Circuit Court Judge William B. Acree Jr. of the 27th Judicial District has been elected president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference. Acree has been circuit court judge since 1994, and has served as a special judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Tennessee Supreme Court Worker's Compensation Panel. He also is the past president of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association. He earned his law degree in 1968 from the University of Tennessee.

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Other new conference officers are Chancellor Carol L. McCoy of the 20th Judicial District, who has become the first woman president-elect of the conference; and Criminal Court Judge W. Mark Ward of the 30th Judicial District, who is the new secretary. Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee of the 30th Judicial District has been elected an executive committee member.

Kevin C. Kennedy, senior attorney with The Kennedy Law Firm PLLC in Clarksville, has recently released a new book, Divorce Through the Eyes of a Christian Lawyer. He presented the first copy of the book to the Honorable Joe Loser Jr., dean of the Nashville School of Law. Kennedy graduated from the school in 1983 and topped his law class in the field of evidence.

Cookeville and Nashville attorney Mark C. Travis recently received his master of laws in dispute resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law, and announced he will serve as an adjunct professor of employment dispute resolution at the institute. Travis is an Approved Rule 31 Mediator of the Tennessee Supreme Court, a panel mediator-arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and chair of the Dispute Resolution Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.

Suzanne S. Cook, a partner with Hunter, Smith and Davis LLP in Kingsport, recently was approved as a Rule 31 Listed General Civil/Family Mediator by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission. Cook has been a practicing trial attorney for over 13 years. She is licensed in Tennessee and Virginia.

Nashville lawyer Donald B. Stuart, a partner in the tax practice group of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP, has been appointed vice chairman of the American Health Lawyers Association's Tax and Finance Practice Group. Boasting more than 10,000 members, the association is the nation's largest nonpartisan, non-profit, educational organization devoted to legal health care issues.

Barry J. Gammons of Nashville has been named the young members representative to the Commercial Law League of America's Board of Governors for the 2008-2009 term. The league is an organization of attorneys, collection agencies and other credit and finance experts in the field of commercial law, bankruptcy and insolvency. Gammons, who earned his law degree from the Nashville School of Law in 1993, is past chair of the southern region of the league and immediate past chair of the Young Members Section. He is the owner of the Law Offices of Barry J. Gammons, a firm that focuses on creditor's rights.

The Bradley County Bar Association has elected new officers. They are: President Stephen D. Crump with Crump, Richardson & Young; Vice President/President-elect Michael E. Jenne with Jenne, Scott & Jenne PLLC; and Treasurer Joshua H. Jenne with Jenne, Scott & Jenne PLLC. All are from Cleveland.

The Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women is now under the leadership of President Barbara Zoccola, a Memphis lawyer who works in the U.S. Attorney's Office. Additional new officers include President-elect Amy Hollars, a solo practitioner in Livingston; Treasurer Linda Knight with Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin PLLC in Nashville; Recording Secretary Kristen Amonette of Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella PC in Nashville; and Corresponding Secretary Tiffany Johnson with the Cochran Firm in Memphis. The following grand division directors also were elected: Markeisha Savage with Memphis Area Legal Services; Maria Salas with the Salas Slocum Law Group PLLC in Nashville; and Debra House with Legal Aid of East Tennessee in Knoxville.

Nashville lawyer Francis J. "Casey" Del Casino joined Adams and Reese's Music Row office as special counsel effective July 1. Del Casino formerly was a partner at Waller Lansden Dortch and Davis LLP and spent nearly a decade as a music publisher in New York. He has extensive experience in intellectual property and copyright law, as well as the purchase and sale of entertainment and publishing companies. Del Casino earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1988.

Denise Gough, lead counsel for Scripps Networks' Great American Country cable network, was promoted to vice president of legal affairs effective June 1. In her new role, she will supervise the company's independent contractor process and continue working with current clients as counsel. Prior to joining the company, Gough was senior counsel for America Online. She graduated from the Duke University School of Law in 1997.

The law firm of Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh PLLC recently announced that Susan Callison has joined its east Memphis office. Callison obtained her law degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1974 and a master of law in taxation from the University of Florida in 1979. Her practice focuses on estate planning, business succession planning, administration of trusts and estates, governmental pension plans, and the structuring and counseling of professional practices and family businesses.

