Former U.S. Sen. and Deputy Gov. Harlan Mathews died this morning from brain cancer. He was 87. A graduate of the Nashville School of Law, Mathews was a fixture at the Capitol for all but a couple of years from 1950 into the 1990s, serving under four Democratic governors and holding the constitutional office of state treasurer — a position elected by the General Assembly — from 1974 to 1987. He also served in the U.S. Senate for two years after being appointed to fill the remainder of Vice President Al Gore’s term. “Harlan Mathews was my friend, an extraordinary public servant, and a true gentleman respected by Democrats and Republicans alike for his masterful knowledge of policy and his principled, honest dealing," former President Bill Clinton said in a statement. "In addition to his nearly half-century of service in Tennessee, I will always be grateful for the years he spent in the Senate, during which he cast important votes for the 1993 economic plan and the 1994 crime bill, votes which made our nation more prosperous and safer." The Tennessean reports funeral arrangements are pending. 

One day after winning the Republican primary for Third Judicial District Circuit Judge Part III, Mike Faulk announced Wednesday that doctors have discovered a sizeable malignant tumor in his esophagus. A former state senator, county commissioner, and longtime Hawkins County-based attorney, Faulk was appointed last year to replace retiring Circuit Judge Kindall Lawson. This will be his first actual election to that seat. "Other than the days I have chemotherapy and the days I'm recovering from it, I expect to be on the job," he said. "I want to publicly thank Chancellor Doug Jenkins and Judge Tom Wright who have agreed to fill in for me on those days so no one will have to wait to have his or her case heard." The Times News has the story.

Junior’s House Child Advocacy Center will host the 10th Annual Blue Ribbon Walk Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at Stone Bridge Memorial Park in Fayetteville. State Sen. Jim Tracy and State Rep. Pat Marsh will be this year’s grand marshals. Nationally, April is known as Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month. Pinwheels that are placed in front of the Lincoln County Courthouse represent 500 child abuse referrals reviewed by Junior’s House and child protective investigative team this year. For additional information please call Crystal Guess, director of Junior’s House, at (931) 438-3233. The Elk Valley Times has more. 

Aspen Publishers has changed its policy on requiring law students to return their property law casebooks at the end of the semester after blogger outcry. The company will now offer students two options: buy a hard copy of the book without digital materials and keep the book at the end of the semester, or buy the digital book along with the hard copy, and return the hard copy at semester's end, keeping the electronic version. The ABA Journal has more.

Entertainment attorney and Belmont University College of Law professor Loren E. Mulraine will join Nashville’s Bone McAllester Norton as the firm’s 38th attorney. Mulraine will serve as of counsel at Bone McAllester Norton, where he will focus his practice on entertainment law, intellectual property and business and corporate law. He will continue in his role at Belmont, teaching courses in copyright law, entertainment law, media law and intellectual property law, the Nashville Ledger reports.

Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade and Davidson County Circuit Judge Joe P. Binkley Jr. were recently honored by the Southeastern chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (SEABOTA) at its annual conference in Nashville, the Administrative Office of the Courts reports. Chief Justice Wade, of Sevier County, was named the organization’s 2014 Appellate Judge of the Year. SEABOTA also gave special recognition and honorary membership to Judge Binkley of Nashville, a long-time trial attorney in Nashville before beginning his career on the bench. The program featured former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson.

Walmart is now selling legal services in some of its supermarkets in Canada, Find Law reports. Axess Law, founded by Toronto lawyers Lena Koke and Mark Morris, has three of it's four current offices (with one more on the way) in Walmarts in Ontario. According to the Toronto Star, the firm practices on a volume model, which allows them to charge low rates, such as $99 for a will or $25 for a notarized document. While the United States has strict rules on non-lawyer ownership of firms, Find Law says that if a firm were to simply lease space in multiple Walmarts, without sharing profits or ownership, it would likely be legal.

Veteran Knoxville defense attorney Bruce Poston was arraigned today on charges he gave prescription painkillers to the wife of a client, Knoxnews reports. He was arrested last month after a probe by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and accused of two counts of delivery of hydrocodone, one count of attempted delivery and driving on a suspended license. Senior Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood set an Oct. 28 trial date.

Nashville lawyer Cecil Branstetter died yesterday at the age of 93. A World War II veteran and graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, Branstetter was a member of the commission that wrote Metro’s charter in 1961 and 1962, the year Nashville and Davidson County voters agreed to consolidate the sometimes overlapping city and county governments into one entity, a groundbreaking move. Mayor Karl Dean called Branstetter "an outstanding attorney and civic leader who dedicated his life to making Nashville a better city and the world a more just place." His daughter, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, said "He thought the way to improve the lives of the people was through government. And he thought this government would provide fair treatment to all people in a broader way."

Visitation is scheduled for 4 - 7 p.m. Sunday at Immanuel Baptist Church, 222 Belle Meade Blvd. A public memorial service will be held at the church at 11 a.m. Monday followed by a reception with the family in the church's fellowship hall. A private Interment will take place at Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Tennessee Environmental Council, 1 Vantage Way E250, Nashville 37228, or the Morgan Scott Project, 1022 Old Deer Lodge Pike, Deer Lodge 37726.

The University of Arizona will be the first major U.S. university to offer a bachelor of arts degree in law when it launches its program next fall, administrators announced this week. Arizona’s program will differ from the prelaw or legal-studies majors offered by many universities. Those programs tend to focus broadly on the social sciences, while Arizona’s will closely resemble a law school curriculum, with the law classes taught by full-time law school faculty. The program is designed to complement Arizona’s new “3+3” program, which allows students to complete a bachelor's in law and a juris doctor degree within six years, rather than the typical seven. The National Law Journal has more.