Retired Judge Waymon Frederic “Fred” Axley of Bartlett died Friday. Axley served as a criminal court judge in the 30th Judicial District for 25 years before retiring in 2007. A veteran of the U.S. Army, Axley earned his law degree from the Southern Law University at Memphis. He worked briefly in corporate law before joining the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office as a felony prosecutor in 1972. Ten years later, he was sworn in as criminal court judge in Division VI. A memorial service will be held at Faith Baptist Church in Bartlett Wednesday at 11 a.m. CST, followed by a reception to share memories with family and friends. The family requests those wishing to honor Axley to consider contributions to a scholarship fund in his honor for a deserving student at the University of Memphis School of Law, Attn: Archie Shelton, 1 N. Front St. #270, Memphis, TN 38103 or Faith Baptist Church, 3755 N. Germantown Pkwy., Bartlett, TN 38133 for its benevolence or preschool ministry.

The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals is refusing a bid by former Pilot president Mark Hazelwood to remove U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier from his case, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. The decision comes two weeks after the same federal appellate court overturned the convictions of Hazelwood and two former staffers, ruling Collier had tainted the jury’s verdicts after he allowed them to hear secret recordings of a drunken Hazelwood spewing racism and misogyny at a Pilot meeting. In response to a motion from Hazelwood’s legal team to have Collier removed, the 6th Circuit issued an “amended” opinion, adding their support for Collier remaining as trial judge if federal prosecutors retry the case. Prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek to have the case heard by the full 6th circuit panel of judges.

Former Judge Wilfred “Wil” Vincent Doran of Fisherville passed away on Aug. 27 at age 88. Doran was born in Texas, a first generation American to Italian immigrants. After serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, he earned his law degree from the Southern Law University, or what is now known as the University of Memphis. Doran began his legal career in private practice and as a public defender, later joining the firm of Neely, Green and Fargarson. In 1968, he was appointed by Gov. Ellington as a general sessions judge and, after two years, was appointed to the Shelby County Chancery Court, sitting for 14 years. After leaving the bench, he served as an assistant district attorney general in the Grand Jury Section for five years. Upon retirement, he often sat as a designated or special judge throughout West Tennessee, including the Court of Appeals. He also served as vice president of the Tennessee Judge’s Conference. Doran was laid to rest at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery in Memphis.

Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Steve Dozier has overturned a murder charge against a Nashville man who has been serving a life sentence since 2006, the Tennessean reports. Joseph Webster was convicted of first-degree murder in the beating death of Leroy Owens in 1998. But, Dozier vacated that conviction today after Webster’s attorney, Daniel Horwitz, and the Davidson County District Attorney's Conviction Review Unit found new evidence that was not heard at trial. Much of the new evidence points away from Webster as a suspect, including eyewitness accounts of the assailant that do not match Webster’s description and newly-tested DNA evidence that excludes Webster as a contributor. Dozier ordered Webster’s conviction be vacated and that he be returned to the custody of the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. The DA’s office has already signaled their intent to immediately dismiss the charge against Webster, likely making any stay in DCSO custody short.

Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, has made plans to leave his role as partner at DLA Piper, Bloomberg Law reports. DLA Piper’s lobbying clients, which include major companies and foreign governments, reportedly created potential conflicts-of-interest for Emhoff, but a campaign spokeswoman confirmed he will “sever all ties” with the firm. Emhoff has been on a leave of absence from the firm since August when President-elect Joe Biden named Harris as his running mate. The spokeswoman declined to say whether Emhoff will resume his legal career after the Jan. 20 inauguration.

The Southeast Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women has named Chattanooga attorney and Municipal Judge Flossie Weill as its 2020 Lioness of the Bar, the Hamilton County Herald reports. According to the program from this year’s ceremony, the Lioness award honors a local woman attorney or judge for her “exemplary legal expertise, strong community involvement, dedication to SETLAW and furtherance of the careers of female attorneys.” Weill, who maintains her practice at Weill & Long while also serving as municipal judge of Lookout Mountain, has been involved with SETLAW since its inception and is known for her mentorship of female attorneys.

Gov. Bill Lee on Monday announced that he has appointed former House Speaker Pro Tem Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, to serve as senior advisor to Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn, the Nashville Post reports. Dunn, a prominent backer of Lee’s school voucher program, briefly served as House speaker after Glenn Casada stepped down and before new Speaker Cameron Sexton was elected. Dunn announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election. In a press release, Lee said Dunn is “one of the most experienced and thoughtful advocates for education in our state who has dedicated his career in state government to improving outcomes for Tennessee’s students.”

The TBA is hosting a virtual CLE series focused on individual cities' legal community, needs and interests. The series kicks off with a one-hour program for Clarksville area lawyers on Thursday. Speakers include Circuit Court Judge Kathryn Olita and Jamie Durrett with Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker. Topics include e-filing procedures being evaluated by Montgomery County, an update on court procedures, and litigation and virtual trials during the pandemic. A question and answer time will round out this live, interactive program. Remember: all 2020 CLE hours can be taken online and TBA members get discounted pricing on all CLE programs.

The TBA’s Young Lawyers Division will wrap up its virtual law school visits this week, with calls scheduled with students at the University of Memphis School of Law tomorrow and Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law on Wednesday. This year's program is focusing on the “Road to Success” for 3L and 4L students. YLD members are sharing their experiences on topics including how they chose their practice area, bar exam study tips and habits, how to network as a law student and young professional, mental health wellness and more. For more information, contact YLD Coordinator Stephanie Vonhamme.

TBA CLE will present the 2020 Environmental Law Forum on Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CST via Zoom Webinar. This year's forum will feature updates regarding PFAS litigation, OSHA compliance for environmental professionals, ethics and much more. Learn from seasoned professionals while earning three dual and one general credit hours of CLE. Log in information will be emailed to registrants the week of the program. Remember: all 2020 CLE hours can be taken online and TBA members get discounted pricing on all CLE programs.