Memphis lawyer Louis F. Allen died Nov. 14, 2022, 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. Allen 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. Memorial donations may be made to Christ Church Memphis, 4488 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38117 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Memphis lawyer Stephen H. Biller died on Nov. 27, 2022. 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 then 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, 618 Church St., Ste. 120, Nashville, TN 37219; the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County, 935 Farm Rd., Memphis, TN 38134; or Temple Israel, 1376 East Massey Rd., Memphis, TN 38120.

Memphis lawyer Marvin A. Bienvenu Jr. died Nov. 10, 2022, at the age of 71. A 1977 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Law, Bienvenu was a founding partner of Gatti, Keltner, Bienvenu & Montesi and served with the firm throughout his career until retiring in 2014. Memorial donations may be made to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 4550 Montgomery Ave., Suite 1100 N, Bethesda, MD 20814 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Kingsport attorney John Bingham died on Oct. 16, 2022. 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.

Memphis lawyer and access to justice champion Andrew C. “Andy” Branham died Nov. 3, 2022, at the age of 69. He was serving as executive director of the legal placement firm Legility and as president of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program at the time of his passing. A graduate of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Branham 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. Memorial donations may be made to MidSouth Sober Living — which Branham founded — at 1950 Madison Ave., Memphis, TN 38104.

Longtime Lewisburg attorney Walter Woods Bussart died peacefully on Oct. 25, 2022. 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. Memorial donations may be made to the Marshall County Recovery Court Foundation, P.O. Box 1191, Lewisburg, TN  37091; St. John’s Catholic Church, 1061 S. Ellington Pkwy., Lewisburg, TN 37091; or the University of Tennessee Alumni Association via the University of Tennessee Foundation, 1525 University Ave., Knoxville, TN 37921.

Belmont University College of Law first-year student Laurel Anne Flaherty died Oct. 12, 2022, as a result of a motor vehicle accident after a line of severe storms swept through Middle Tennessee. She was 22. Flaherty moved to Nashville from Pembroke, Mass., to attend Belmont. She earned a BSW from the university in 2022 before enrolling in the law school. According to her obituary, Flaherty was passionate about improving the lives of others and gave tirelessly to many organizations, as well as being an avid equestrian and animal lover. Donations may be made to International Justice Mission, P.O. Box 96961, Washington, D.C., 20090-6961 or to Saddle Up Nashville, 1549 Old Hillsboro Rd., Franklin, TN 37069-9136.

Memphis lawyer and retired naval officer Captain James “Jim” P. Googe Jr. died on Aug. 3, 2022. 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, Fla., and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He later served as staff judge advocate to the commander of the Cruiser Destroyer Force Pacific, as chief counsel to the Naval Inspector General in Washington, D.C., and as commanding officer of the Naval Legal Service Office in Memphis. Googe retired from the Navy and returned to Memphis in 1985 to join First Tennessee Bank as senior vice president, where he served for 31 years. Memorials may be sent to Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 2404 Kirby Rd., Memphis, TN 38119, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Tennessee attorney Luther H. Icenhour died Sept. 28, 2022. 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. Memorial donations may be made to St. Luke United Methodist Church, 105 North St., Bristol  VA  24201, or to a local animal shelter of the donor’s choice.

Lawrenceburg lawyer James G. “Jim” White II died Nov. 1, 2022, 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. Contributions may be made 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.

James Edward Wise, 90, of Memphis died on Nov. 4, 2022. A 1956 graduate of the Vanderbilt University Law School, Wise joined the U.S. Navy after law school. Following his military service, he 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. Wise retired in 2016, though he continued to mentor and share his expertise with those who entered the field.

Memphis lawyer Edward “Eddie” R. Young died at his home Oct. 16. 2022, after a long illness. He was 81 years old. A 1966 graduate of the Vanderbilt University Law School, he began his career with Newell Fowler, who was known as one of the first labor relations attorneys in the nation. Over a more than 50-year legal career, Young built a nationwide practice devoted to the representation of management in all aspects of labor relations and employment law. He co-founded the firm of Young & Perl PLC and served as a shareholder in the Memphis office of Baker Donelson. He also served both the Memphis mayor and Shelby County mayor as a special attorney dealing with fire department, police and sheriff’s department, and hospital authority issues. He also taught labor legislation at the University of Memphis. Memorial donations may be made to the Memphis Jewish Federation, 6560 Poplar Ave., Germantown, TN 38138; Anshei Sphard Beth El Emeth Synagogue, P.O. Box 772597, Memphis, TN 38177-2597; or Temple Israel, 1376 East Massey Rd., Memphis, TN 38120. |||