The Jackson-Madison County Bar Association has named new officers for 2008-2009. TBA members among them are President William F. Kendall with Waldrop & Hall PA, Vice President Todd Siroky with Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell PLC, and Treasurer Alan Rheney with Spragins, Barnett, Cobb & Butler. All are from Jackson.

In June, Tennessee's juvenile justice community honored Knox County Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin, Scott County General Session Judge James Cotton and Madison County General Session Judge Christy Little at a reception at the Nashville School of Law. The event was part of a continuing legal education program, "Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline in Tennessee," sponsored by the TBA Access to Justice Committee, TBA Juvenile and Children's Law Section, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, Disability Law Center, Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, CAN Learn, and the Administrative Office of the Court Improvement Program.

The Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference has re-elected Jeffrey S. Henry as its executive director. In that role, Henry provides administrative services and training for the state's public defenders, coordinates multi-district cases, administers the public defender budget, and serves as a liaison to other branches of state government. He is a 1971 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Maryville attorney Stephen S. Ogle has been granted a scholarship to attend the National Association of Counsel for Children conference this summer in Savannah, Ga. The funding for the training comes from the Court Improvement Project of the Administrative Office of the Courts, Tennessee Supreme Court.

Newport lawyer Bill Shults was elected June 1 by his colleagues on the Tennessee Claims Commission to a two-year term as chairman. Shults was appointed to the commission, which decides a variety of civil claims filed against the state, in May 2006 by Gov. Phil Bredesen. A native of Newport and Cocke County, Shults has been practicing law for 31 years. Prior to joining the commission, he worked for the National Labor Relations Board and the United Mine Workers of America.

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Pulaski attorney WILLIAM HOWELL FORRESTER died May 27 of complications from pneumonia and extended battles with cancer. He was 84. Forrester was born in Watertown and attended Peabody College before entering the U.S. Army in 1943 and serving with distinction in World War II. After his discharge, Forrester graduated from Cumberland Law School in 1948 and practiced law in Nashville with his father, Robert L. Forrester, before moving to Pulaski in 1950. He served as the city judge of Pulaski for many years. The family requests that donations in his honor be made to the First United Methodist Church of Pulaski, 200 West Jefferson Street, Pulaski, TN 38478.

JAMES M. GLASGOW SR., 88, of Union City died June 9. Glasgow earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1948 and began a law practice in Dresden that same year. He was appointed assistant attorney general in 1952, an office he held until 1961. In that role, he represented the State of Tennessee before the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark case Baker vs. Carr, which established the principle of one man, one vote. Glasgow joined the Union City firm of Elam, Glasgow & Chism, where he was named a partner in 1963. From 1975 to 2001, he served as city attorney for the City of Union City. Glasgow was a member of the Tennessee Bar Association Board of Governors and House of Delegates from 1977 to 1978, a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, and chair of the Supreme Court Commission on Specialization. Memorials may be made to Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church or the Union City Rotary Scholarship fund.

STEPHEN D. JACKSON, an assistant district attorney in the 24th Judicial District, was killed in a car accident May 30. He was 60. The family has requested that memorial contributions be directed to the Music and Sound Ministry at West Jackson Baptist Church, 580 Oil Well Rd., Jackson, TN 38305.

Nashville lawyer JERE MONTGOMERY died on June 17 at the age of 57 after a long battle with cancer. A native of Paris, Tenn., Montgomery taught in the Nashville public school system in the mid-1970s, then returned to school to seek her law degree. She graduated from the Nashville School of Law in 1979 and practiced real estate law in Nashville. Donations in her memory may be made to the domestic violence center Homesafe Inc., located at 127 S. Water Ave., Gallatin, TN 37066.

