the Cumberland School of Law, she practiced for almost 70 years. She served as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association and on the board of directors for the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. "No woman in her right mind would want to be a lawyer in 1947," Paty said in a 1990 interview with the Tennessee Bar Journal. "It wasn't a profession that a woman would consider." In the interview she recalled what it was like in law school at that time and when she began practice, such as that when firms were interviewing, "Can you type?" was often the first question. Read more from The Chattanoogan. 

Attorney Andrew ‘Andy’ Clark Rambo, founder and senior partner at Rambo, Trott and Burris in Shelbyville, died Monday (April 25). He was 68, The Tennessean reports. Rambo, a graduate of Memphis State Law School, was chairman of the board of First Community Bank and board member of First Community Mortgage. He served as Shelbyville mayor from 1979-1983, and was city attorney from 1983-1989. A memorial service is planned for Sunday, 3 p.m., at the Blue Ribbon Circle in Shelbyville. The family will receive visitors prior to the memorial beginning at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Geographic Society. 

Former lawmaker and Murfreesboro attorney W. Kent Coleman died today (April 28). He was 61, the Daily News Journal reports. A graduate of Nashville School of Law, Coleman practiced mostly family law in Rutherford County for more than 30 years. He served the 49th district in the General Assembly from 2002 to 2010. He also served on the Tennessee Judicial Council from 2007-2010. A visitation is planned for tomorrow, 4-8 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church, 210 North Spring St. in Murfreesboro. A memorial service will be held Saturday at the church at 3 p.m. 

The Rev. Samuel “Billy” Kyles, who witnessed the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from the balcony of the Lorraine Motel and spent much of his life as a civil and human rights activist, died Tuesday after a long illness. He was 81, The Commercial Appeal reports. Rev. Kyles believed he was called to recount the events of that day and did so many times, all around the world. His appearances included several before TBA Leadership Law classes.

Former Franklin District Attorney William Donnell "Don" Young Jr. died Saturday (April 16) at the age of 81. Young graduated from the YMCA School of Law, now the the Nashville School of Law, and went on to practice law for more than 40 years in Franklin. A visitation will be held tomorrow, noon - 8 p.m. at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home, 3009 Columbia Ave. in Franklin.  A funeral is planned for Wednesday, 11 a.m. at Franklin United Methodist Church, 143 Fifth Ave.

Elizabeth Jane “Punky” Smith of Brentwood died March 21. She was 65. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Smith practiced law in Nashville for 37 years. Along with Michael Bates and Teresa Beard, she founded Realty Title Inc. in 1986 and was a principal until the business was sold in 2000. She retired from First Title and Escrow Inc. of Nashville in 2014. A visitation will be held April 30, 1 p.m., at Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville. A memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. The obituary includes information on where memorial gifts may be sent.  

Jeff Carr, a senior leader at Vanderbilt University for more than 30 years, died Sunday (April 10) at his home in Dickson County, The Tennessean reports. He was 75. Carr first came to the school in 1953 to attend law school. He served as general counsel, university secretary, vice chancellor for university relations and trusted adviser to multiple chancellors. “The property that Jeff had was the ability to communicate with a group very effectively, with minimum words but with maximum thought and effect,” said Chancellor Emeritus Joe B. Wyatt. 

U.S. Circuit Judge H. Ted Milburn of Signal Mountain died on April 1. After graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1959, Milburn practiced law in Chattanooga and became a partner at Bishop, Thomas, Leitner, Mann and Milburn. He was appointed by Gov. Winfield Dunn to be a judge in Tennessee Circuit Court, Division III, Hamilton County in 1973 and won re-election to the position for two more terms. Milburn was later appointed in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan as the U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee sitting in Chattanooga; the next year, Reagan appointed him to a newly created seat as a U.S. Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He served on the court until 1996 when he took Senior Status. Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers can be sent to Grace Episcopal Church, 20 Belvior Ave, Chattanooga, TN, 37411. Condolences may be posted online or shared with the family via e-mail. 

The Pro Bono Institute announced its founder, Esther F. Lardent, has died. Lardent established the PBI in 1996 as a nonprofit organization to administer the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®, a peer-to-peer effort she launched to increase the amount of pro bono services to individuals of limited means and organizations serving them. There are now 137 law firm signatories to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® and 145 law department signatories to the initiative.

Knoxville attorney James (Jim) Thomas Shea IV died Wednesday (March 30) at the age of 58. Shea, a graduate of Vermont Law School, was licensed in Tennessee in 1983. The family will receive friends from 4-6 p.m. Sunday at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel, 6200 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Condolences may be posted online.