WKRN reports more than a dozen Nashville residents graduated from the Davidson County Drug Court after completing a treatment program required to clear their arrest history. The rehabilitation program, which includes counseling and GED classes, lasts between 12 and 18 months.

Marion County attorney and former state representative Howard G. Swafford died yesterday (Feb. 4). He was 96. Swafford attended law school at the University of Tennessee College of Law after serving in World War II.  A Republican, he was elected to the state legislature in 1972, practiced law and won his last jury trial at age 92. He is survived by fellow lawyers, his wife Claude Galbreath Swafford; a son, Howard Graham Swafford Jr. of Jasper; a daughter, retired Magistrate Claudia Swafford Haltom and son-in-law, former Tennessee Bar Association President William Haltom, of Memphis. Visitation is Feb. 7 at 1 p.m., at the First Baptist Church of Jasper. The funeral will follow at 3 p.m. The family requests no flowers, but contributions may be made in Swafford’s honor to the First Baptist Church of Jasper, the Family Life Center Fund at McKendree Methodist Church of Jasper, and A Step Ahead Foundation of Memphis or Chattanooga. Read more about his life.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments is accepting applications for the Court of Criminal Appeals vacancy that will occur if the general assembly confirms Gov. Bill Haslam’s appointment of Roger A. Page to the Supreme Court. Applicants must be a licensed attorney who is at least 30, a resident of the state for five years and a resident of the Western Tennessee Grand Division. Applications must be submitted to the Administrative Office of the Courts by Feb. 26 at noon CST. The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will interview all qualified applicants in Jackson in March.

Knoxville Republican Reps. Eddie Smith and Jason Zachary are donating campaign contributions they received from Rep. Jeremy Durham to a Knoxville women’s charity. Smith and Zachary say they knew nothing of Durham’s alleged sexual harassment when they accepted the money from the Franklin Republican. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports campaign finance disclosures also revealed former Rep. Leigh Wilburn, R-Somerville, donated money she received from Durham to the House Republican Caucus. Attorney General Herbert Slatery III is currently investigating Durham's alleged behavior. 

Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk filed a $200 million lawsuit against NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Phil Williams and Scripps Media Inc., the station's parent company, after the station aired a story Wednesday alleging Funk blackmailed David Chase. Funk disputes those claims in the lawsuit, but acknowledges that his office did dismiss criminal charges against Chase in exchange for Chase dropping his federal lawsuit against the Metro Police Department.  NewsChannel 5 says that it stands behind the story. Read more from The Tennessean. 

Controversy surrounding David Chase, developer who was arrested in 2014 for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, has increased as a Nashville Scene investigation revealed consultant Bill Fletcher requested $2 million from Chase “to make it all go away.” Chase revealed the request in a civil lawsuit he filed against people he claims conspired against him. WTVF reports Chase's mother said that she never believed the money requested was for Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk, who eventually agreed to drop the charges against her son. Funk denies any wrongdoing, but WSMV reports Funk made a secret deal with Chase that required him to drop charges against the Metro Police Department in exchange for his (Chase's) charges being dropped. The public was never alerted about that deal. 

Nashville attorney John Bradbury Reed died Tuesday (Feb. 2) after a 25-year battle with cancer, the Nashville Post reports. He was 76. Reed graduated from Vanderbilt Law School and joined the school's faculty from 1964-1972. He practiced with Bass, Berry & Sims for more than 50 years and went on to finish his career with Riley Warnock & Jacobson. Reed was also very involved in the Nashville community and was honored with the Junior League of Nashville’s Community Service Award in 2003. A brief visitation and a funeral liturgy will be held at Christ Church Cathedral at 900 Broadway, Nashville, on Feb. 7. Visitation with family members will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the liturgy at 2:30 p.m.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today decided to increase the punishment recommended for Robert Vogel, a Knoxville attorney who engaged in sexual misconduct involving a client that he was appointed to represent in a criminal matter. Vogel also revealed confidential information of another client to a judge in a different matter. He initially received a one-year suspension of his law license, with 30 days to be served on active suspension. The court concluded that Vogel’s conduct represents “a serious violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct and warrants a one-year active suspension.” Read the unanimous opinion in In re: Robert Lee Vogel, authored by Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins.

Students from the University of Tennessee College of Law’s Institute for Professional Leadership recently attended the inaugural Leading as Lawyers: Trans-Pacific Perspectives course in Australia along with Australian law students. The course, offered by the University of Queensland TC Beirne School of Law, introduced students to basic leadership principles and the value of service through the lens of lawyers. “It singlehandedly lent meaning to my entire law school career and will continue to inform and inspire my work as a lawyer for many years to come,” said Hannah Hunt, a UT Law student. 

Attorney David Coates, of the Law Offices of David Coates, has partnered with Habitat for Humanity and Legal Aid of East Tennessee to offer free estate planning this Saturday to every Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area homeowner in the Chattanooga area. “Now that these families are homeowners, it is such a blessing to see them able to meet with a lawyer to help protect their homes,” Cheryl Marsh, Director of Family Services, said. The clinic, along with a free legal clinic, will be held in the Chattanooga Housing Authority’s multipurpose room located at 801 N. Holtzclaw Ave.