IRVIN BOGATIN, co-founder of the Memphis-based Bogatin Law Firm, died July 1 at age 92. A civic leader in Memphis for many years, he was also a leader in the bar, serving as a member of the TBA's Board of Governors, as president of the Memphis Bar Association, and as a charter fellow and past chairman of both the Memphis and Tennessee bar foundations. He was also a co-founder of Memphis Area Legal Services and was an inaugural year recipient of a Pillars of Excellence Award from the University of Memphis for his 50-plus years of service in helping shape the Memphis legal community and community at large. His family requests that memorials be sent to the Memphis Bar Foundation, Baptist Trinity Hospice, Temple Israel or a charity of the donor's choice.

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Compiled by Sharon Ballinger and Stacey Shrader. Tennessee Bar Association members may send information about job changes, awards and work-related news. Send it to PEOPLE, c/o The Journal at 221 Fourth Ave. N., Suite 400, Nashville, TN 37219-2198, or email to sballinger@tnbar.org. Submissions are subject to editing. Pictures are used on a space-available basis and cannot be returned. Electronic photos must be saved as a tiff or jpeg (with no compression), minimum resolution 200 dpi, and at least 1"x1.5" or they will not be used.

Governor selects Davidson County judges
On March 26 Gov. Phil Bredesen appointed Nashville attorney Joe P. Binkley Jr. to the Davidson County Circuit Court, Division V, and Russell Perkins of Whites Creek to the Davidson County Chancery Court, Part IV. They were sworn in April 8 at the State Capitol. Binkley, top photo, stands with his wife Suzanne. Perkins stands with his wife Renita. Binkley, a graduate of the Vanderbilt University Law School, has been a solo practitioner for 38 years. Perkins has been serving as deputy attorney general of the Tennessee Attorney General's Tobacco Enforcement Division since 2006.

Stites & Harbison has named a new member in its Franklin office. Joseph J. Jensen joins the banking and real estate practice group where he will focus on representing financial institutions. Previously, Jensen practiced law in South Bend, Ind., and served as law clerk to Judge George B. Hoffman Jr., of the Indiana Court of Appeals.

Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP has elected the following 11 new partners in its Nashville office. Brett R. Carter earned his law degree in 1998 from the University of Memphis and a master of laws in taxation in 2000 from Georgetown University. From 2004 to 2005, he served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps in Iraq with the Tennessee Army National Guard. S. Keenan Carter received his law degree in 1998 from the University of Memphis. Prior to joining the firm, he was a member of Flanary Carter Schubert, a professional corporation in Dallas. Ryan K. Cochran graduated from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 2000. Prior to joining Waller Lansden, he served as law clerk to Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Derek W. Edwards earned his law degree from the Vanderbilt University Law School in 2000. Prior to joining the firm, he was an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. Alice M. Pettigrew Heywood joined the firm after working as an associate with Stites & Harbison PLLC in Nashville. She received her law degree in 2000 from the University of Memphis. Kevin P. Kimery holds a law degree from the University of Virginia and a master in philosophy from Boston College. He has been with the firm since 2000. Stephen Page graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1994. Before joining the firm he served as vice president of Vanguard Health Systems. Mark Jordan Plotkin earned his law degree in 2000 from Vanderbilt University Law School and worked as an associate with Hughes, Hubbard & Reed LLP in New York before returning to Tennessee to join Waller Lansden. Charles Brent Robbins graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1992. Prior to joining Waller Lansden, he was an associate with Stokes Bartholomew Evans & Petree PA in Nashville. Eric Schultenover began practicing at Waller Lansden after receiving his law degree in 2000 from Washington University. David G. Wilson received his law degree in 1998 from Vanderbilt University Law School. Prior to joining the firm, he was a senior research and development engineer for Allied Signal Aerospace Corporation.

Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan PLLC has named 10 attorneys as new members of the firm. In the Chattanooga office four lawyers were selected. Bruce D. Gill earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2001. Cherie D. Jewell received her law degree in 2000 from the University of Memphis. A licensed registered nurse since 1994, she is also a member of the Justices Ray L. Brock & Robert E. Cooper American Inns of Court. Sean W. Martin graduated from the University of Memphis with business and law degrees in 2000. He serves as publications chair for the Defense Research Institute's Construction Law Committee and is a member of the Georgia Bar Association Young Lawyers Academy Class of 2008. Thomas O. Sippel joined the firm as of counsel in 2004. He received his law degree from Mercer University in 1996.

In Knoxville, Laurel C. Ball, C. Christopher Brown, and Pamela B. Johnson were named members. Ball earned her law degree from the University of Memphis in 2001. Brown, a native of Chattanooga, graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1998. Johnson received her law degree from the University of Memphis in 2000.

In Memphis, Jay M. Atkins and R. Scott Vincent also were named to the position. Atkins, who graduated from the University of Memphis School of Law in 2001, is admitted to practice in Tennessee and Mississippi. Vincent graduated from the school in 2000.

Finally, in Nashville, Stephen B. Morton was selected. He received his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law and is a member of the Harry Phillips American Inns of Court.

Nashville attorney Robert Gowan, who recently served as Gov. Phil Bredesen's senior advisor for policy and legislation, has opened the Tennessee office of the Southern Strategy Group. Located in Suite 1850 of the Nashville City Center, the Southern Strategy Group is part of a nationwide network of government relations and business consulting offices representing education, health care, utilities, communications, banking, insurance, entertainment and real estate development clients.

The law firm of Sherrard & Roe PLC has added two associates to its Nashville office. Michael G. Abelow has joined the litigation group. Prior to joining the firm, he was an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. Abelow earned his law degree from Washington & Lee University in 2000. Gregory J. Pease has joined corporate law group. In this position, he will focus on mergers, acquisitions and securities. Prior to joining the firm, he was an attorney with Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP. Pease earned his law degree in 2004 from the University of Memphis and is past president of the University of Memphis-Nashville Law Alumni Club.

The Fleming Law Firm in Springfield recently announced that Edythe Carroll-Moss has joined the firm and will focus her practice in the areas of domestic law, wills and probate. Carroll-Moss graduated in 2007 from the Nashville School of Law.

The Chattanooga law firm of Eric Buchanan & Associates PLLC has named D. Seth Holliday a partner of the firm. A graduate of Washington University School of Law, Holliday initially practiced in Chicago and relocated to Tennessee in 2003. He focuses his litigation practice on long-term disability social security disability cases. He is past president of the Chattanooga Trial Lawyers Association.

In other news from the firm, Eric L. Buchanan, Donna H. Green and R. Scott Wilson have earned certification as social security disability specialists from the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization.

The National Bar Association Ben Jones Chapter recently elected officers for the new bar year. Among those taking office is TBA member Tiffany Johnson with The Cochran Firm in Memphis. She assumes the position of vice president.

The Knoxville law firm of Stone & Hinds PC has added four new associate attorneys to its staff. Michael A. Nolan graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1981 and previously worked for the State of Tennessee and Bechtel-Jacobs Company. Craig P. Raysor recently earned a master of law from the University of Arkansas School of Law. He graduated from the Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island in 2006. Douglas L. Rose joins the firm after graduating last year from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. Charles D. Waller comes to the firm as a recent graduate of the Valparaiso University School of Law in Indiana and former law clerk to Judge Jeffrey J. Dywan of the Lake County, Ill., Superior Court. Each of these attorneys will focus on civil law, including commercial litigation, personal injury, products liability, domestic relations, creditors rights, bankruptcy and estate planning.

The Nashville firm of Hollins, Wagster, Weatherly & Raybin PC has hired two attorneys in its civil litigation section. Sarah S. Richter earned her law degree in 2005 from the University of Memphis and served as senior law clerk to Judge William B. Cain of the Tennessee Court of Appeals. She focuses her practice in the areas civil trial and appellate litigation. David J. Weissman has been a practicing attorney since 1989. His practice consists of plaintiff's personal injury, social security disability, and civil/commercial litigation.

Paul A. Forsyth has joined the law firm of Pitts & Brittian PC in Knoxville as an associate. He will focus on patents, trademarks and other intellectual property matters. Forsyth received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2007. During law school he worked for Judge Thomas A. Varlan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

The American College of Bankruptcy has inducted Michael P. Coury, a member of the law firm of Farris Bobango & Branan PLC, as a fellow of the college. Coury is one of 29 nominees from the U.S. and abroad, and the first practicing attorney from Memphis, to be inducted. Coury is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, a past chairman of the bankruptcy section of the Tennessee Bar Association and past chair of the Memphis Bar Association's bankruptcy section. His practice is focused on bankruptcy reorganizations and related litigation, business restructuring and out-of-court workouts and commercial litigation.

The firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP has been recognized by the Legal Marketing Association for its 2006 annual report, which featured firm clients and the legal issues they face. The firm placed third in a contest that judged creativity, execution, achievement and overall excellence in legal marketing.

David A. Prather, senior counsel with Ford & Harrison LLP, has accepted the position of senior policy advisor for the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. The appointment will last through the end of the current presidential term. Prather's practice centers on employment discrimination litigation, including Fair Labor Standards Act litigation and collective/class actions. Prather is a graduate of the inaugural class of the Memphis Bar Association's Leadership Forum and chairs the MBA's personnel committee.

Bone McAllester Norton PLLC in Nashville has hired Robert D. Pinson to practice in the areas of business law, tax law and alcoholic beverage law. Pinson previously practiced law with Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP in Louisville, Ky. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2003, and his master of laws in taxation from the University of Florida's Levin College of Law in 2005.

The Napier-Looby Bar Association has held elections for the new bar year. Newly elected officers for 2008-2009 include TBA members President Jonathan E. Richardson with Smith & Hirsch PLC, Vice President/President-Elect Isaac T. Conner with Lewis, King, Krieg & Waldrop PC, and Treasurer William H. Stover " all of Nashville.

Riley Warnock & Jacobson PLC recently announced that Amy J. Everhart, Salvador M. Hernandez and John W. Peterson have become members of the firm. Everhart joined the firm after graduating from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1998. She focuses her practice on commercial litigation, entertainment, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property matters. She also is a current member of the Tennessee Bar Association's Leadership Law class. Hernandez joined the firm in 2000 after completing a clerkship with Judge Gilbert S. Merritt of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a 1999 graduate of the Vanderbilt University Law School. Hernandez has extensive experience in general and complex civil litigation and has represented clients in a range of business disputes. Peterson joined the firm in 2007 after relocating to Nashville from California. After completing law school at the University of Southern California, he began his law practice at the Los Angeles firm of White & Case. He went on to co-found the litigation firm of Bate, Peterson, Deacon, Zinn & Young LLP. His experience includes a broad range of complex commercial and general business litigation matters and work with real estate, construction, securities, insurance, labor, employment, copyright and trademark clients.

Nashville attorneys Jonathan Cole, with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz PC, and James Crumlin Jr., with Bone McAllester Norton PLLC, were recently named members of the board of the Young Leaders Council, a Nashville-based nonprofit that has trained more than 1,400 men and women to participate on the boards of nonprofit agencies.

Charles F. Aiken has joined the Chattanooga firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel PC, where he will practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate and securities law, and business organizations. Aiken earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Prior to joining the firm, he practiced with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP in Cleveland, Ohio.

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Knoxville lawyer WILLIAM C. SKAGGS JR. died March 16 at the age of 85. A native of Knoxville, he earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Tennessee and spent his entire legal career with the firm of Ayres & Parkey. An active member of the bar and the community, he served as president of the Knoxville Bar Association, the Cherokee Country Club and The Cotillion Club. The family requests that memorials be made to Catholic Charities or the donor's charity of choice.

Chattanooga lawyer WILLIAM KIRK SNOUFFER died March 25 at the age of 59. A 1973 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, he began his legal career as a law clerk to Chief Judge Virgil Pittman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. In 1975, he began private practice with the firm of Chambliss, Bahner, Crutchfield, Gaston & Irvine " now Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel in Chattanooga " where he practiced in the areas of estate and retirement planning, taxation, executive compensation, real estate and business planning. Snouffer served for many years as the firm's managing partner and as the unofficial firm historian. At the family's request, memorial donations be made to The American Cancer Society, The American Diabetes Association, McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center, The Tennessee River Gorge Trust or the donor's favorite charity.

Tennessee Justice Center honors mothers
Michele Johnson, managing attorney of the Tennessee Justice Center, presented a family portrait to Judy Eaves of Chattanooga, one of five mothers honored by the center as "Mother of the Year." Each woman is mother to a child who is sick or disabled. They were honored for their devotion and commitment to their children and to all TennCare children and families. A reception in Nashville for the mothers was hosted by Stites and Harbison LLC and sponsored by SunTrust Bank.

The Nashville School of Law honored three attorneys at its 15th annual recognition dinner on June 6. Sen. Douglas Henry Jr., the nephew of one of the school's four original founders, Robert Selph Henry, was honored with the annual Community Service Award. Henry has served as a state senator since 1970 and has been a strong advocate for children and education. He also practices law in Nashville. He earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1951. - Faculty member Mark Westlake was given the Distinguished Faculty Award. He has been a tax law instructor at the school since 1984. A partner with Gullett, Stanford, Robinson & Martin PLLC, Westlake currently serves as treasurer of the Tennessee Bar Association. He earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1977. - Adams & Reese attorney Anne Russell received the Distinguished Alumni Award. She graduated from the school in 1984 and now works as a civil litigator.

The law firm of Gilbert Russell McWherter PLC recently changed its name and added four new attorneys to its Jackson office. Jonathan L. Bobbitt earned his law degree from the University of Memphis and a masters in business administration from Union University. He focuses his practice on labor and employment. Lowe Finney graduated from the Saint Louis University School of Law in 2001. Following graduation he clerked for Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge John Everett Williams. In 2006, Finney was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly from the 27th Senate District. In that body, he serves as secretary and treasurer of the Democratic Caucus and vice chair of the State and Local Government Committee. He also maintains an active law practice. J. Brandon McWherter is a partner with the firm's litigation group, where he focuses on municipal law, construction litigation, commercial litigation, products liability, civil rights and insurance. He earned his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law in May 2001. Clinton H. Scott is an associate with the litigation group. He obtained his law degree in 2003 from the University of Memphis School of Law, where he served as comments editor for the University of Memphis Law Review.

Frost Brown Todd LLC recently announced that Tim Crenshaw has joined its Nashville office, where he will serve in the Construction Law Group. Crenshaw represents project owners, construction managers and contractors in risk management, contract issues, and resolution construction disputes. A native Nashvillian, he earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1986.

M. Beth Boone, previously with Ware and Boone in Nashville, has opened a solo practice in Brunswick, Ga., where she will focus on general trial work, with an emphasis on probate law. Boone earned her law degree in 1998 from the Nashville School of Law and subsequently served as a law clerk to Judge Frank G. Clement Jr. when he was Seventh Circuit Judge for Davidson County. She was admitted to the Georgia bar in February.

Memphis attorney Charles Key has joined the health care practice of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP. In his new post he will focus on general health law, including regulation of provider conduct, Medicare reimbursement, antitrust, insurance, privacy of health information, medical peer review, managed care and licensing. Key is editorial board chair of the American Bar Association's The Health Lawyer, and is a former chair of the Tennessee Bar Association's Health Law Section.

Samuel D. Payne, formerly a partner at the Nashville law firm of Evans, Jones and Reynolds PC, has moved his practice to the firm of Rudy, Wood & Winstead PLLC, also in Nashville. Payne focuses his work in the areas of business/commercial litigation, workers' compensation, legal malpractice defense and other civil litigation, with an emphasis on labor and employment law. A native Nashvillian, he earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1992.

Civil justice attorney Jim Bilbo has announced the opening of the Bilbo Law Office in Cleveland. Bilbo has been a practicing attorney in Cleveland since 1985, and will continue to represent those seriously injured, and the families of those killed, as a result of negligent acts. He is board certified in civil trial advocacy and state-certified as a civil trial specialist. Bilbo is a former president of the Tennessee Association for Justice and member of the American Association for Justice's Council of Presidents.

Gordon Bonnyman Jr., executive director and cofounder of the Tennessee Justice Center, has received the Economic Justice Award from the National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ). The award was presented to Bonnyman in May during the organization's annual awards dinner in New York City. He is the first Tennessean to receive the award. NCLEJ advances the cause of economic justice for low-income families, individuals and communities across the country.

Michele Johnson, managing attorney of the TJC, has received the 2008 Long Haul Award from the Tennessee Alliance for Progress (TAP) in recognition of her advocacy for children's health services. The award was presented on May 16 in conjunction with TAP's annual statewide conference. Johnson cofounded the TJC in 1996 and has focused her work over the years on children with special health care needs.

The Nashville office of Constangy, Brooks & Smith LLC was recently recognized by the Tennessee Employer Support for the Guard & Reserve (ESGR) for its legal assistance to the organization and service members. The adjutant general of the Tennessee National Guard, on behalf of ESGR, presented the Seven Seals Award to the firm on May 15. Lawyer Mary Dohner Smith also was honored with a Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support to employers of Guard and Reserve members. She practices labor and employment law at the firm and volunteers her time helping Guard and Reserve troops transition back into their civilian jobs.

Demeka K. Church has joined Green Family Law Office in Brentwood, where she will handle divorce, parentage, adoption and other family law matters. Church earned her law degree from the University of Mississippi in 2006. She is licensed in both Tennessee and Mississippi.

Stephen Ross Johnson has been named a partner in the Knoxville law firm of Ritchie, Dillard & Davies PC, where he has served since graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2002. Johnson focuses his practice on the defense of white-collar crimes, major felonies and other charges in federal and state court. For three consecutive years he has served as chair of the Tennessee Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section.

Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry lawyers Gino Bulso and George Nolan have joined with Bill Leader, a former member of the firm, to open a new trial and appellate practice in Nashville. Initially to be known as Leader & Bulso PLC, the firm name will change to Leader, Bulso & Nolan PLC when Nolan joins the office in mid-July. Bulso practiced at Boult Cummings for 22 years, joining the firm after graduating from law school. He focuses his practice on business and commercial litigation. Leader was an attorney with Boult Cummings for 18 years before opening Leader & Associates PLC. He primarily handles personal injury litigation. Nolan practiced at Boult Cummings for 17 years, primarily in the area of tort litigation. He also maintains an active practice in the areas of business, insurance, environmental and eminent domain litigation. The firm will be located on the 17th floor of the Bank of America building at 414 Union St., Suite 1740 in Nashville.

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Powell lawyer CHARLES GORDON died May 5 at the age of 80. Gordon earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and began practicing law in 1975. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Knoxville.

JOE B. JACKSON died April 22 at age 87. A former Murfreesboro mayor, vice mayor and city councilman, Jackson had a public career that spanned 30 years. After returning from a tour of duty in World War II, Jackson used the GI Bill to attend law school. He graduated from the Nashville School of Law in 1954 and passed the Tennessee bar exam, but decided to pursue a career in the construction industry. Jackson was active in his local community, serving as president of the hospital board and Exchange Club and as a member of the school board and recreation commission, among other city bodies. He was elected Tennessee mayor of the year in 1988 and holds the record as Murfreesboro's longest serving chief executive. The family requests that memorials in his honor be made to the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society or Alive Hospice.

JOHN L. WILLIAMS, a former county and state official, died May 9 at his home in Huntingdon. He was 80 years old. Following high school graduation and service in World War II, Williams - then 22 - became the youngest circuit court clerk in Tennessee. After studying pre-law at the University of Tennessee and Bethel College, he graduated from the Cumberland School of Law in 1954. Williams practiced law in Huntingdon and in 1966 was elected District Attorney General for the 24th Judicial District. He served in that capacity until 1982. From 1972 to 1973, he was president of the District Attorney General Association.

Chief Justice William M. Barker will retire Sept. 1 after a judicial career spanning 25 years. Barker, 66, is a native of Chattanooga. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Chattanooga and his law degree from the University of Cincinnati School of Law. In a letter to Gov. Phil Bredesen, Barker said he has "seen countless positive changes in both substantive and procedural laws" while serving as a judge.

With Barker's retirement Justice Janice M. Holder of Memphis will become the state's first female chief justice. Justice Gary R. Wade told the Chattanooga Times Free Press in April that the justices selected Holder as Barker's successor when he announced plans to retire two years ago.